With 'Idol,' Fox
scoots out ahead again
Return of the hit show pushes network past CBS to regain the No. 1 spot
By Toni Fitzgerald
Jan 25, 2012
Even a much-diminished "American Idol" is a powerful weapon for Fox.
The return of the hit singing show, along with a record-breaking NFC Championship, helped push Fox ahead of CBS for first place this season among adults 18-49 after falling behind in December.
Fox had the best week for any network this season, averaging a 7.7 adults 18-49 rating and 19 share for the week ended Jan. 22, according to Nielsen.
That was more than the other Big Five networks combined, on a week that admittedly included a lot of reruns. Fox had the top four shows on broadcast, including three episodes of "Idol."
And it was just enough to boost the network back into first place after spending most of the fall tied with CBS for No. 1. Fox had fallen slightly behind with a slew of December reruns.
Fox is now averaging a 3.3 rating and 9 share this season, with CBS second with a 3.2/9. ABC and NBC are tied for third at 2.5/7, with Univision fifth at 1.5/4 and the CW sixth with a 0.8/2.
Fox is also seeing the biggest gains over last year at this time, up 18 percent, while CBS is up 3 percent.
ABC and Univision are even to last year and NBC is off 11 percent. The CW is down the most, 20 percent.
Depending on whether "Idol" can maintain last week's ratings, Fox could pull farther ahead of CBS, but that's a big depends.
The show is off double-digit percentages from last year and the competition on ABC and CBS crept closer than ever during last week's Wednesday and Thursday premieres.
Still, even a fading "Idol" is still stronger than anything else on television. The three editions of the show averaged a 7.9 (Sunday), 7.4 (Wednesday) and 5.7 (Thursday).
The two next-highest-rated shows, CBS's "The Big Bang Theory" and ABC's "Modern Family," averaged a 5.3 and 5.1 apiece, respectively.
***
In broadcast ratings for the week ended Jan. 22:
Among adults 18-49, Fox was first for the week with a 7.7 average rating and a 19 share, followed by CBS and ABC at 2.1/5, NBC at 1.5/5, Univision at 1.4/4, Telemundo and CW at 0.5/1, ION and TeleFutura at 0.3/1 and Azteca and Estrella at 0.1/0.
Top five English-language Big Five shows (18-49s): 1. Fox's "NFC Championship" 21.4; 2. Fox's "American Idol-Special" 7.9; 3. Fox's "American Idol-Wednesday" 7.4; 4. Fox's "American Idol-Thursday" 5.7; 5. CBS's "The Big Bang Theory" 5.3.
Top five English-language Big Five shows (total viewers): 1. Fox's "NFC Championship" 57.64 million; 2. Fox's "American Idol-Wednesday" 21.93 million; 3. Fox's "American Idol-Special" 19.74 million; 4. Fox's "American Idol-Thursday" 18.02 million; 5. CBS's "The Big Bang Theory" 15.84 million.
Top five time-shifted English-language Big Five shows (18-49s, by Live+SD versus Live+7 playback, week ended Jan. 8): 1. ABC's "Modern Family" 2.4 increase (up 42.1 percent); 2. ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" 1.6 increase (up 35.6 percent); 3. ABC's "Once Upon a Time" 1.3 increase (up 35.1 percent); 4. CBS's "Two and a Half Men" 1.3 increase (up 28.9 percent); 5. CBS's "Hawaii Five-0" 1.2 increase (up 41.4 percent).
Show on the rise: Fox's "The Finder," Thursday 9 p.m. The new drama benefited from its new "American Idol" lead-in, jumping 29 percent week-to-week among 18-49s from a 1.7 rating for its debut to a 2.2.
Show on the decline: NBC's "Whitney," Wednesday 8 p.m. Airing against "American Idol" hurt the first-year comedy as last week it posted a 1.6 among 18-49s, down 20 percent from a 2.0 the previous week.
|
WEEKLY PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked on Households
Week Ending Jan. 22 |
|
Network
|
Households
|
People 2+
|
Adults 18-49
|
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
|
FOX |
11.6 |
13350 |
18 |
7.3 |
21250 |
17 |
7.7 |
9880 |
19 |
|
CBS |
5.9 |
6760 |
9 |
3.2 |
9310 |
8 |
2.1 |
2740 |
5 |
|
ABC |
4.2 |
4840 |
7 |
2.3 |
6670 |
6 |
2.1 |
2670 |
5 |
|
NBC |
3.7 |
4240 |
6 |
2.0 |
5780 |
5 |
1.5 |
1960 |
4 |
|
UNI |
1.7 |
1980 |
3 |
1.2 |
3450 |
3 |
1.4 |
1770 |
4 |
|
CW |
0.8 |
920 |
1 |
0.4 |
1210 |
1 |
0.5 |
680 |
1 |
|
TEL |
0.7 |
800 |
1 |
0.4 |
1270 |
1 |
0.5 |
690 |
1 |
|
ION |
0.7 |
770 |
1 |
0.3 |
990 |
1 |
0.3 |
370 |
1 |
|
TF |
0.3 |
400 |
1 |
0.2 |
720 |
1 |
0.3 |
410 |
1 |
|
AZA |
0.1 |
130 |
0 |
0.1 |
200 |
0 |
0.1 |
110 |
0 |
|
ETV |
0.1 |
130 |
0 |
0.1 |
220 |
0 |
0.1 |
110 |
0 |
|
*
Each rating point is equivalent to 1 percent or
1. 147
million homes
Note: Viewing estimates include same day (3 a.m.-3 a.m.) DVR playback.
Source: Nielsen
|
|
SEASON-TO-DATE PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked on Households
Week Ending Jan. 22 |
|
Network
|
Households
|
People 2+
|
Adults 18-49
|
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
|
CBS |
7.6 |
8710 |
12 |
4.2 |
12190 |
11 |
3.2 |
4060 |
9 |
|
ABC |
5.4 |
6220 |
9 |
2.9 |
8510 |
7 |
2.5 |
3160 |
7 |
|
FOX |
5.4 |
6170 |
9 |
3.1 |
9100 |
8 |
3.3 |
4190 |
9 |
|
NBC |
4.6 |
5270 |
7 |
2.5 |
7340 |
6 |
2.5 |
3150 |
7 |
|
UNI |
1.8 |
2100 |
3 |
1.2 |
3550 |
3 |
1.5 |
1880 |
4 |
|
CW |
1.2 |
1380 |
2 |
0.6 |
1800 |
2 |
0.8 |
990 |
2 |
|
ION |
0.7 |
800 |
1 |
0.4 |
1050 |
1 |
0.3 |
400 |
1 |
|
TEL |
0.7 |
780 |
1 |
0.4 |
1250 |
1 |
0.5 |
680 |
1 |
|
TF |
0.3 |
340 |
0 |
0.2 |
540 |
0 |
0.2 |
320 |
1 |
|
ETV |
0.1 |
140 |
0 |
0.1 |
230 |
0 |
0.1 |
120 |
0 |
|
AZA |
0.1 |
130 |
0 |
0.1 |
200 |
0 |
0.1 |
100 |
0 |
|
*
Each rating point is equivalent to one percent or
1. 147
million homes
Note: Season-to-date estimates are a weighted average and Live+7 data, except for the most recent two weeks which are based Live+SD viewing.
Source: Nielsen |
|
TOP 25 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST
Ranked on Households
Week Ending Jan. 22 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
HOUSEHOLDS |
PERSONS 2+ |
|
Rtg% |
Shr |
(000) |
# |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1 |
FOX NFC CHAMPIONSHIP(S) |
FOX |
30.6 |
44 |
35095 |
1 |
19.9 |
57635 |
|
2 |
FOX NFC CHAMPIONSHIP-POST(S) |
FOX |
17.1 |
27 |
19630 |
2 |
10.7 |
31036 |
|
3 |
AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY |
FOX |
12.3 |
19 |
14088 |
3 |
7.6 |
21931 |
|
4 |
AMERICAN IDOL-THURSDAY |
FOX |
10.3 |
16 |
11805 |
4 |
6.2 |
18018 |
|
5 |
BIG BANG THEORY, THE |
CBS |
9.3 |
15 |
10721 |
5 |
5.5 |
15835 |
|
6 |
MENTALIST, THE |
CBS |
8.8 |
14 |
10071 |
7 |
4.9 |
14220 |
|
7 |
PERSON OF INTEREST |
CBS |
8.7 |
13 |
9977 |
6 |
5.0 |
14400 |
|
8 |
BETTY WHITE 90TH BIRTHDAY(S) |
NBC |
8.5 |
12 |
9784 |
8 |
4.8 |
13856 |
|
9 |
NCIS |
CBS |
8.2 |
13 |
9452 |
9 |
4.6 |
13227 |
|
10 |
CRIMINAL MINDS |
CBS |
8.1 |
12 |
9278 |
10 |
4.5 |
13003 |
|
11 |
TWO AND A HALF MEN |
CBS |
7.8 |
11 |
8979 |
10 |
4.5 |
13015 |
|
12 |
CSI |
CBS |
7.5 |
12 |
8631 |
13 |
4.1 |
12015 |
|
13 |
OFF THEIR ROCKERS(S) |
NBC |
7.4 |
11 |
8534 |
12 |
4.2 |
12256 |
|
14 |
MODERN FAMILY |
ABC |
7.0 |
11 |
8080 |
13 |
4.1 |
11890 |
|
15 |
ROB |
CBS |
6.9 |
10 |
7866 |
15 |
3.9 |
11406 |
|
16 |
2 BROKE GIRLS |
CBS |
6.8 |
10 |
7807 |
15 |
3.9 |
11403 |
|
16 |
MIKE & MOLLY |
CBS |
6.8 |
10 |
7798 |
17 |
3.8 |
11088 |
|
18 |
HAWAII FIVE-0 |
CBS |
6.6 |
11 |
7623 |
18 |
3.7 |
10731 |
|
19 |
GREY'S ANATOMY |
ABC |
6.3 |
9 |
7213 |
21 |
3.3 |
9422 |
|
20 |
CASTLE |
ABC |
6.1 |
10 |
7043 |
22 |
3.2 |
9412 |
|
20 |
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER |
CBS |
6.1 |
9 |
6942 |
19 |
3.5 |
10080 |
|
20 |
NCIS: LOS ANGELES |
CBS |
6.1 |
9 |
6983 |
22 |
3.2 |
9396 |
|
23 |
ALCATRAZ |
FOX |
5.9 |
9 |
6713 |
19 |
3.5 |
10051 |
|
23 |
UNDERCOVER BOSS |
CBS |
5.9 |
8 |
6710 |
22 |
3.2 |
9246 |
|
25 |
NCIS WEDNESDAY SPECIAL(S) |
CBS |
5.8 |
9 |
6644 |
26 |
3.1 |
9004 |
|
0Source: Nielsen |
|
TOP 25 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST
Adults 18-49
Week Ending Jan. 22 |
|
Rank |
Program |
Net |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1 |
FOX NFC CHAMPIONSHIP(S) |
FOX |
21.4 |
27368 |
|
2 |
FOX NFC CHAMPIONSHIP-POST(S) |
FOX |
12.3 |
15707 |
|
3 |
AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY |
FOX |
7.4 |
9401 |
|
4 |
AMERICAN IDOL-THURSDAY |
FOX |
5.7 |
7294 |
|
5 |
BIG BANG THEORY, THE |
CBS |
5.3 |
6836 |
|
6 |
MODERN FAMILY |
ABC |
5.1 |
6483 |
|
7 |
2 BROKE GIRLS |
CBS |
4.6 |
5862 |
|
7 |
TWO AND A HALF MEN |
CBS |
4.6 |
5932 |
|
9 |
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER |
CBS |
4.4 |
5633 |
|
10 |
MIKE & MOLLY |
CBS |
3.8 |
4901 |
|
11 |
GREY'S ANATOMY |
ABC |
3.5 |
4445 |
|
11 |
ROB |
CBS |
3.5 |
4422 |
|
13 |
NEW GIRL |
FOX |
3.4 |
4364 |
|
14 |
ALCATRAZ |
FOX |
3.3 |
4216 |
|
15 |
CRIMINAL MINDS |
CBS |
3.2 |
4132 |
|
15 |
ONCE UPON A TIME |
ABC |
3.2 |
4108 |
|
15 |
PERSON OF INTEREST |
CBS |
3.2 |
4136 |
|
18 |
GLEE |
FOX |
3.1 |
3935 |
|
19 |
MENTALIST, THE |
CBS |
3.0 |
3811 |
|
19 |
OFFICE |
NBC |
3.0 |
3811 |
|
21 |
HAPPY ENDINGS |
ABC |
2.9 |
3677 |
|
22 |
CSI |
CBS |
2.8 |
3636 |
|
22 |
HAWAII FIVE-0 |
CBS |
2.8 |
3573 |
|
24 |
BETTY WHITE 90TH BIRTHDAY(S) |
NBC |
2.7 |
3495 |
|
25 |
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES |
ABC |
2.6 |
3287 |
|
25 |
LAST MAN STANDING |
ABC |
2.6 |
3368 |
|
25 |
OFF THEIR ROCKERS(S) |
NBC |
2.6 |
3347 |
|
Source: Nielsen |
|
SPANISH-LANGUAGE TELEVISION
Ranked on Households
Week Ending Jan. 15 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Rtg |
P2+ (000) |
|
1 |
QUE NO PODIA AMAR M-F |
UNI |
17.1 |
4247 |
|
2 |
DON FRANCISCO PRESENTA MO |
UNI |
13.8 |
3199 |
|
3 |
FAMILIA CON SUERTE M-F |
UNI |
13.8 |
3504 |
|
4 |
GRAN SHOW LOS PEQUES SUN |
UNI |
13.6 |
3461 |
|
5 |
AQUI Y AHORA TUE |
UNI |
11.7 |
2672 |
|
6 |
SABADO GIGANTE SAT |
UNI |
11.4 |
2523 |
|
7 |
ROSA DE GUADALUPE FRI |
UNI |
10.9 |
2828 |
|
8 |
SAL Y PIMIENTA SUN |
UNI |
10.4 |
2266 |
|
9 |
DALE CON GANAS WED |
UNI |
10.1 |
2212 |
|
10 |
DALE CON GANAS 1/12(S)-01/12/2012 |
UNI |
9.2 |
1984 |
|
11 |
VIDA MEJOR CANTANDO SUN |
UNI |
8.0 |
1943 |
|
12 |
HORA PICO SAT |
UNI |
7.5 |
1633 |
|
13 |
C. CERRADO-ED. ESTELAR M-F |
TEL |
7.5 |
1586 |
|
14 |
MAID EN MANHATTAN M-F |
TEL |
7.5 |
1645 |
|
15 |
CASA DE AL LADO M-F |
TEL |
7.0 |
1545 |
|
16 |
FLOR SALVAJE M-F |
TEL |
5.8 |
1278 |
|
17 |
PA'LANTE CON CRISTINA |
TEL |
4.6 |
969 |
|
18 |
CINE DE LAS ESTREL SUN |
TF |
3.8 |
881 |
|
19 |
CINE DE IMPACTO |
TEL |
3.7 |
982 |
|
20 |
CINE EXCLUSIVO(S)-01/15/2012 |
TEL |
3.3 |
819 |
|
21 |
CINE DE LAS ESTREL SUN 2 |
TF |
2.9 |
686 |
|
22 |
CAPO, EL M-F |
TF |
2.9 |
735 |
|
23 |
CINE DE LAS ESTRELLAS M-F |
TF |
2.2 |
544 |
|
24 |
RETO DE MUJER M-F |
TF |
1.8 |
367 |
|
25 |
LIGA MEX DE FUTBOL SAT-02 |
TF |
1.8 |
403 |
|
Source: Nielsen |
|
HISPANIC ENGLISH-LANGUAGE VIEWING
Ranked on Households
Week Ending Jan. 15 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Rtg |
P2+(000) |
|
1 |
FOX NFC PLAYOFF-SU PST GN(S)-01/15/2012 |
FOX |
13.2 |
3124 |
|
2 |
AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF-SA(S)-01/14/2012 |
CBS |
11.1 |
2809 |
|
2 |
FOX NFC PLAYOFF-SA PST GN(S)-01/14/2012 |
FOX |
11.1 |
2789 |
|
4 |
FOX NFC PLAYOFF-PST-SUN(S)-01/15/2012 |
FOX |
9.6 |
2237 |
|
5 |
GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS(S)-01/15/2012 |
NBC |
6.7 |
1514 |
|
6 |
ROB |
CBS |
5.5 |
1309 |
|
7 |
BIG BANG THEORY, THE |
CBS |
4.8 |
1049 |
|
7 |
FOX NFC PLAYOFF-SA PST GM(S)-01/14/2012 |
FOX |
4.8 |
1158 |
|
9 |
MODERN FAMILY |
ABC |
4.7 |
993 |
|
9 |
SIMPSONS |
FOX |
4.7 |
1236 |
|
Source: Nielsen |
|
AFRICAN AMERICAN AUDIENCE ESTIMATES
Ranked on Households
Week Ending Jan. 15 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Rtg |
P2+(000) |
|
1 |
AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF-SA |
CBS |
18.2 |
3711 |
|
2 |
FOX NFC PLAYOFF-PST-SUN |
FOX |
16.9 |
3334 |
|
3 |
FOX NFC PLAYOFF-SA PST GM |
FOX |
10.1 |
1856 |
|
4 |
SIMPSONS |
FOX |
9.0 |
1809 |
|
5 |
NCIS: LOS ANGELES |
CBS |
7.7 |
1407 |
|
6 |
PERSON OF INTEREST |
CBS |
7.4 |
1414 |
|
7 |
NCIS |
CBS |
7.2 |
1339 |
|
8 |
UNFORGETTABLE |
CBS |
7.2 |
1250 |
|
9 |
NAPOLEON DYNAMITE |
FOX |
6.9 |
1421 |
|
10 |
GREY'S ANATOMY |
ABC |
6.9 |
1312 |
|
* Ratings based on 13.65 million African American TV homes.
Source: Nielsen |
|
TOP 20 NETWORK SPORTS PROGRAMS
Ranked on Viewers
Week Ending Jan. 15 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Episode |
Households |
Persons 2+ |
|
US
Rtg% |
(000) |
(000) |
|
1 |
FOX NFC PLAYOFF-SUN-01/15/2012 |
FOX |
NY GIANTS AT GREEN BAY |
25.3 |
29005 |
45120 |
|
2 |
FOX NFC PLAYOFF-SAT-01/14/2012 |
FOX |
NEW ORLEANS AT SAN FRANCISCO |
20.5 |
23512 |
35601 |
|
3 |
FOX NFC PLAYOFF-SU PST GN-01/15/2012 |
FOX |
NY GIANTS AT GREEN BAY |
19.3 |
22133 |
35267 |
|
4 |
AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF-SU-01/15/2012 |
CBS |
HOUSTON AT BALTIMORE |
19 |
21808 |
30963 |
|
5 |
AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF-SA-01/14/2012 |
CBS |
DENVER AT NEW ENGLAND |
18.5 |
21205 |
34161 |
|
6 |
FOX NFC PLAYOFF-SA PST GN-01/14/2012 |
FOX |
NEW ORLEANS AT SAN FRANCISCO |
13.7 |
15697 |
24237 |
|
7 |
NCAA BASKETBALL-SUN-2-01/15/2012 |
CBS |
INDIANA AT OHIO STATE |
1.9 |
2229 |
2881 |
|
8 |
NBC NHL-01/14/2012 |
NBC |
CHICAGO AT DETROIT |
0.9 |
1072 |
1399 |
|
9 |
NBC SPORTS SPECIAL 1/14-01/14/2012 |
NBC |
DOG CHALLENGE |
0.9 |
1040 |
1345 |
|
10 |
U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS-01/14/2012 |
NBC |
MARATHON |
0.8 |
892 |
1134 |
|
11 |
NBC SKATING SPECIAL 1/15-01/15/2012 |
NBC |
IMPROV-ICE |
0.7 |
751 |
933 |
|
12 |
LIGA MEXICANA FUTBOL2 SUN-01/15/2012 |
UNI |
AMERICA VS. TOLUCA |
0.6 |
687 |
1115 |
|
13 |
NCAA BASKETBALL-SAT-2-01/14/2012 |
CBS |
OREGON AT ARIZONA |
0.5 |
598 |
730 |
|
14 |
LIGA MEXICANA FUTBOL SUN-01/15/2012 |
UNI |
UNAM VS. MONARCAS |
0.4 |
444 |
704 |
|
15 |
FLM SAT 1-01/14/2012 |
AZA |
JAGUARES VS GUADALAJARA |
0.2 |
263 |
419 |
|
16 |
LIGA MEX DE FUTBOL SAT-02-01/14/2012 |
TF |
TIGRES VS. QUERETARO |
0.2 |
257 |
412 |
|
17 |
LIGA MEX DE FUTBOL SAT-03-01/14/2012 |
TF |
ATLANTE VS. SANTOS |
0.2 |
213 |
360 |
|
18 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
19 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
20 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Source: Nielsen |
|
|
|
