TBS heavily promoted the premiere of “Frank TV,” its new weekly late-night sketch show starring former “MAD TV” comedian Frank Caliendo, during its coverage of Major League Baseball’s postseason, which drew huge ratings.
But “Frank” probably owes its big debut more to the TV writers’ strike that has sent late-night talks shows into reruns for three weeks and counting. Viewers sick of watching repeats have embraced the new show, giving TBS its third big premiere of the year.
“Frank” averaged nearly 2.9 million total viewers last Tuesday at 11 p.m., including 1.86 million adults 18-49, according to Nielsen.
By comparison, the week before the strike began, the Tuesday episodes of Comedy Central late-night talkers “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report” averaged 1.84 million and 1.24 million total viewers at 11 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., respectively.
“Frank’s” debut also drew 1.08 million viewers 18-34, outdrawing the season-to-date average for new episodes of NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” according to TBS.
“Frank” joins “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” and “The Bill Engvall Show” as TBS’s third consecutive strong launch of a new program. That comes after several years of turkeys, including “Outback Jack” and “The Real Gilligan’s Island,” comic reality shows that TBS aired during the early days of its rebranding as a comedy network.
But its recent successes have one very important element in common. They all feature an already-established comedian who simply continues his earlier shtick on his new show.
Caliendo has been doing the celebrity impressions featured on “Frank” for years, including his John Madden imitation, which he has even performed on Fox’s NFL pregame show.
But of course, the most important element of “Frank’s” strong launch is the lack of competition. With other topical late-night shows off the air, programs like ABC’s “Nightline” have seen a boost, but there’s still a strong appetite for late-night comedy, even if it’s a weekly show instead of a daily.
That’s why “Frank” could see strong ratings for weeks to come if viewers enjoyed the first outing, at least until the strike ends or until one of the late-night hosts decides to break the picket line.
|
TOP 25 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Ranked on Household Rating
Week Ending Nov. 25 |
|
Rank |
Primetime |
Total Day |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1
|
ESPN
|
2211
|
NICK
|
1791
|
|
2
|
USA
|
1973
|
USA
|
1183
|
|
3
|
TNT
|
1368
|
NAN *
|
1162
|
|
4
|
HALL
|
1272
|
ESPN
|
978
|
|
5
|
TBSC
|
1250
|
TOON
|
967
|
|
6
|
NAN
|
1193
|
TNT
|
956
|
|
7
|
FX
|
1190
|
TBSC
|
805
|
|
8
|
TOON
|
1117
|
HALL
|
713
|
|
9
|
FAM
|
954
|
ADSM*
|
707
|
|
10
|
LIF
|
947
|
LIF
|
701
|
|
11
|
HIST
|
937
|
FX
|
695
|
|
12
|
FOXN
|
931
|
AEN
|
684
|
|
13
|
AEN
|
925
|
FOXN
|
629
|
|
14
|
MTV
|
913
|
FAM
|
606
|
|
15
|
CORT
|
865
|
MTV
|
594
|
|
16
|
AMC
|
863
|
DISC
|
579
|
|
17
|
SPK
|
862
|
HIST
|
561
|
|
18
|
DISC
|
844
|
SPK
|
542
|
|
19
|
SCIF
|
774
|
TVLD
|
542
|
|
20
|
CMDY
|
769
|
CORT
|
538
|
|
21
|
TLC
|
761
|
AMC
|
534
|
|
22
|
HGTV
|
738
|
HGTV
|
502
|
|
23
|
ESP2
|
706
|
FOOD
|
490
|
|
24
|
TVLD
|
685
|
CMDY
|
475
|
|
25
|
FOOD
|
624
|
SCIF
|
432
|
|
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
|
|
TOP 25 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE PROGRAMS
Ranked on Households
Week Ending Nov. 25 |
|
Rank
|
Program |
Net
|
(000) |
|
1
|
Titans/Broncos
|
ESPN
|
7107
|
|
2
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
3987
|
|
3
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
3887
|
|
4
|
WWE Entertainment
|
USA
|
3422
|
|
5
|
WWE Entertainment
|
USA
|
3348
|
|
6
|
College Football Thursday
|
ESPN
|
3270
|
|
7
|
I Love New York 2
|
VH1
|
3107
|
|
8
|
Shot at Love: Tila Tequila
|
MTV
|
3079
|
|
9
|
The Hills
|
MTV
|
3035
|
|
10
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
3033
|
|
11
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2967
|
|
12
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2897
|
|
13
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2896
|
|
14
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2880
|
|
15
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2866
|
|
16
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2865
|
|
16
|
Spongebob The Movie
|
NICK
|
2865
|
|
18
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2835
|
|
19
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2827
|
|
20
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2823
|
|
21
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2809
|
|
22
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2806
|
|
23
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2803
|
|
24
|
Tak and the Power of Juju
|
NICK
|
2791
|
|
25
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2775
|
|
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 18-34
Week Ending Nov. 25 |
|
Rank |
PRIME TIME |
TOTAL DAY |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1
|
ESPN
|
783
|
ESPN
|
386
|
|
2
|
TBSC
|
588
|
NAN *
|
357
|
|
3
|
USA
|
581
|
NICK
|
354
|
|
4
|
MTV
|
526
|
TBSC
|
347
|
|
5
|
FX
|
456
|
ADSM*
|
330
|
|
6
|
TNT
|
375
|
USA
|
327
|
|
7
|
CMDY
|
350
|
MTV
|
295
|
|
8
|
TLC
|
308
|
FX
|
272
|
|
9
|
DISC
|
307
|
TNT
|
271
|
|
10
|
NAN
|
305
|
CMDY
|
227
|
|
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 18-34
Week Ending Nov. 25 |
|
Rank |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
|
1
|
The Hills
|
MTV
|
3019
|
|
2
|
Titans/Broncos
|
ESPN
|
2491
|
|
3
|
Shot at Love: Tila Tequila
|
MTV
|
2147
|
|
4
|
Real World XIX Sneak Peek
|
MTV
|
2012
|
|
5
|
I Love New York 2
|
VH1
|
1869
|
|
6
|
Shot At Love: Hangover
|
MTV
|
1376
|
|
7
|
WWE Entertainment
|
USA
|
1303
|
|
8
|
Nip Tuck
|
FX
|
1267
|
|
9
|
I Love New York 2
|
VH1
|
1240
|
|
10
|
WWE Entertainment
|
USA
|
1181
|
|
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 18-49
Week Ending Nov. 25 |
|
Rank |
PRIME TIME |
TOTAL DAY |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1
|
ESPN
|
1527
|
USA
|
739
|
|
2
|
USA
|
1313
|
ESPN
|
685
|
|
3
|
TBSC
|
1030
|
TBSC
|
623
|
|
4
|
FX
|
917
|
TNT
|
611
|
|
5
|
TNT
|
845
|
NICK
|
589
|
|
6
|
MTV
|
693
|
NAN *
|
579
|
|
7
|
DISC
|
609
|
FX
|
519
|
|
8
|
CMDY
|
603
|
ADSM*
|
429
|
|
9
|
FAM
|
582
|
LIF
|
427
|
|
10
|
SPK
|
577
|
DISC
|
404
|
|
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 18-49
Week Ending No. 25 |
|
Rank |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
|
1
|
Titans/Broncos
|
ESPN
|
5075
|
|
2
|
The Hills
|
MTV
|
3427
|
|
3
|
WWE Entertainment
|
USA
|
2683
|
|
4
|
Shot at Love: Tila Tequila
|
MTV
|
2644
|
|
5
|
I Love New York 2
|
VH1
|
2597
|
|
6
|
WWE Entertainment
|
USA
|
2458
|
|
7
|
College Football Thursday
|
ESPN
|
2336
|
|
8
|
Real World XIX Sneak Peek
|
MTV
|
2317
|
|
9
|
Nip Tuck
|
FX
|
2203
|
|
10
|
Elf
|
USA
|
2038
|
|
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 25-54
Week Ending Nov. 25 |
|
|
PRIME TIME |
TOTAL DAY |
|
Rank
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1
|
ESPN
|
1490
|
USA
|
745
|
|
2
|
USA
|
1311
|
ESPN
|
634
|
|
3
|
TBSC
|
913
|
TNT
|
619
|
|
4
|
TNT
|
870
|
TBSC
|
552
|
|
5
|
FX
|
859
|
NICK
|
503
|
|
6
|
SCIF
|
609
|
FX
|
469
|
|
7
|
DISC
|
605
|
NAN *
|
445
|
|
8
|
HIST
|
601
|
LIF
|
434
|
|
9
|
SPK
|
590
|
AEN
|
410
|
|
10
|
AEN
|
582
|
DISC
|
380
|
|
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 25-54
Week Ending Nov. 25 |
|
Rank |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
|
1
|
Titans/Broncos
|
ESPN
|
4876
|
|
2
|
WWE Entertainment
|
USA
|
2489
|
|
3
|
College Football Thursday
|
ESPN
|
2329
|
|
4
|
WWE Entertainment
|
USA
|
2299
|
|
5
|
2007 - Colts vs. Falcons
|
NFLN
|
2069
|
|
6
|
Elf
|
USA
|
1988
|
|
7
|
Nip Tuck
|
FX
|
1800
|
|
8
|
Frank TV
|
TBSC
|
1715
|
|
9
|
I Love New York 2
|
VH1
|
1689
|
|
10
|
Elf
|
USA
|
1682
|
|
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
|
