For Bio, rising ratings
raising the dead
New series 'Celebrity Ghost Stories' sets a record
By Tom Conroy
Oct 28, 2009
At first glance, the connection might not be obvious: biography and ghosts. But of course it makes perfect sense. Biography is mostly about dead people, and ghosts are certainly dead people.
And it appears it makes even better sense ratings-wise.
In shifting its focus away from the greats of history--Winston Churchill and his crowd--to more sensational if slightly less believable journeys into the land of the dead and otherwise unredeemed, the Bio channel has gotten a boost in the ratings.
Never mind that some critics have been brutal.
Case in point: “Celebrity Ghost Stories,” which premiered on Saturday, Oct. 3, is now the highest-rated series in the channel’s history. Its debut averaged 392,000 total viewers.
In the series, such famous or formerly famous people as Scott Baio, C. Thomas Howell, Joan Rivers and Tom Arnold narrate filmed reenactments of their experiences with the paranormal, with lesser-known actors playing the celebrities.
The combination of B-listers and boos has lifted viewership for the channel as a whole.
Ratings are up sharply this month as compared to last October.
Total viewers in primetime are up 13 percent (from 149,000 to 169,000); viewers 18-49 are up 33 percent (from 61,000 to 81,000); and viewers 18-34 are up 43 percent (from 17,000 to 24,000), according to Nielsen.
In this case, it’s appropriate that one series could have such a huge effect because the channel itself was based on a single show. The Biography Channel, as it was then known, was spun off by A&E in 1999 as a showcase for its Emmy-winning series “Biography.”
But like the former Arts & Entertainment channel, Bio has shifted its focus increasingly toward rather sensationalistic reality programming. Among the channel’s highest-rated series last week were “Extreme Paranormal,” “Haunted History,” “Ghostly Encounters,” “Crime Stories” and “American Gangster.”
While this change in focus has increased viewership, it hasn’t won over critics.
When “Celebrity Ghost Stories” debuted, the reviewer for Variety wrote, “On the scale of embarrassing celebrity-themed programs, this one probably ranks somewhere above ‘Celebrity Fit Club’ and below ‘Celebrity Rehab.’ ”
In a mock promotion of the show on “Saturday Night Live,” the narrator said, “The Biography Channel presents a series that anyone could have thought up—but we did.”
***
In cable ratings for the week ended Oct. 25:
Top five networks in primetime (18-49s): ESPN, TBS, USA, FX, TNT.
Top five networks in primetime (total viewers): ESPN, USA, TBS, Fox News Channel, Nick at Nite.
Top movie (18-49s): TNT’s “Gladiator” (Sunday, 8 p.m.) 1.52 million.
Top sporting event (total viewers): ESPN’s “Monday Night Football: Broncos/Chargers” (Monday, 8:30 p.m.) 13.47 million.
Shows making the top 10 among 18-34s, 18-49s and 25-54s: ESPN’s “Monday Night Football: Broncos/Chargers” (Monday, 8:30 p.m.); FX’s “Sons of Anarchy” (Tuesday, 10 p.m.); TBS’s “NLCS: Phillies/Dodgers Game 5” (Wednesday, 8 p.m.); Comedy Central’s “Jeff Dunham Show” (Thursday, 9 p.m.)
Show on the rise: FX’s “Sons of Anarchy,” Tuesday 10 p.m. The drama jumped 24 percent week to week among viewers 18-34, from 1.15 million to 1.43 million.
Show on the decline: TLC’s “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” Monday 9 p.m. The reality series dropped to 1.97 million total viewers, off 22 percent from 2.54 million the previous week.
|
25 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Ranked on Household Rating
Week Ending October 25 |
|
Rank |
Primetime |
Total Day |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1
|
ESPN
|
2571
|
NICK
|
1510
|
|
2
|
USA
|
2503
|
USA
|
1180
|
|
3
|
TBSC
|
2080
|
NAN
*
|
1158
|
|
4
|
FOXN
|
1684
|
FOXN
|
1023
|
|
5
|
NAN
|
1346
|
ESPN
|
1015
|
|
6
|
TNT
|
1212
|
TBSC
|
896
|
|
7
|
AEN
|
1146
|
ADSM*
|
845
|
|
8
|
TOON
|
1079
|
TNT
|
845
|
|
9
|
HGTV
|
1008
|
TOON
|
840
|
|
10
|
SYFY
|
1005
|
AEN
|
692
|
|
11
|
FX
|
961
|
FOOD
|
598
|
|
12
|
FAM
|
901
|
HGTV
|
587
|
|
13
|
FOOD
|
898
|
TRU
|
577
|
|
14
|
CMDY
|
879
|
LIF
|
550
|
|
15
|
DISC
|
874
|
HIST
|
544
|
|
16
|
TLC
|
814
|
DISC
|
536
|
|
17
|
HIST
|
799
|
FX
|
530
|
|
18
|
TRU
|
782
|
SYFY
|
521
|
|
19
|
SPK
|
780
|
FAM
|
517
|
|
20
|
LIF
|
777
|
SPK
|
501
|
|
21
|
HALL
|
744
|
CMDY
|
459
|
|
22
|
BRAV
|
714
|
HALL
|
439
|
|
23
|
AMC
|
636
|
TLC
|
428
|
|
24
|
MTV
|
634
|
TVLD
|
415
|
|
25
|
BET
|
571
|
CNN
|
403
|
|
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research data
|
|
TOP 25 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE PROGRAMS
Ranked on Households
Week Ending October 25 |
|
Rank
|
Program |
Net
|
(000) |
|
1
|
Broncos vs. Chargers
|
ESPN
|
9536
|
|
2
|
NLCS Dodgers vs. Phillies 5
|
TBSC
|
5715
|
|
3
|
White Collar
|
USA
|
4036
|
|
4
|
NLCS Dodgers vs. Phillies 4
|
TBSC
|
3941
|
|
5
|
NCIS
|
USA
|
3939
|
|
6
|
College Football-Saturday Prime
|
ESPN
|
3930
|
|
7
|
Monk
|
USA
|
3818
|
|
8
|
The Penguins Of
Madagascar
|
NICK
|
3623
|
|
9
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
3611
|
|
10
|
Jeff Dunham Show
|
CMDY
|
3500
|
|
11
|
NCIS
|
USA
|
3497
|
|
12
|
WWE Entertainment
|
USA
|
3454
|
|
13
|
NCIS
|
USA
|
3274
|
|
14
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
3221
|
|
15
|
WWE Entertainment
|
USA
|
3149
|
|
16
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
3112
|
|
17
|
NCIS
|
USA
|
2920
|
|
18
|
The Penguins Of
Madagascar
|
NICK
|
2887
|
|
19
|
NCIS
|
USA
|
2867
|
|
20
|
NCIS
|
USA
|
2833
|
|
21
|
The Penguins Of
Madagascar
|
NICK
|
2828
|
|
22
|
NCIS
|
USA
|
2818
|
|
23
|
The O'Reilly Factor
|
FOXN
|
2758
|
|
24
|
NCIS
|
USA
|
2752
|
|
25
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2739
|
|
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research data
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 18-34
Week Ending October 25 |
|
Rank |
PRIME TIME |
TOTAL DAY |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1
|
ESPN
|
791
|
ADSM*
|
414
|
|
2
|
TBSC
|
746
|
ESPN
|
351
|
|
3
|
USA
|
559
|
TBSC
|
347
|
|
4
|
CMDY
|
442
|
NICK
|
329
|
|
5
|
FX
|
404
|
NAN
*
|
314
|
|
6
|
MTV
|
389
|
USA
|
247
|
|
7
|
FAM
|
359
|
CMDY
|
224
|
|
8
|
SPK
|
329
|
MTV
|
218
|
|
9
|
DISC
|
307
|
FX
|
214
|
|
10
|
SYFY
|
301
|
FAM
|
204
|
|
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research data
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 18-34
Week Ending October 25 |
|
Rank |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
|
1
|
Broncos vs. Chargers
|
ESPN
|
3566
|
|
2
|
NLCS Dodgers vs. Phillies 5
|
TBSC
|
1558
|
|
3
|
Sons Of Anarchy
|
FX
|
1429
|
|
4
|
South
Park
|
CMDY
|
1371
|
|
5
|
Jeff Dunham Show
|
CMDY
|
1284
|
|
6
|
Family Guy
|
ADSM
|
1282
|
|
7
|
The Ultimate Fighter
|
SPK
|
1267
|
|
8
|
Family Guy
|
ADSM
|
1205
|
|
9
|
Family Guy
|
ADSM
|
1155
|
|
10
|
Family Guy
|
ADSM
|
1153
|
|
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research data
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 18-49
Week Ending October 25 |
|
Rank |
PRIME TIME |
TOTAL DAY |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1
|
ESPN
|
1730
|
ESPN
|
699
|
|
2
|
TBSC
|
1441
|
TBSC
|
642
|
|
3
|
USA
|
1261
|
ADSM*
|
594
|
|
4
|
FX
|
783
|
USA
|
580
|
|
5
|
TNT
|
706
|
NAN
*
|
560
|
|
6
|
CMDY
|
700
|
NICK
|
524
|
|
7
|
SYFY
|
689
|
TNT
|
481
|
|
8
|
AEN
|
667
|
FX
|
398
|
|
9
|
FAM
|
647
|
AEN
|
397
|
|
10
|
DISC
|
640
|
DISC
|
364
|
|
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research data
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 18-49
Week Ending October 25 |
|
Rank |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
|
1
|
Broncos vs. Chargers
|
ESPN
|
7223
|
|
2
|
NLCS Dodgers vs. Phillies 5
|
TBSC
|
3425
|
|
3
|
Jeff Dunham Show
|
CMDY
|
2952
|
|
4
|
Sons Of Anarchy
|
FX
|
2692
|
|
5
|
College Football-Saturday Prime
|
ESPN
|
2609
|
|
6
|
NLCS Dodgers vs. Phillies 4
|
TBSC
|
2340
|
|
7
|
WWE Entertainment
|
USA
|
2228
|
|
8
|
WWE Entertainment
|
USA
|
2130
|
|
9
|
The Ultimate Fighter
|
SPK
|
2111
|
|
10
|
The Real Housewives Of
Atlanta
|
BRAV
|
2047
|
|
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research data
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 25-54
Week Ending October 25 |
|
|
PRIME TIME |
TOTAL DAY |
|
Rank
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1
|
ESPN
|
1770
|
ESPN
|
660
|
|
2
|
USA
|
1388
|
USA
|
628
|
|
3
|
TBSC
|
1331
|
TBSC
|
574
|
|
4
|
SYFY
|
763
|
TNT
|
506
|
|
5
|
TNT
|
755
|
NAN
*
|
466
|
|
6
|
FX
|
716
|
NICK
|
423
|
|
7
|
AEN
|
708
|
AEN
|
414
|
|
8
|
FOOD
|
656
|
ADSM*
|
405
|
|
9
|
DISC
|
623
|
TRU
|
368
|
|
10
|
FOXN
|
583
|
SYFY
|
366
|
|
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research data
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 25-54
Week Ending October 25 |
|
Rank |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
|
1
|
Broncos vs. Chargers
|
ESPN
|
7239
|
|
2
|
NLCS Dodgers vs. Phillies 5
|
TBSC
|
3468
|
|
3
|
Jeff Dunham Show
|
CMDY
|
2757
|
|
4
|
College Football-Saturday Prime
|
ESPN
|
2631
|
|
5
|
Sons Of Anarchy
|
FX
|
2470
|
|
6
|
NLCS Dodgers vs. Phillies 4
|
TBSC
|
2432
|
|
7
|
WWE Entertainment
|
USA
|
2236
|
|
8
|
Monk
|
USA
|
2210
|
|
9
|
White Collar
|
USA
|
2192
|
|
10
|
The Real Housewives Of
Atlanta
|
BRAV
|
2075
|
|
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research data
|
|
|
|
