NBC: We're losing
money on the Olympics
Other shorts: Programming notes: SOTU won't boot 'Lost'
By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Jan 11, 2010
NBC: We're losing money on the Olympics
Perhaps there's one consolation for NBC, and it's that another bit of bad news is being overshadowed by all the fuss over Jay Leno. The network confirmed yesterday that it will, for the first time ever, lose money on the Olympics, despite a recent uptick in sales for next month's event. NBC Sports president Dick Ebersol said that the record pricing for the 2008 and 2010 Olympics, which cost $2.2 billion, will contribute to the money loss, though he did not offer any specifics. He claimed that, although spring and early summer sales for the Vancouver Games lagged, in recent months they had caught up to past years, and the network anticipates sales equal to the 2006 Torino Games and 2002 Salt Lake City Games. The network will air a record 835 hours of Olympic coverage across its broadcast and cable networks, though ratings probably won't be as high as past years. The Torino games got serious competition from Fox's "American Idol" and ABC's then-red-hot "Grey's Anatomy," both of which topped Games coverage in some demographics.
Programming notes: SOTU won't boot 'Lost'
Avoiding what could have caused a spiral in President Barack Obama's approval rating, it appears the State of the Union won’t interfere with the sixth and final season premiere of ABC’s “Lost” after all. There had been rumors that the president’s annual address would take place on Feb. 2, the same night as the “Lost” premiere, but White House press secretary Robert Gibbs on Friday told reporters, “I don't foresee a scenario in which millions of people who hope to finally get some conclusion with ‘Lost’ are preempted by the president.” Had the president’s speech taken place on Feb. 2, ABC would have been forced to push the premiere back a week. Meanwhile, in other programming, the CW has laid out its midseason schedule: “One Tree Hill” returns with new episodes on Jan. 18 at 8 p.m., followed by the series premiere of “Life Unexpected;” originals of “The Vampire Diaries” and “Supernatural” return on Jan. 21, with new episodes of “Smallville” coming back the next night; and on March 3 the network rolls out the two-hour season premiere of “America’s Next Top Model,” with new episodes of “Gossip Girl” returning on March 8 and “90210” and “Melrose Place” back on March 9. Elsewhere, NBC is in talks for a new “Law & Order” spinoff that would take place in Los Angeles, the first in the franchise to take place outside New York, according to the New York Post. Network programming head Angela Bromstad told the paper that she and series creator Dick Wolf are eyeing writers.
Friday overnights: 'Shark' bites season high for ABC
ABC’s “Shark Tank” may not have much bite, but it did give the network its best timeslot rating of the season on Friday night.
“Shark Tank” averaged a 1.4 Nielsen overnight rating at 9 p.m. on Friday, ranking only No. 4 in the timeslot but still ABC’s best numbers with regular programming in the hour this season. The show’s rating was up 17 percent from a 1.2 for its lead-in “Supernanny.”
ABC had the night’s top-rated show in “20/20,” which averaged a 2.3 in the 10 p.m. timeslot.
But it was CBS that finished first for the night among 18-49s with a 2.1 average overnight rating and a 7 share. NBC was second at 1.7/5, ABC third at 1.6/5, Univision fifth at 1.3/4 and CW sixth at 0.6/2.
As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback. Seven-day DVR data won’t be available for several weeks. Thirty-four percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.
At 8 p.m. CBS was first with a 2.2 for “Ghost Whisperer,” followed by NBC with a 1.6 for “Law & Order.” Univision was third with a 1.5 for “En Nombre del Amor,” Fox fourth with a 1.3 for a repeat of “Bones,” ABC fifth with a 1.2 for “Supernanny” and CW sixth with a 0.6 for a “Smallville” rerun.
NBC took the lead at 9 p.m. with a 2.2 for “Dateline,” while CBS slipped to second with a 2.1 for “Medium.” Univision was third with a 1.6 for “Sortilegio,” ABC fourth with the 1.4 for “Shark Tank,” Fox fifth with a 0.8 for “Dollhouse” and CW sixth with a 0.6 for another “Smallville” repeat.
ABC jumped to first at 10 p.m. with a 2.3 for “20/20,” with CBS second with a 2.1 for “Numb3rs.” NBC was third with a 1.4 for “The Jay Leno Show” and Univision fourth with a 0.9 for “Rosa de Guadalupe.”
CBS also finished first for the night among households with a 5.6 average overnight rating and a 9 share. NBC was second at 5.2/9, ABC third at 3.5/6, Fox fourth at 2.3/4, Univision fifth at 1.8/3 and CW sixth at 0.9/2.
Saturday overnights: NBC romps with wild card
On Saturday night NBC dominated with its coverage of the NFL wild card playoff game between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. The game averaged a 10.4 overnight rating and 29 share among 18-49s from 8-11 p.m., as well as 28.7 million total viewers, although the ratings are approximate as Nielsen fast nationals measure timeslot and not actual program data.
The game led NBC to an easy first-place finish among 18-49s for the night. Fox was second at 1.6/5, Univision third at 0.9/2, and ABC and CBS tied for fourth at 0.7/2.
At 8 p.m. NBC was first with a 10.6 for its first hour of football, with Fox second with a 1.7 for “Cops.” Univision was third with a 0.8 for the first of three hours of “Sabado Gigante,” ABC fourth with a 0.6 for a repeat of “The Bachelor” and CBS fifth with a 0.5 for a “Ghost Whisperer” rerun.
NBC led again at 9 p.m. with a 10.9 for football, while Fox remained second with a 1.6 for “America’s Most Wanted.” Univision was third with a 0.9 for “Sabado,” ABC fourth with a 0.7 for more “Bachelor” and CBS fifth with a 0.5 for a repeat of “Numb3rs.”
At 10 p.m. NBC was first with a 9.7 for football, with CBS second with a 1.1 for “48 Hours Mystery.” Univision was third with a 0.9 for the final hour of “Sabado” and ABC fourth with a 0.8 for a repeat of “Castle.”
NBC also led the night among households with a 16.1 average overnight rating and a 27 share. Fox was second at 3.1/5, CBS third at 2.4/4, ABC fourth at 1.9/3 and Univision fifth at 1.4/2.
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