CBS scores
with Super Bowl special
'Greatest Commercials' averages a 2.9 in 18-49s
By Toni Fitzgerald
Feb 4, 2010
In yet another good sign for Sunday's Super Bowl, CBS saw strong tune-in for its "Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials 2010" special, albeit against light competition.
But the bigger long-term story will be Fox's "American Idol," which slipped to a season low last night as it moved to a later timeslot.
"Commercials," which included spots from the past 10 years as well as previews of this year's ads, averaged a 2.9 adults 18-49 rating, according to Nielsen overnights, besting No. 2 ABC by 16 percent.
"Commercials" drew 11.2 million total viewers, more than double the average for repeats of "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and "Gary Unmarried" in the timeslot last week.
That's a good omen for this Sunday's game. It means interest in the ads is high, which should help drive tune-in.
Also last night, Fox's "Idol" slipped to a season-low 7.7 rating, moving from 8 to 9 p.m. That was off 19 percent from last week's 9.5 for an episode that aired an hour earlier.
Whether this is a one-week blip, with viewers unaware of the time change, or the start of a bigger slide will become more apparent over the coming weeks.
Fox led the night among 18-49s with a 5.0 average overnight rating and a 14 share. CBS was second at 3.4/10, ABC third at 2.5/7, Univision fourth at 1.5/4, NBC fifth at 1.2/4 and CW sixth at 0.4/1.
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.
CBS began the night in the lead with a 2.9 at 8 p.m. for “Commercials,” followed by ABC with a 2.5 for a repeat of “Modern Family” and a new “The Middle” (2.7). Fox was third with a 2.4 for “Human Target,” NBC fourth with a 1.6 for “Mercy,” Univision fifth with a 1.5 for “Hasta que el Dinero Nos Separe” and CW sixth with a 0.6 for a repeat of “Life Unexpected.”
Fox took the lead at 9 p.m. with a 7.7 for “Idol,” while CBS finished second with a 3.8 for “Criminal Minds.” ABC was third with a 3.4 for “Modern Family” (3.9) and “Cougar Town” (2.9), Univision fourth with a 2.0 for “Sortilegio,” NBC fifth with a 0.9 for a repeat of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and CW sixth with a 0.2 for a “Gossip Girl” rerun.
CBS regained the lead at 10 p.m. with a 3.4 for “CSI: NY,” with ABC second with a 1.5 for “Ugly Betty.” NBC was third with a 1.2 for “The Jay Leno Show” and Univision fourth with a 1.0 for “Don Francisco Presenta.”
Among households, CBS was first for the night with an 8.3 average overnight rating and a 14 share, followed closely by Fox at 8.2/13. ABC was third at 4.0/7, NBC fourth at 3.3/5, Univision fifth at 1.9/3 and CW sixth at 0.6/1.
|
|
|
