Overnights
Obama's half-hour draws 33.6 million
By Toni Fitzgerald
Oct 30, 2008 - 11:42:33 AM

With little else to choose from on broadcast, millions of viewers tuned in to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s half-hour primetime advertisement last night.

The spot, which ran on seven networks, averaged 33.55 million total viewers, according to Nielsen data released last night.

Obama’s biggest audience came on NBC, which averaged 9.78 million viewers. CBS drew 8.6 million, Fox 7.14 million and Univision 3.47 million.

On cable, MSNBC led with 3.54 million viewers, followed by BET at 714,000 and TV One at 307,000.

Some 5.65 million black viewers tuned in, as well as 4.91 million Hispanics.

Among adults 18-49, the four networks combined for a 9.5 rating, led by NBC’s 3.0, according to Nielsen overnights.

Obama was the first presidential candidate since Ross Perot 12 years ago to buy time across the broadcast networks in primetime. Obama drew more than Perot's three-network audience on Nov. 6, 1996, of 22.68 million. That aired on the election's eve.

Obama's ad, which showcased the problems of several families under the current Bush administration and also included segments on Obama and running mate Joe Biden, aired six days before the election.

Estimates have put the cost for the seven-network buy at $3.5 million. Republican presidential candidate John McCain was offered a similar opportunity on the networks but turned it down; unlike Obama, McCain is financially constrained by accepting public funding.

ABC was the only Big Four network that did not air the ad at 8 p.m., hoping to gain some traction for struggling second-year comedy “Pushing Daisies” as the only scripted program in the slot.

“Daisies” didn’t turn in spectacular numbers, but it did jump 16 percent over last week, from a 1.9 to a 2.2, according to Nielsen overnights.

Once the Obama ad was over, Fox dominated the night with coverage of the conclusion of game five of the World Series between the victorious Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Fox led the night among 18-49s with a 4.2 average overnight rating and an 11 share. CBS was second at 3.0/8, ABC third at 2.4/6, NBC fourth at 2.3/6, Univision fifth at 1.7/4 and CW sixth at 1.5/4.
 
Ratings for Fox’s World Series coverage are approximate as fast nationals measure timeslot and not actual program data.
 
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. Twenty-eight percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.
 
At 8 p.m. Fox was first with a 3.6 for Obama (2.8) and its first half hour of World Series coverage (4.4), with NBC second with a 2.4 for Obama (3.0) and its first half hour of “Deal or No Deal” (1.7). CBS was third with a 2.3 for Obama (2.3) and “The New Adventures of Old Christine” (2.2), ABC fourth with a 2.2 for “Daisies,” CW fifth with a 2.0 for “America’s Next Top Model” and Univision sixth with a 1.5 for Obama (1.6) and the first half of “Cuidado con el Angel.”
 
Fox led again at 9 p.m. with a 5.9 for baseball, while CBS moved to second with a 3.4 for “Criminal Minds.” ABC was third with a 2.8 for “Private Practice,” NBC fourth with a 2.5 for more “Deal,” Univision fifth with a 1.9 for the end of “Angel” and start of “Fuego en la Sangre” and CW sixth with a 0.9 for “Stylista.”
 
At 10 p.m. CBS was first with a 3.4 for “CSI: NY,” followed by Fox with a 3.2 for World series overrun, postgame coverage and some local affiliate news. ABC was third with a 2.0 for “Dirty Sexy Money,” NBC fourth with a 1.9 for soon-to-be-relocated “Lipstick Jungle” and Univision fifth with a 1.7 for the end of “Fuego” and a shortened “Don Francisco Presenta.”
 
Fox and CBS tied for first for the night among households, each with a 7.7 average overnight rating and 12 share from 8 to 11 p.m., with NBC third at 4.8/8, ABC fourth at 4.5/7, Univision fifth at 2.3/4 and CW sixth at 2.0/3.