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NBC shoots to No. 1 The lagging network pulls its best ratings in years Jan 9, 2008
Boy were they wrong. The network easily took the week ended Jan. 6 among adults 18-49, posting its best non-Olympics weekly average rating, a 4.2, since the week ended Jan. 16, 2005, and it did so opposite Fox’s coverage of the Bowl Championship Series. Of course NBC also got off to a hot start last fall before seeing its ratings gradually decline. But even if the network falls half a point from last week, it will still be above its season-to-date 3.3 average, and could creep past lagging ABC and CBS, whose strike-hobbled lineups are rolling out more slowly. Fourth-place Fox is expected to surge into first in the coming weeks based on “American Idol.” Unscripted programming has given NBC the biggest boost. But it proved a very smart move. “Loser” posted its best-ever debut, a 4.4, despite a lengthy two-hour run time. It was up 39 percent over the previous season’s 3.1 debut. Two nights later, Donald Trump’s “Apprentice” returned to its longtime Thursday timeslot after two seasons away and drew the franchise’s best season debut numbers since season four, averaging a 4.5. The strong ratings for both shows certainly could be because they aired against minimal competition. But they may also have grown because NBC introduced two game-changing elements to the series. “Loser” features couples competing together for the first time, while “Apprentice” introduced celebrity contestants. The third strong unscripted show, “Gladiators,” debuted with a 5.9 Sunday, despite facing ABC’s powerful “Desperate Housewives.” The show is based on a long-running syndicated series that pits muscle-bound professionals against regular people in tests of strength. It maintained 80 percent of its audience after moving to its regular Monday slot, a promising sign for NBC. Meanwhile, in broadcast ratings for the week ended Jan 6:Among adults 18-49, NBC was first with a 4.2 rating and an 11 share, followed by Fox at 3.2/9, ABC at 2.7/7, CBS at 2.3/6, Univision at 1.3/4, CW at 0.7/2, MyNetworkTV at 0.6/2, Telemundo at 0.5/1, TeleFutura at 0.3/1, and Ion and Azteca at 0.1/0. Among adults 18-34, NBC led with a 3.3 rating and a 10 share, followed by Fox at 3.1/9, ABC at 2.1/6, Univision and CBS at 1.4/4, CW at 0.7/2, Telemundo at 0.6/1, MyNetworkTV at 0.5/2, TeleFutura at 0.4/1, Ion at 0.1/0 and Azteca at 0.0/0. Among adults 25-54, NBC was first with a 4.7 rating and a 12 share, followed by Fox at 3.4/8, ABC at 3.2/8, CBS at 3.0/7, Univision at 1.3/3, CW at 0.7/2, MyNetworkTV at 0.6/1, Telemundo at 0.5/1, TeleFutura at 0.3/1, Ion at 0.2/0 and Azteca at 0.1/0. Top five English-language Big Five shows (18-49s): 1. NBC’s “NFL Football” 9.8; 2. NBC’s “NFL Pregame” 8.7; Tie-3. ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” and CBS’s “NFL Postgame” 7.3; 5. NBC’s “American Gladiators” 5.9. Top five English-language Big Five shows (total viewers): 1. NBC’s “NFL Football” 25.74 million; 2. NBC’s “NFL Pregame” 23.87 million; 3. CBS’s “NFL Postgame” 21.37 million; 4. ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” 19.78 million; 5. CBS’s “60 Minutes” 18.25 million. Top five Live+7 English-language Big Five shows (Households, week ended Dec. 23): 1. CBS’s “CSI: Miami” 10.1; 2. NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” 8.7; 3. CBS’s “NCIS” 8.7; 4. CBS’s “60 Minutes” 8.4; 5. CBS’s “CSI: NY” 7.9. Top five Live+7 English-language Big Five shows (18-49s, week ended Dec. 23): 1. NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” 5.0; 2. NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” 4.8; 3. CBS’s “CSI: Miami” 4.4; 4. CBS’s “Two and a Half Men – 9:30” 3.8; 5. CBS’s “Two and a Half Men” 3.7. Show on the rise: “The Amazing Race,” CBS, Sunday 8:40 p.m. Despite airing, for the most part, head-to-head against strong shows like “Desperate Housewives” and “American Gladiators,” “Race” saw a 35 percent week-to-week increase among viewers 18-49, from a 2.9 rating to a 3.9. Show on the decline: “Power of 10” CBS, Wednesday 8 p.m. Drew Carey’s other game show posted just a 1.6 rating among viewers 18-49, off 41 percent from the 2.7 its premiere earned back on Aug. 7.
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