The writers’ strike is long over, but broadcast ratings have yet to return to their pre-strike levels.
A number of shows have fallen to season or series lows following their return after the strike, and most are down from last fall.
It’s a pattern seen across every network as the May sweeps kick off.
Last week ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Ugly Betty” posted their second-lowest ratings in adults 18-49, averaging a 6.5 and 2.5, respectively, in their first original outings since January.
Fox’s “American Idol” had one of its worst Tuesday outings of the past five years, averaging a 9.0, after posting its lowest in five years the previous week.
CBS’s “CSI” also hit a series-low 4.6, as did NBC’s “My Name is Earl” at 2.3 and, for the third straight week, the network’s veteran “ER,” which averaged a 2.9.
CW stalwarts such as “America’s Next Top Model” and “Beauty and the Geek” have dipped as well compared with last fall.
Further, every network was down compared with the same week last year. Collectively, the Big Five averaged an 11.9 rating for the week ended April 27, off 20 percent from a 14.9 the same week a year ago.
Some of that is certainly attributable to lingering effects of the strike.
Fox, which was off 26 percent year to year, was without “House” and “24,” two of its highest-rated scripted shows, while NBC was missing “Heroes,” which won’t return till fall. CBS’s “Shark” and “The Unit” didn’t come back until last night.
But there’s another, more subtle strike effect that may be at play here as well, accounting for much more of the drop off. That’s the lack of urgency among viewers to tune into the shows as they return. While certainly some have jumped back into their old viewing patterns, it appears a goodly share gravitated to other outlets like cable or video games or the internet and have not returned.
Some may not know that their favorite shows are back, or they may not know where to find them, with hits like “House” and ABC’s “Lost” having gotten new timeslots.
But it also appears more and more viewers are time-shifting, recording shows to view at a later date or viewing them online after their original airing. DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample has shot up by more than 50 percent compared with this time last year and now accounts for 24 percent of households.
That seems to be born out by live-plus-seven-day-playback numbers, released two weeks after live-plus-same-day weekly data. “Housewives’” April 13 return from hiatus, for example, grew to a 6.5 rating, up 10 percent from its live-plus-same-day-playback rating.
***
Meanwhile, in broadcast ratings for the week ended April 27:
Among adults 18-49, Fox was first with a 3.4 rating and a 9 share, followed by ABC at 2.9/8, CBS at 2.5/7, NBC at 2.1/6, Univision at 1.6/4, CW at 1.1/3, MyNetworkTV at 0.5/1, Telemundo at 0.4/1, TeleFutura at 0.3/1, and Ion and Azteca at 0.1/0.
Among adults 18-34, Fox was first with a 3.0 rating and a 9 share, followed by ABC at 2.2/7, Univision at 1.9/6, CBS at 1.7/5, NBC at 1.5/5, CW at 1.2/4, Telemundo at 0.5/1, MyNetworkTV at 0.4/1, TeleFutura at 0.3/1 and Ion and Azteca at 0.1/0.
Among adults 25-54, Fox was first with a 3.7 rating and a 10 share, followed by ABC at 3.5/9, CBS at 3.3/8, NBC at 2.5/7, Univision at 1.5/4, CW at 1.0/3, MyNetworkTV at 0.5/1, Telemundo at 0.4/1, TeleFutura at 0.3/1, and Ion and Azteca at 0.1/0.
Top five English-language Big Five shows (18-49s): 1. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” 9.0; 2. Fox’s “American Idol - Wednesday” 8.6; 3. ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” 6.5; 4. ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” 5.9; 5. ABC’s “Lost” 5.3.
Top five English-language Big Five shows (total viewers): 1. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” 24.74 million; 2. Fox’s “American Idol – Wednesday” 23.20 million; 3. ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” 18.04 million; 4. ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars Results” 17.97 million; 5. CBS’s “CSI” 17.02 million.
Top five Live+7 English-language Big Five shows (households, week ended April 13): Fox’s “American Idol – Tuesday” 14.8; 2. CBS’s “CSI” 13.5; 3. ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” 13.1; 4. Fox’s “American Idol Thursday” 12.5; 5. CBS’s “NCAA Basketball Championships” 12.2.
Top five Live+7 English-language Big Five shows (18-49s, week ended April 13): 1. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” 9.8; 2. Fox’s “American Idol - Thursday” 7.4; 3. CBS’s “College Basketball Championships” 7.3; 4. Fox’s “Idol Gives Back” 7.2; 5. CBS’s “CSI” 6.7.
Show on the rise: “Dancing with the Stars Results,” ABS, Tuesday 9 p.m. The reality competition’s results show posted a 4.2 rating among viewers 18-49, up 17 percent from a 3.6 the previous week.
Show on the decline: “The Office,” NBC, Thursday 9 p.m. NBC’s top comedy lost some steam while airing against originals of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “CSI,” pulling a 4.0 rating among 18-49s, down 20 percent from a 5.0 the previous week.
|
WEEKLY PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked on Households
Week Ending April 27 |
|
Network
|
Households
|
People 2+
|
Adults 18-49
|
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
|
CBS
|
6.0
|
6750
|
10
|
3.2
|
9240
|
9
|
2.5
|
3310
|
7
|
|
ABC
|
5.9
|
6670
|
10
|
3.2
|
9080
|
8
|
2.9
|
3790
|
8
|
|
FOX
|
5.6
|
6290
|
9
|
3.2
|
9160
|
8
|
3.4
|
4410
|
9
|
|
NBC
|
4.6
|
5190
|
8
|
2.4
|
6950
|
6
|
2.1
|
2700
|
6
|
|
UNI
|
1.9
|
2130
|
3
|
1.3
|
3630
|
3
|
1.6
|
2070
|
4
|
|
CW
|
1.7
|
1870
|
3
|
0.9
|
2620
|
2
|
1.1
|
1450
|
3
|
|
MNT
|
0.9
|
990
|
1
|
0.5
|
1310
|
1
|
0.5
|
650
|
1
|
|
TEL
|
0.6
|
670
|
1
|
0.4
|
1050
|
1
|
0.4
|
570
|
1
|
|
ION
|
0.3
|
350
|
1
|
0.2
|
440
|
0
|
0.1
|
130
|
0
|
|
TF
|
0.3
|
340
|
1
|
0.2
|
580
|
1
|
0.3
|
360
|
1
|
|
AZA
|
0.1
|
80
|
0
|
0.0
|
130
|
0
|
0.1
|
80
|
0
|
|
*
Each rating point is equivalent to
1. 114
million homes
Source: Nielsen Media Research
|
|
SEASON-TO-DATE PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked on Households
Week Ending April 27 |
|
Network
|
Households
|
People 2+
|
Adults 18-49
|
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
|
CBS
|
6.6
|
7500
|
11
|
3.6
|
10430
|
9
|
3.0
|
3910
|
8
|
|
FOX
|
6.6
|
7480
|
11
|
3.9
|
11250
|
10
|
4.3
|
5570
|
11
|
|
ABC
|
5.9
|
6670
|
10
|
3.2
|
9150
|
8
|
3.0
|
3920
|
8
|
|
NBC
|
5.3
|
5970
|
9
|
2.9
|
8300
|
7
|
2.9
|
3780
|
8
|
|
UNI
|
1.8
|
2040
|
3
|
1.2
|
3540
|
3
|
1.5
|
1990
|
4
|
|
CW
|
1.7
|
1880
|
3
|
0.9
|
2570
|
2
|
1.0
|
1360
|
3
|
|
MNT
|
0.8
|
860
|
1
|
0.4
|
1130
|
|
