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Call them strike fodder: 'Dexter' and 'L&O: CI'

Feb 21, 2008
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It may have seemed like a reasonable stop-gap measure, back during the strike when it was clear the networks would be short of fresh shows at midseason.

But importing cable programs to fill holes in their schedules has not worked out all that well.

The premiere of CBS’s “Dexter” Sunday night at 10 p.m. averaged a mere 2.3 adults 18-49 rating, despite loads of pre-debut publicity over the acclaimed but violent Showtime series’ reworking for broadcast.

That’s off 8 percent from usual timeslot occupant “Shark,” which has averaged a 2.5 rating this season. Among total viewers, the gap was bigger, with 8.2 million for “Dexter” to “Shark’s” 10.9 million, a difference of 25 percent.

Repeats of USA’s “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” which air Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC, also have been a bit disappointing. Last week’s episode averaged a 2.4 rating, down 11 percent from the show’s 2.7 average last year, when it originated on NBC.

Comparably, reruns of broadcast shows “Two and a Half Men,” “CSI” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” all performed better than “Dexter” or “CI” last week, as did midseason replacement series “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” “Eli Stone” and “American Gladiators.”

Broadcasters have attempted to patch holes with cable fare before, most notably in the summer. NBC has aired episodes of USA’s “The 4400” and Bravo’s “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” while ABC reran the first season of “Kyle XY” a few days after the original episodes debuted on ABC Family. And episodes of “Monk” aired on ABC years ago, when the sixth-year series had just premiered.

Though some managed to draw decent ratings, others drew almost nil.

Part of the problem may be that people aren’t used to seeing reruns on broadcast like they are on cable, where off-network episodes of “Law & Order,” “CSI” and “House” are among the most popular franchises.

Another problem may simply be the narrower appeal of a cable show like “Dexter,” in which the lead character, a serial killer, is the ultimate anti-hero and thus not all that relatable.

On broadcast, even prickly leads like House are trying to do some good by saving a life, making it easier for viewers to identify with them.

Still, the added exposure these shows are getting on broadcast could end up giving them a boost when they return to cable. Till now, “Dexter’s” audience has been restricted to the 15 million or so who subscribe to Showtime. If CBS can get even a half million or so hooked on the show, its sister network could see a subscriber boost in the long term.

Meanwhile, more cable shows will premiere on broadcast before new scripted series make their way back on the air. NBC will air the most recent seasons of USA’s “Monk” and “Psych” this spring.

Meanwhile, in broadcast ratings for the week ended Feb. 17:
 
Among adults 18-49, Fox was first with a 4.6 rating and a 12 share, followed by NBC at 3.0/8, ABC at 2.3/6, CBS at 2.2/6, Univision at 1.5/4, CW at 0.8/2, Telemundo and MyNetworkTV at 0.5/1, TeleFutura at 0.4/1, and Ion and Azteca at 0.1/0.
 
Among adults 18-34, Fox led with a 4.3 rating and a 13 share, followed by NBC at 2.3/7, ABC at 1.8/5, Univision at 1.6/5, CBS at 1.4/4, CW at 0.9/3, Telemundo at 0.5/2, Telefutura and MyNetworkTV at 0.4/1, and Ion and Azteca at 0.1/0.
 
Among adults 25-54, Fox was first with a 5.0 rating and a 12 share, followed by NBC at 3.4/8, CBS at 2.9/7, ABC at 2.7/7, Univision at 1.4/4, CW at 0.8/2, MyNetworkTV and Telemundo at 0.5/1, TeleFutura at 0.4/1, Ion at 0.2/0 and Azteca at 0.1/0.
 
Top five English-language Big Five shows (18-49s): 1. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” 12.3; 2. Fox’s “American Idol - Wednesday” 9.8; 3. Fox’s “Moment of Truth” 6.0; 4. ABC’s “Lost” 5.8; 5. NBC’s “Knight Rider” 5.0.
 
Top five English-language Big Five shows (total viewers): 1. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” 29.96 million; 2. Fox’s “American Idol - Wednesday” 24.75 million; 3. Fox’s “Moment of Truth” 14.01 million; 4. ABC’s “Lost” 13.76 million; 5. ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” 13.49 million.
 
Top five Live+7 English-language Big Five shows (Households, week ended Feb. 3): 1. Fox’s “Super Bowl XLII” 43.2; 2. Fox’s “Super Bowl Postgame” 30.2; Tie-3. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” and “House 2/3”16.3; 5. Fox’s “American Idol - Wednesday” 15.0.
 
Top five Live+7 English-language Big Five shows (18-49s, week ended Feb. 3): 1. Fox’s “Super Bowl XLII” 37.6; 2. Fox’s “Super Bowl Postgame” 26.7; 3. Fox’s “House 2/3” 13.5; 4. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” 11.7; 5. Fox’s “American Idol - Wednesday” 10.8.
 
Show on the rise: “Supernanny,” ABC, Wednesday 9 p.m. ABC’s reality parenting show jumped 17 percent week-to-week among 18-49s from a 3.0 to a 3.5, despite lead-in “Wife Swap” falling 28 percent over the same stretch.

Show on the decline: “Lost” ABC, Thursday 9 p.m. While still a top-five program for the week among viewers 18-49, the show slipped 11 percent week-to-week in the demo, from a 6.5 rating to a 5.8.

PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked on Households
Week Ending February 17

Network

Households

People 2+

Adults 18-49

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

FOX

6.7

7560

11

4.0

11490

10

4.6

6080

12

NBC

5.5

6200

9

3.1

8900

8

3.0

3880

8

CBS

5.2

5830

8

2.8

8050

7

2.2

2880

6

ABC

4.4

5000

7

2.4

6950

6

2.3

3030

6

UNI

1.7

1960

3

1.2

3420

3

1.5

1910

4

CW

1.5

1660

2

0.8

2230

2

0.8

1100

2

MNT

0.8

930

1

0.4

1200

1

0.5

620

1

TEL

0.6

730

1

0.4

1120

1

0.5

630

1

TF

0.4

500

1

0.3

790

1

0.4

520

1

ION

0.4

440

1

0.2

540

0

0.1

170

0

AZA

0.1

110

0

0.1

160

0

0.1

120

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 February 17

Network

Households

People 2+

Adults 18-49

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

CBS

7.0

7870

11

3.8

10980

10

3.1

4060

8

FOX

6.5

7390

10

3.9

11130

10

4.2

5520

11

ABC

6.1

6900

10

3.3

9450

8

3.1

4100

8

NBC

5.5

6190

9

3.0

8710

8

3.2

4140

8

UNI

1.8

2030

3

1.2

3500

3

1.5

1970

4

CW

1.7

1910

3

0.9

2620

2

1.1

1380

3

MNT

0.7

840

1

0.4

1100

1

0.4

540

1

TEL

0.6

650

1

0.4

1050

1

0.4

580

1

ION

0.4

430

1

0.2

560

0

0.1

170

0

TF

0.4

410

1

0.2

680

1

0.3

440

1

AZA

0.1

90

0

0.1

150

0

0.1

100

0

* Each rating point is equivalent to 1. 114 million homes
Source: Nielsen Media Research 

TOP 25 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST
Ranked on Households
Week Ending February 17

#

PROGRAMS

Net

HOUSEHOLDS

PERSONS 2+

Rtg%

Shr

(000)

#

Rtg%

(000)

1

AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY

FOX

16.6

25

18715

1

10.5

29962

2

AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY

FOX

14.3

22

16171

2

8.6

24752

3

MOMENT OF TRUTH

FOX

8.4

13

9499

3

4.9

14007

4

60 MINUTES

CBS

8.1

14

9175

8

4.4

12499

4

DEAL OR NO DEAL-MON

NBC

8.1

13

9119

6

4.6

13148

4

LOST

ABC

8.1

13

9144

4

4.8

13757

7

EXTREME MAKEOVER:HOME ED.

ABC

7.8

12

8769

5

4.7

13493

8

TWO AND A HALF MEN

CBS

7.7

11

8677

11

4.2

11900

9

DEAL OR NO DEAL 2/14(S)

NBC

7.6

13

8604

10

4.3

12184

10

NCIS

CBS

7.5

11

8426

13

4.0

11376

10

SURVIVOR: MICRONESIA

CBS

7.5

12

8512

6

4.6

13178

12

DEAL OR NO DEAL-WED

NBC

7.1

11

7990

14

3.9

11069

12

NBC MOVIE OF THE WEEK-SUN(S)

NBC

7.1

11

7965

8

4.4

12720

14

CSI

CBS

6.8

11

7700

15

3.8

10871

14

LAW AND ORDER

NBC

6.8

11

7641

16

3.6

10225

16

FOX DAYTONA 500 POST-RACE(S)

FOX

6.7

12

7518

12

4.1

11758

17

OLD CHRISTINE

CBS

6.4

10

7164

17

3.5

9895

18

DANCE WAR:BRUNO/CARRIEANN

ABC

6.2

9

6939

20

3.2

9160

18

WITHOUT A TRACE

CBS

6.2

11

7025

18

3.4

9654

20

COLD CASE

CBS

6.0

9

6803

19

3.3

9575

21

APPRENTICE 7

NBC

5.9

10

6704

20

3.2

9111

21

LAW AND ORDER:CRIM INTENT

NBC

5.9

9

6696

20

3.2

9058

23

CSI: MIAMI

CBS

5.8

10

6529

26

3.0

8563

23

SUPERNANNY

ABC

5.8

9

6516

23

3.1

8797

25

BROTHERS & SISTERS

ABC

5.7

9

6378

26

3.0

8499

25

LAW AND ORDER:SVU

NBC

5.7

9

6450

28

2.9

8337

Source: Nielsen Media Research

TOP 25 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST
Adults 18-49
Week Ending February 17

Rank

Program

Net

Rtg%

(000)

1

AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY

FOX

12.3

16146

2

AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY

FOX

9.8

12856

3

MOMENT OF TRUTH

FOX

6.0

7848

4

LOST

ABC

5.8

7601

5

NBC MOVIE OF THE WEEK-SUN(S)

NBC

5.0

6509

6

EXTREME MAKEOVER:HOME ED.

ABC

4.6

5984

6

SURVIVOR: MICRONESIA

CBS

4.6

6003

8

FOX DAYTONA 500 POST-RACE(S)

FOX

4.5

5916

9

DEAL OR NO DEAL-MON

NBC

4.3

5583

10

TWO AND A HALF MEN

CBS

3.9

5069

11

AMERICAN GLADIATORS

NBC

3.7

4828

11

APPRENTICE 7

NBC

3.7

4835

13

FAMILY GUY

FOX

3.6

4765

13

SIMPSONS

FOX

3.6

4736

15

SUPERNANNY

ABC

3.5

4623

15

TERMINATOR: SRH CNR CHRON

FOX

3.5

4541

17

DEAL OR NO DEAL 2/14(S)

NBC

3.4

4477

17

OLD CHRISTINE

CBS

3.4

4401

19

PRISON BREAK

FOX

3.3

4283

20

AMERICAN GLADIATORS 2/17(S)

NBC

3.0

3993

20

BROTHERS & SISTERS

ABC

3.0

3939

20

LAW AND ORDER

NBC

3.0

3881

23

BIGGEST LOSER 5

NBC

2.9

3847

23

CSI

CBS

2.9

3776

23

HOUSE-FRI 9P

FOX

2.9

3740

23

KING OF THE HILL

FOX

2.9

3853

Source: Nielsen Media Research

  

SPANISH-LANGUAGE TELEVISION (WEEKLY COLLAPSED)
Ranked on Households
Week Ending February 17

#

PROGRAMS

Net

NHTI

P2+ (000)

1

AL DIABLO CON GUAPOS M-F

UNI

21.3

4790

2

CRISTINA MON

UNI

17.6

3610

3

PASION M-F

UNI

16.5

3608

4

YO AMO JUAN QUERENDON M-F

UNI

15.9

3273

5

AQUI Y AHORA TUE

UNI

14.6

2921

6

FAMILIA P. LUCHE FRI

UNI

14.4

3366

7

RETRO P. LUCHE FRI

UNI

13.6

3121

7

DON FRANCISCO PRESENTA WE

UNI

13.6

2408

9

SABADO GIGANTE SAT

UNI

13.0

2482

10

AMAS CASA DESESPERADS THU

UNI

11.9

2279

11

5 MAGNIFICOS SUN

UNI

10.9

2302

12

HORA PICO SUN

UNI

10.7

2118

13

CHAVO ANIMADO SUN

UNI

10.5

2349

14

VICTORIA M-F

TEL

8.9

1642

15

CELEBRANDO 20PNSTRO3 2/16(S)-02/16/2008

UNI

8.1

1483

16

FUTBOL LIGA MEXICANA SAT

TF

6.0

1190

17

FUTBOL LIGA MEX 2 WED

TF

5.9

1140

18

CONCIERTO: C SINALOA 2/17(S)-02/17/2008

TEL

5.8

1148

19

CINE NUESTRO SUN

TEL

5.6

1220

20

PECADOS AJENOS M-F

TEL

5.4

963

21

FUTBOL LIGA MEX SAT

TF

5.3

1049

22

CINE DE LAS ESTREL SUN 2

TF

5.2

1073

23

12 CORAZONES M-F

TEL

5.1

977

24

TRAICION M-F

TEL

4.9

814

25

CON LA MIGRA ESPLDAS 2/15(S)-02/15/2008

TF

4.3

825

* Nielsen Hispanic Television Index; ratings based on 11.63 million Hispanic TV homes.
Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

HISPANIC ENGLISH-LANGUAGE VIEWING
Ranked on Households
Week Ending February 17

#

PROGRAMS

Net

NHTI

P2+(000)

1

AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY

FOX

7.6

1482

2

FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN

CW

5.5

1069

3

AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY

FOX

5.2

1053

4

NBC MOVIE OF THE WEEK-SUN(S)-02/17/2008

NBC

4.5

824

5

COPS 2

FOX

4.4

807

6

AMW: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK

FOX

4.3

853

7

DEAL OR NO DEAL-MON

NBC

4.1

626

7

TERMINATOR: SRH CNR CHRON

FOX

4.1

732

9

FAMILY GUY

FOX

3.9

737

10

MOMENT OF TRUTH

FOX

3.8

817

10

COPS

FOX

3.8

716

* Nielsen Hispanic Television Index; ratings based on 11.63 million Hispanic TV homes.
Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

AFRICAN AMERICAN AUDIENCE ESTIMATES
Ranked on Households
Week Ending February 10

#

PROGRAMS

Net

Rtg

P2+(000)

1

AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY

FOX

17.7

3522

2

GRAMMY AWARDS

CBS

17.5

3599

3

AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY

FOX

17.2

3606

4

MOMENT OF TRUTH

FOX

12.8

2508

5

HOUSE

FOX

11.8

2117

6

GAME, THE

CW

8.5

1609

7

CSI

CBS

8.1

1467

8

WITHOUT A TRACE

CBS

8.0

1406

8

60 MINUTES

CBS

8.0

1407

10

CSI: MIAMI

CBS

7.8

1436

* Ratings based on 13.45 million African American TV homes.
Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

TOP 30 NETWORK SPORTS PROGRAMS
Ranked on Households
Week Ending January 28

#

PROGRAMS

Net

Episode

Households

Persons 2+

US Rtg%

Shr

(000)

(000)

1

BUICK INV PGA GOLF-SUN(S)-01/27/2008

CBS

 

4.2

9

4755

6193

2

US FIG SKTG CHMP-SAT PRIM(S)-01/26/2008

NBC

WOMEN'S SKATING

3.3

6

3716

5184

3

US FIG SKTG CHMP-SUN PRIM(S)-01/27/2008

NBC

MEN'S SKATING

3.1

5

3544

4788

4

NBA ON ABC-SUN 2

ABC

CLEVELAND AT LA LAKERS

2.8

6

3146

4051

5

BUICK INV PGA GOLF-SAT(S)-01/26/2008

CBS

 

2.7

6

3095

3761

6

FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN

CW

 

2.7

5

3067

4880

7

NBA ON ABC-SUN 1

ABC

BOSTON AT ORLANDO

1.8

4

2057

2577

8

NBC SPORTS SPECIAL 1/26(S)-01/26/2008

NBC

SKATING

1.7

4

1930

2516

9

WINTER X GAMES 12(S)-01/26/2008

ABC

 

1.3

3

1424

1790

10

NCAA BASKETBALL-SAT-1

CBS

UCONN AT INDIANA

1.2

3

1360

1601

11

NCAA BASKETBALL-SUN-1

CBS

MICHIGAN AT MICH STATE

1.2

3

1300

1640

12

GMC NBA COUNTDOWN-SUN

ABC

 

1.0

2

1102

1446

13

NBC SPORTS SPECIAL 1/27B(S)-01/27/2008

NBC

WORLD ADVENTURE

1.0

2

1172

1613

14

ROLEX 24 HRS OF DAYTONA(S)-01/26/2008

FOX

 

0.9

2

1062

1272

15

CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR-SU

CBS

AMA SUPERCROSS - SF

0.8

2

949

1184

16

POKER AFTER DARK MO-SAT

NBC

 

0.7

4

750

801

17

NBC SPORTS SPECIAL 1/27A(S)-01/27/2008

NBC

FREESTYLE - USSA

0.7

2

807

1111

18

REPUBLICA DEPORTIVA SUN

UNI

 

0.5

1

561

705

19

FUTBOL LIGA MEXICANA SUN

UNI

UNAM VS ATLANTE

0.5

1

588

875

20

FLM SAT 1

AZA

JAGUARES VS AMERICA

0.3

1

305

458

21

FLM SUN 1

AZA

SANTOS VS TOLUCA

0.3

1

311

488

22

NFL NETWORK TOTAL ACCESS

MNT

 

0.3

1

377

462

23

SOLO BOXEO TECATE FRI

TF

HUGO CAZARES V KERMIN GUARDIA

0.3

1

351

530

24

FUTBOL LIGA MEX SAT

TF

TIGRES VS CRUZ AZUL

0.3

0

299

439

25

FLM FRI 1

AZA

U.A. DE G.VS GUADALAJARA

0.2

0

258

420

26

FLM SAT 2

AZA

MONARCAS VS PACHUCA

0.2

0

236

372

27

SABADO DE FUTBOL

TEL

BARCELONA VS VILLARREAL

0.2

0

186

254

28

TITULARES TELEMUNDO   U

TEL

 

0.2

1

237

311

29

TITULARES TELEMUNDO   U2

TEL

 

0.2

0

185

315

30

CONTACTO DEPORTIVO

TF

 

0.2

0

192

309

Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

***
 
 
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Toni Fitzgerald is a staff writer for Media Life.




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