Nine years ago, the WWE debuted on the then-fledgling UPN, which to that point was best known for programming disasters like “Homeboys in Outer Space” and “The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer.”
A regularly scheduled wrestling program had been absent from broadcast for four decades, and “WWE Smackdown” quickly became UPN’s top-rated show. It helped raise awareness of the network even if it never provided the sort of viewer stickiness UPN or, later, CW executives hoped for.
Nine years later, another fledgling network in search of an identity is picking up “Smackdown” in hopes of generating more public awareness and drawing in more of the men 18-49 many of its shows target.
The two-hour weekly “Smackdown” will move to MyNetworkTV in fall 2008, the WWE and MNTV announced yesterday. The deal comes after the CW declined to renew the franchise.
"Smackdown" will undoubtedly become the top-rated show on the No. 6 English-language broadcast network, and it fits handily into MNTV's revamped identity as a network dedicated largely to reality programming.
The network’s biggest challenge, as it was for UPN, the WB and now the CW, is simply building awareness. It’s available in 97 percent of U.S. television households, taking over many of the former UPN stations that did not switch to the CW, yet many people are still unaware of its existence.
MNTV's first season was built around English-language telenovelas starring C-list actresses, and they performed so badly that many media people speculated that the News Corp.-owned network was fast headed to extinction.
Since moving to the reality-focused format last fall, MNTV has seen some ratings improvement, and it’s been particularly keen on drawing in the men 18-49 who have abandoned the other broadcasters in droves over the past five years.
WWE fits well into that strategy, which also includes action movies, “NFL Network Total Access,” mixed martial arts specials and an upcoming sitcom with Flavor Flav.
Reality shows like “Street Patrol,” about beat cops on the job, and “Jail,” the “Cops” cousin that shows criminals in the lockup, are the network’s two highest-rated shows in 18-49s, averaging a still-tiny 0.6 Nielsen rating this season, 50 percent better than the network’s 0.4 season-to-date average. The latter has doubled from the same time last year.
The WWE excels at self-promotion, and there’s no doubt the league will kick off a huge campaign as the changeover date nears closer, with cross-promotion on cable carriers USA and Sci Fi.
That will give MNT a big ratings kick and perhaps increase awareness of the network itself. Whether it will help build the shows that air around it, a goal UPN arguably never achieved, remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, in broadcast ratings for the week ended Feb. 24:
Among adults 18-49, Fox was first with a 5.7 rating and a 15 share, followed by ABC at 3.2/8, NBC at 2.3/6, CBS at 2.1/6, Univision at 1.7/4, CW at 0.9/2, 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 18-34, Fox led with a 4.6 rating and a 13 share, followed by ABC at 2.7/8, Univision at 1.9/6, NBC at 1.7/5, CBS at 1.4/4, CW at 1.1/3, Telemundo at 0.5/1, Telefutura and MyNetworkTV at 0.4/1, and Ion and Azteca at 0.1/0.
Among adults 25-54, Fox was first with a 6.4 rating and a 15 share, followed by ABC at 3.7/9, CBS and NBC at 2.8/7, Univision at 1.6/4, CW at 0.9/2, MyNetworkTV and 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. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” 11.3; 2. Fox’s “American Idol - Wednesday” 11.2; 3. ABC’s “Academy Awards” 10.7; 4. Fox’s “American Idol - Thursday” 8.5; 5. ABC’s “Oscars Red Carpet” 6.3.
Top five English-language Big Five shows (total viewers): 1. ABC’s “Academy Awards” 32.01 million; 2. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” 29.01 million; 3. Fox’s “American Idol - Wednesday” 28.88 million; 4. Fox’s “American Idol – Thursday” 23.37 million; 5. ABC’s “Oscars Red Carpet” 21.54 million.
Top five Live+7 English-language Big Five shows (Households, week ended Feb. 10): 1. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” 16.3; 2. Fox’s “American Idol - Wednesday” 15.3; 3. Fox’s “House” 14.6; 4. CBS’s “Grammy Awards” 10.4; 5. Fox’s “Moment of Truth” 9.8.
Top five Live+7 English-language Big Five shows (18-49s, week ended Feb. 10): 1. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” 11.8; 2. Fox’s “American Idol - Wednesday” 11.2; 3. Fox’s “House” 10.0; Tie-4. ABC’s “Lost” and Fox’s “Moment of Truth” 7.4.
Show on the rise: “Premio lo Nuestro,” Univision, Thursday 8 p.m. The annual awards show’s 6.24 million total viewers made it the most-watched in the program’s history, and it finished No. 25 for the week on broadcast among viewers 18-49 with a 2.8 rating.
Show on the decline: “Jericho” CBS, Tuesday 10 p.m. The show that fans fought to save is fading fast, last week falling 23 percent versus the previous week among viewers 18-49, from a 2.6 rating to a 2.0.
|
PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked on Households
Week Ending February 24 |
|
Network
|
Households
|
People 2+
|
Adults 18-49
|
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
|
FOX
|
8.6
|
9730
|
14
|
5.2
|
14960
|
13
|
5.7
|
7450
|
15
|
|
ABC
|
6.1
|
6940
|
10
|
3.5
|
9880
|
9
|
3.2
|
4200
|
8
|
|
CBS
|
5.1
|
5790
|
8
|
2.8
|
7930
|
7
|
2.1
|
2820
|
6
|
|
NBC
|
4.6
|
5200
|
7
|
2.5
|
7230
|
6
|
2.3
|
3060
|
6
|
|
UNI
|
1.9
|
2180
|
3
|
1.4
|
3940
|
3
|
1.7
|
2210
|
4
|
|
CW
|
1.6
|
1760
|
2
|
0.8
|
2400
|
2
|
0.9
|
1240
|
2
|
|
MNT
|
0.8
|
880
|
1
|
0.4
|
1170
|
1
|
0.4
|
570
|
1
|
|
TEL
|
0.6
|
730
|
1
|
0.4
|
1160
|
1
|
0.5
|
640
|
1
|
|
TF
|
0.4
|
430
|
1
|
0.2
|
690
|
1
|
0.3
|
440
|
1
|
|
ION
|
0.4
|
400
|
1
|
0.2
|
530
|
0
|
0.1
|
160
|
0
|
|
AZA
|
0.1
|
90
|
0
|
0.1
|
150
|
0
|
0.1
|
90
|
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 24 |
|
Network
|
Households
|
People 2+
|
Adults 18-49
|
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
|
CBS
|
6.9
|
7790
|
11
|
3.8
|
10850
|
10
|
3.1
|
4010
|
8
|
|
FOX
|
6.7
|
7500
|
11
|
4.0
|
11320
|
10
|
4.3
|
5620
|
11
|
|
ABC
|
6.1
|
6910
|
10
|
3.3
|
9480
|
8
|
3.1
|
4110
|
8
|
|
NBC
|
5.5
|
6160
|
9
|
3.0
|
8650
|
8
|
3.1
|
4090
|
8
|
|
UNI
|
1.8
|
2040
|
3
|
1.2
|
3520
|
3
|
1.5
|
1980
|
4
|
|
CW
|
1.7
|
1910
|
3
|
0.9
|
2620
|
2
|
1.0
|
1380
|
3
|
|
MNT
|
0.7
|
840
|
1
|
0.4
|
1110
|
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 24 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
HOUSEHOLDS |
PERSONS 2+ |
|
Rtg% |
Shr |
(000) |
# |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1
|
ACADEMY AWARDS(S)
|
ABC
|
18.7
|
29
|
21073
|
1
|
11.2
|
32006
|
|
2
|
AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY
|
FOX
|
16.4
|
25
|
18444
|
2
|
10.1
|
29006
|
|
3
|
AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY
|
FOX
|
16.1
|
24
|
18175
|
2
|
10.1
|
28885
|
|
4
|
AMERICAN IDOL THU SP-2/21(S)
|
FOX
|
13.4
|
21
|
15155
|
4
|
8.2
|
23374
|
|
5
|
OSCAR'S RED CARPET 2008(S)
|
ABC
|
13.3
|
21
|
15009
|
5
|
7.5
|
21536
|
|
6
|
DEAL OR NO DEAL-MON
|
NBC
|
10.0
|
15
|
11310
|
6
|
5.9
|
16948
|
|
7
|
WITHOUT A TRACE
|
CBS
|
8.0
|
13
|
8978
|
11
|
4.2
|
12086
|
|
8
|
BARBARA WALTERS SP-2/24(S)
|
ABC
|
7.7
|
13
|
8644
|
13
|
4.1
|
11692
|
|
8
|
CSI
|
CBS
|
7.7
|
12
|
8704
|
11
|
4.2
|
11923
|
|
8
|
LOST
|
ABC
|
7.7
|
12
|
8695
|
7
|
4.8
|
13647
|
|
8
|
TWO AND A HALF MEN
|
CBS
|
7.7
|
12
|
8665
|
9
|
4.3
|
12446
|
|
12
|
LAW AND ORDER
|
NBC
|
7.3
|
12
|
8201
|
14
|
3.8
|
10858
|
|
12
|
SURVIVOR:
MICRONESIA
|
CBS
|
7.3
|
11
|
8288
|
8
|
4.4
|
12661
|
|
14
|
DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS
|
FOX
|
7.2
|
11
|
8083
|
9
|
4.3
|
12431
|
|
15
|
60 MINUTES
|
CBS
|
7.1
|
11
|
7977
|
17
|
3.7
|
10690
|
|
15
|
NCIS
|
CBS
|
7.1
|
11
|
8020
|
14
|
3.8
|
10853
|
|
17
|
CSI:
MIAMI
|
CBS
|
6.3
|
11
|
7066
|
19
|
3.3
|
9512
|
|
18
|
FOX NASCAR SPRINT CUP
|
FOX
|
6.2
|
10
|
7006
|
14
|
3.8
|
10916
|
|
19
|
DANCE WAR:BRUNO/CARRIEANN
|
ABC
|
6.1
|
9
|
6914
|
22
|
3.2
|
9162
|
|
19
|
LAW AND ORDER:SVU
|
NBC
|
6.1
|
10
|
6897
|
22
|
3.2
|
9284
|
|
19
|
OLD CHRISTINE
|
CBS
|
6.1
|
9
|
6837
|
19
|
3.3
|
9399
|
|
22
|
DEAL OR NO DEAL-WED
|
NBC
|
5.9
|
9
|
6689
|
22
|
3.2
|
9033
|
|
22
|
PRICE IS RIGHT PRIMETIME
|
CBS
|
5.9
|
10
|
6667
|
19
|
3.3
|
9348
|
|
24
|
MEDIUM
|
NBC
|
5.7
|
10
|
6437
|
25
|
3.0
|
8447
|
|
25
|
20/20-FRI
|
ABC
|
5.6
|
10
|
6315
|
25
|
3.0
|
8656
|
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
|
TOP 25 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST
Adults 18-49
Week Ending February 24 |
|
Rank |
Program |
Net |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1
|
AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY
|
FOX
|
11.3
|
14757
|
|
2
|
AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY
|
FOX
|
11.2
|
14662
|
|
3
|
ACADEMY AWARDS(S)
|
ABC
|
10.7
|
14050
|
|
4
|
AMERICAN IDOL THU SP-2/21(S)
|
FOX
|
8.5
|
11077
|
|
5
|
OSCAR'S RED CARPET 2008(S)
|
ABC
|
6.3
|
8317
|
|
6
|
LOST
|
ABC
|
5.7
|
7458
|
|
7
|
DEAL OR NO DEAL-MON
|
NBC
|
5.2
|
6834
|
|
8
|
DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS
|
FOX
|
4.8
|
6334
|
|
9
|
FOX NASCAR SPRINT CUP
|
FOX
|
4.1
|
5329
|
|
9
|
SURVIVOR:
MICRONESIA
|
CBS
|
4.1
|
5324
|
|
9
|
TWO AND A HALF MEN
|
CBS
|
4.1
|
5363
|
|
12
|
MY DAD IS BETR THN YR DAD
|
NBC
|
3.5
|
4570
|
|
13
|
BIGGEST LOSER 5
|
NBC
|
3.3
|
4377
|
|
13
|
LAW AND ORDER:SVU
|
NBC
|
3.3
|
4343
|
|
13
|
OLD CHRISTINE
|
CBS
|
3.3
|
4328
|
|
16
|
APPRENTICE 7
|
NBC
|
3.2
|
4221
|
|
16
|
BARBARA WALTERS SP-2/24(S)
|
ABC
|
3.2
|
4227
|
|
16
|
TERMINATOR: SRH CNR CHRON
|
FOX
|
3.2
|
4172
|
|
19
|
CSI
|
CBS
|
3.1
|
4006
|
|
19
|
LAW AND ORDER
|
NBC
|
3.1
|
4097
|
|
19
|
PRISON BREAK
|
FOX
|
3.1
|
4035
|
|
22
|
WITHOUT A TRACE
|
CBS
|
3.0
|
3888
|
|
23
|
20/20-FRI
|
ABC
|
2.9
|
3736
|
|
23
|
SIMPSONS SP-RAIN 9:30P(S)
|
FOX
|
2.9
|
3750
|
|
25
|
HOUSE-FRI 9P
|
FOX
|
2.8
|
3683
|
|
25
|
MEDIUM
|
NBC
|
2.8
|
3640
|
|
25
|
PREMIO LO NUESTRO'08 2/21(S)
|
UNI
|
2.8
|
3723
|
|
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
|
