Finding a new blockbuster holiday special is tough. Over the past few years, NBC’s “The Year Without a Santa Claus” remake, ABC’s “Holidaze: The Year Christmas Almost Didn’t Happen,” and even box office successes like “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” have elicited barely a bored humbug from TV viewers.
But now it looks like another show has joined the likes of holiday standards “Charlie Brown Christmas” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
“The Polar Express,” the 2004 Tom Hanks movie, drew huge ratings in back-to-back Friday airings, first on ABC on Dec. 1 and most recently on ABC Family on Dec. 8 and 9.
“Express” was the No. 1 show on cable last Friday, drawing 4.03 million viewers in its 8 p.m. timeslot and boosting ABC Family to its best night of primetime in five years, averaging 3.74 million viewers. And it did so airing opposite “Rudolph” the same night on CBS. The next night, the movie aired again and became the most-watched program in network history, with 5.06 million viewers.
Meanwhile, in its TV debut the week before on ABC, “Express” was the most-watched theatrical release on broadcast in nearly three years, drawing 13.2 million total viewers and winning its timeslot in virtually every demographic.
Among kids 2-11, the movie was just 400,000 behind perennial favorite “Brown,” with 2.55 million.
So why the warm reception for “Express,” when so many other new holiday specials are met with a cold shoulder? It seems to be a combination of several things.
For one, the film has been a big DVD hit. It ranked No. 5 in DVD movie sales in 2005, while ranking only 10th among 2004 theatrical releases. It’s the sort of movie that’s better viewed at home for young children, who can’t sit still at the movie theater.
Also, the movie aired on family-friendly Friday and Saturday nights, when there’s little else competing. The broadcast networks usually have a mix of reruns, newsmagazines or, in the case of CBS, fare far too sophisticated for families with young children.
It also helped that both networks are seeing big ratings in general. ABC was in the midst a November sweeps win when began advertising for “Express,” and ABC Family is in the middle of its 25 Days of Christmas annual special, which is off to its best start in total viewers in nine years. The network finished first in total viewers in primetime for the first time ever last week.
But last and most important might be simply that unlike “Year,” which aimed at grown-ups, or “Grinch,” which aimed for children, “Express” has a broader appeal. The animation is compelling, the storyline is different from the usual troubled-Santa fare, and of course everyone likes Hanks, who provides the voice for multiple characters.
Meanwhile, in other cable ratings for the week ended Dec. 10:
Top five networks in primetime (18-49s): USA, TBS, ABC Family, ESPN, TNT
Top five networks in primetime (total viewers): ABC Family, USA, ESPN, TNT, Lifetime
Top movie (18-49s): TBS’s “Mean Girls” (Saturday 8 p.m.) 1.98 million
Top sporting event (total viewers): ESPN’s “Panthers/Eagles” (Monday 8:30 p.m.) 10.52 million
Shows making the top 10 among 18-34s, 18-49s and 25-54s: ESPN’s “Panthers/Eagles” (Monday 8:30 p.m.); USA’s “WWE Entertainment” (Monday, 9 p.m. and 10 p.m.); FX’s “Nip Tuck” (Tuesday 10 p.m.)
Show on the rise: The Hallmark Channel’s “What I Did for Love” (Saturday 9 p.m.) The original holiday movie averaged a 2.8 rating in households and 3.1 million total viewers, making it the feel-good network’s fourth best-rated broadcast ever.
Show on the decline: ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” (Monday 8:30 p.m.) The Donovan McNabb-less Philadelphia Eagles facing the Carolina Panthers proved a less potent draw than the previous week’s Green Bay Packers-Seattle Seahawks game. Total viewers were down more than 2 million from the previous week, and every demographic saw big dips.
|
TOP 25 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Ranked on Household Rating
Week Ending Dec. 10 |
|
Rank |
Primetime |
Total Day |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1 |
USA |
2073 |
NICK |
1615 |
|
2 |
ESPN |
1757 |
NAN* |
1091 |
|
3 |
TNT |
1721 |
TNT |
1024 |
|
4 |
FAM |
1708 |
USA |
1001 |
|
5 |
LIF |
1635 |
LIF |
957 |
|
6 |
TBSC |
1579 |
TOON |
877 |
|
7 |
HALL |
1282 |
ADSM* |
850 |
|
8 |
NAN |
1179 |
FAM |
844 |
|
9 |
TOON |
1123 |
TBSC |
843 |
|
10 |
AEN |
1107 |
ESPN |
794 |
|
11 |
FOXN |
1045 |
AEN |
695 |
|
12 |
CORT |
921 |
HALL |
663 |
|
13 |
DISC |
910 |
FOXN |
615 |
|
14 |
SCIF |
908 |
DISC |
570 |
|
15 |
HIST |
898 |
HIST |
563 |
|
16 |
AMC |
864 |
CORT |
520 |
|
17 |
HGTV |
848 |
CMDY |
504 |
|
18 |
SPK |
835 |
FOOD |
497 |
|
19 |
FX |
817 |
FX |
475 |
|
20 |
CMDY |
795 |
HGTV |
475 |
|
21 |
MTV |
675 |
AMC |
458 |
|
22 |
TLC |
654 |
SCIF |
454 |
|
23 |
FOOD |
634 |
MTV |
448 |
|
24 |
BET |
611 |
SPK |
446 |
|
25 |
CNN |
548 |
TVLD |
400 |
|
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research. |
|
TOP 25 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE PROGRAMS
Ranked on Households
Week Ending Dec. 10 |
|
Rank |
Program |
Net |
(000) |
|
1 |
Panthers/Eagles |
ESPN |
7972 |
|
2 |
The Closer |
TNT |
3960 |
|
3 |
WWE Entertainment |
USA |
3501 |
|
4 |
WWE Entertainment |
USA |
3279 |
|
5 |
Spongebob |
NICK |
3133 |
|
6 |
Santa Baby |
FAM |
2916 |
|
7 |
Spongebob |
NICK |
2913 |
|
8 |
Fairly Odd Parents |
NICK |
2887 |
|
9 |
Fairly Odd Parents |
NICK |
2870 |
|
10 |
Spongebob |
NICK |
2859 |
|
11 |
Drake & Josh |
NICK |
2816 |
|
12 |
Spongebob |
NICK |
2778 |
|
13 |
Jimmy Neutron |
NICK |
2772 |
|
14 |
Spongebob |
NICK |
2646 |
|
15 |
Drake & Josh |
NICK |
2623 |
|
16 |
The Polar Express |
FAM |
2622 |
|
17 |
Mean Girls |
TBSC |
2580 |
|
18 |
Spongebob |
NICK |
2574 |
|
19 |
Drake & Josh |
NICK |
2495 |
|
20 |
Ned Declassified |
NICK |
2493 |
|
21 |
Ned Declassified |
NICK |
2492 |
|
22 |
Sportscenter |
ESPN |
2483 |
|
23 |
Fairly Odd Parents |
NICK |
2469 |
|
24 |
Holiday Affair |
LIF |
2460 |
|
25 |
Spongebob |
NICK |
2456 |
|
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research. |
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 18-34
Week Ending Dec. 10 |
|
Rank |
PRIME TIME |
TOTAL DAY |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1 |
TBSC |
702 |
ADSM* |
362 |
|
2 |
USA |
583 |
TBSC |
334 |
|
3 |
ESPN |
513 |
NAN* |
308 |
|
4 |
FAM |
486 |
NICK |
306 |
|
5 |
MTV |
411 |
TNT |
283 |
|
6 |
TNT |
410 |
ESPN |
282 |
|
7 |
FX |
363 |
USA |
263 |
|
8 |
AEN |
352 |
MTV |
252 |
|
9 |
CMDY |
330 |
FAM |
249 |
|
10 |
DISC |
311 |
CMDY |
223 |
|
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research. |
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 18-34
Week Ending Dec. 10 |
|
Rank |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
|
1 |
Panthers/Eagles |
ESPN |
2436 |
|
2 |
Real World XVIII |
MTV |
1766 |
|
3 |
RW/RR The Duel |
MTV |
1515 |
|
4 |
WWE Entertainment |
USA |
1494 |
|
5 |
Mean Girls |
TBSC |
1325 |
|
6 |
Rob And Big |
MTV |
1288 |
|
7 |
WWE Entertainment |
USA |
1224 |
|
8 |
Nip Tuck |
FX |
1181 |
|
9 |
Mean Girls |
TBSC |
1108 |
|
10 |
Sportscenter |
ESPN |
1007 |
|
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research. |
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 18-49
Week Ending Dec. 10 |
|
Rank |
PRIME TIME |
TOTAL DAY |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1 |
USA |
1276 |
TNT |
623 |
|
2 |
TBSC |
1203 |
TBSC |
598 |
|
3 |
FAM |
1176 |
USA |
574 |
|
4 |
ESPN |
1091 |
FAM |
552 |
|
5 |
TNT |
1001 |
ESPN |
525 |
|
6 |
AEN |
750 |
NICK |
521 |
|
7 |
LIF |
713 |
NAN* |
515 |
|
8 |
DISC |
657 |
ADSM* |
482 |
|
9 |
FX |
649 |
LIF |
462 |
|
10 |
SCIF |
638 |
AEN |
454 |
|
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research. |
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 18-49
Week Ending Dec. 10 |
|
Rank |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
|
1 |
Panthers/Eagles |
ESPN |
5298 |
|
2 |
WWE Entertainment |
USA |
2714 |
|
3 |
WWE Entertainment |
USA |
2237 |
|
4 |
Nip Tuck |
FX |
2148 |
|
5 |
The Polar Express |
FAM |
2095 |
|
6 |
Real World XVIII |
MTV |
2072 |
|
7 |
Santa Baby |
FAM |
1992 |
|
8 |
Mean Girls |
TBSC |
1981 |
|
9 |
RW/RR The Duel |
MTV |
1841 |
|
10 |
The Closer |
TNT |
1822 |
|
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research. |
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 25-54
Week Ending Dec. 10 |
|
|
PRIME TIME |
TOTAL DAY |
|
Rank |
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1 |
USA |
1293 |
TNT |
654 |
|
2 |
FAM |
1190 |
USA |
561 |
|
3 |
TNT |
1097 |
FAM |
525 |
|
4 |
ESPN |
1082 |
LIF |
521 |
|
5 |
TBSC |
993 |
TBSC |
507 |
|
6 |
LIF |
851 |
ESPN |
483 |
|
7 |
AEN |
721 |
AEN |
441 |
|
8 |
SCIF |
667 |
NICK |
423 |
|
9 |
DISC |
655 |
NAN* |
396 |
|
10 |
SPK |
577 |
DISC |
379 |
|
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research. |
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 25-54
Week Ending Dec. 10 |
|
Rank |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
|
1 |
Panthers/Eagles |
ESPN |
5312 |
|
2 |
WWE Entertainment |
USA |
2364 |
|
3 |
The Closer |
TNT |
2188 |
|
4 |
Santa Baby |
FAM |
2108 |
|
5 |
The Polar Express |
FAM |
2101 |
|
6 |
WWE Entertainment |
USA |
1981 |
|
7 |
Nip Tuck |
FX |
1831 |
|
8 |
LOTR: The Two Towers |
TNT |
1693 |
|
9 |
Sportscenter |
ESPN |
1682 |
|
10 |
The Polar Express |
FAM |
1658 |
|
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research. |
