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in glut of reruns
Winter of discontent for viewers. Think February.
By Kevin Downey
It's about this time every year that television viewers find cause to venture down to those rarely visited networks on the farthest end of the TV dial.
There's simply less worth watching on the broadcast networks.
With the November sweeps behind them, the networks enter a dark winter period of reruns and a ritualistic killing off of under-performers, like NBC’s "Inside Schwartz."
Things really won’t kick up again until February, with the Super Bowl and the Olympics, when the networks launch their midseason lineups.
Last week's ratings tell us that this winter’s decline has already set in.
The broadcast networks were down anywhere from 5 percent to 29 percent compared to the prior week, when the November sweeps were in their final days.
Perhaps the surest sign that winter is here is that NBC did not win the week in the 18-49 demographic that many advertisers specifically target.
NBC tied ABC for No. 2 with a 3.9 rating.
CBS was No. 1 with a 4.0, while Fox had a 3.8. UPN had a 1.5 and the WB had a 1.4.
CBS was the top-rated network in every major demographic, in fact, thanks to "CSI," "Survivor: Africa," its Monday night lineup, and the airing of LSU’s upset over Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference championship football game.
The network had an 8.0 household rating and 13 share compared to ABC and NBC’s 7.2/12, Fox’s 5.1/8, UPN’s 2.4/4, and the WB’s 2.3/4.
CBS benefited from another pattern typically in evidence following the end of a sweeps period, a boost in ratings for newsmagazines and other shows with original content, such as reality shows.
CBS’s "60 Minutes," for example, was up 57 percent among adults 18-49 to a 4.4 rating. The long-running show tied at No. 27.
ABC also benefited. It’s "Primetime Thursday" saw a 28 percent boost in ratings, to tie at No. 23 with "20/20," which had Barbara Walters’ interview with President Bush. That newsmagazine had a 12 percent ratings jump from the previous week.
Among reality shows, CBS’s "Survivor: Africa" had an 11 percent rating increase, despite going head-to-head with an original episode of "Friends" in its first half-hour. "Survivor" had a 7.9 rating and was No. 4 among adults 18-49. "Friends" had a 10.6 rating and was the week’s highest-rated show.
Since the networks are moving into a less competitive few weeks, some programs that have failed to live up to expectations now have a better chance of succeeding.
Essentially, December becomes the time for a show to prove itself or die trying.
Fox’s critically maligned "Tick" had a special episode that improved on its regular rating by 70 percent and ranked a respectable No. 49.
The network’s "Bernie Mac" show was down 4 percent from a week earlier but still appears to be a hit with a 4.9 rating. The show tied at No. 18.
ABC’s "Philly" was picked up for the remainder of the season but has been bogged down by mediocre ratings since it premiered. Perhaps because of lighter competition or its new "NYPD Blue" lead-in, the show’s 18-49 rating was up 10 percent.
CBS’s "Education of Max Bickford"--easily the most-anticipated show when the season began in September--had a 20 percent ratings jump last week. The show’s future, however, is bleak at No. 73 and a 2.4 rating that is among the lowest on the Big Four networks.
Meanwhile, NBC still has a commanding lead in the 18-49 demo for the season.
NBC has a 4.9 to Fox’s 4.3, CBS’s 4.1, ABC’s 4.0, UPN’s 2.1, and the WB’s 1.7.
|
PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK |
|||||||||
|
|
HOUSEHOLDS |
PERSONS 2+ | ADULTS 18-49 | ||||||
|
Net |
Rtg |
(000) |
SHR |
Rtg |
(000) |
SHR |
Rtg |
(000) |
SHR |
|
CBS |
8.0 |
8430 |
13 |
4.5 |
12100 |
12 |
4.0 |
5100 |
11 |
|
ABC |
7.2 |
7610 |
12 |
4.1 |
11180 |
11 |
3.9 |
4910 |
11 |
|
NBC |
7.2 |
7540 |
12 |
3.9 |
10540 |
10 |
3.9 |
4980 |
11 |
|
FOX |
5.1 |
5420 |
8 |
3.1 |
8310 |
8 |
3.8 |
4880 |
10 |
|
UPN |
2.4 |
2560 |
4 |
1.5 |
3970 |
4 |
1.5 |
1900 |
4 |
|
WB |
2.3 |
2380 |
4 |
1.2 |
3350 |
3 |
1.4 |
1730 |
4 |
|
PAX |
0.9 |
910 |
1 |
0.5 |
1270 |
1 |
0.4 |
460 |
1 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research
|
|||||||||
|
SEASON-TO-DATE |
|||||||||
|
|
HOUSEHOLDS |
PERSONS 2+ |
ADULTS 18-49 |
||||||
|
Net |
Rtg |
(000) |
SHR |
Rtg |
(000) |
SHR |
Rtg |
(000) |
SHR |
|
CBS |
8.5 |
8920 |
14 |
4.7 |
12780 |
12 |
4.1 |
5260 |
11 |
|
NBC |
8.4 |
8840 |
14 |
4.6 |
12540 |
12 |
4.9 |
6280 |
13 |
|
ABC |
7.0 |
7360 |
11 |
3.9 |
10570 |
10 |
4.0 |
5070 |
11 |
|
FOX |
6.7 |
7030 |
11 |
3.8 |
10360 |
10 |
4.3 |
5420 |
11 |
|
UPN |
3.0 |
3170 |
5 |
1.8 |
4840 |
4 |
2.1 |
2680 |
5 |
|
WB |
2.7 |
2850 |
4 |
1.5 |
4080 |
4 |
1.7 |
2190 |
4 |
|
PAX |
0.9 |
960 |
1 |
0.5 |
1290 |
1 |
0.3 |
430 |
1 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research
|
|||||||||
|
NETWORK TV |
||||||||
|
|
|
|
HOUSEHOLDS |
PERSONS 2+ |
||||
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Rtg% |
Shr |
(000) |
# |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1 |
CSI |
CBS |
14.9 |
23 |
15728 |
1 |
8.9 |
23957 |
|
2 |
FRIENDS |
NBC |
14.0 |
23 |
14811 |
2 |
8.3 |
22436 |
|
3 |
60 MINUTES |
CBS |
11.9 |
19 |
12546 |
5 |
6.4 |
17238 |
|
4 |
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND |
CBS |
11.6 |
17 |
12240 |
4 |
6.6 |
17896 |
|
5 |
LAW AND ORDER |
NBC |
11.2 |
19 |
11838 |
7 |
6.0 |
16116 |
|
5 |
SURVIVOR: AFRICA |
CBS |
11.2 |
18 |
11771 |
3 |
7.1 |
19283 |
|
7 |
NFL MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (Green Bay vs. Jacksonville) |
ABC |
11.0 |
19 |
11647 |
6 |
6.1 |
16596 |
|
8 |
WEST WING |
NBC |
10.6 |
17 |
11232 |
9 |
5.8 |
15614 |
|
9 |
WILL & GRACE |
NBC |
10.3 |
16 |
10875 |
7 |
6.0 |
16212 |
|
10 |
48 HOURS- MON(S) |
CBS |
10.2 |
17 |
10743 |
14 |
5.2 |
14110 |
|
11 |
NYPD BLUE |
ABC |
10.1 |
15 |
10619 |
12 |
5.5 |
14867 |
|
12 |
PRACTICE, THE |
ABC |
10.0 |
17 |
10557 |
10 |
5.6 |
15144 |
|
13 |
E.R. |
NBC |
9.9 |
17 |
10395 |
12 |
5.5 |
14725 |
|
14 |
INSIDE SCHWARTZ |
NBC |
9.8 |
16 |
10355 |
10 |
5.6 |
15216 |
|
15 |
20/20-WED |
ABC |
9.4 |
16 |
9949 |
18 |
5.0 |
13539 |
|
16 |
BECKER |
CBS |
9.3 |
14 |
9817 |
16 |
5.1 |
13745 |
|
17 |
60 MINUTES II |
CBS |
9.2 |
15 |
9718 |
18 |
5.0 |
13441 |
|
17 |
PRIMETIME THURSDAY |
ABC |
9.2 |
16 |
9751 |
16 |
5.1 |
13634 |
|
19 |
NFL MONDAY SHOWCASE |
ABC |
9.1 |
14 |
9636 |
14 |
5.2 |
14144 |
|
20 |
LAW AND ORDER:SVU |
NBC |
9.0 |
16 |
9464 |
24 |
4.7 |
12678 |
|
21 |
PHILLY |
ABC |
8.9 |
15 |
9340 |
24 |
4.7 |
12653 |
|
22 |
JUST SHOOT ME |
NBC |
8.6 |
13 |
9052 |
20 |
4.9 |
13273 |
|
23 |
FRASIER |
NBC |
8.2 |
13 |
8690 |
21 |
4.8 |
12823 |
|
24 |
KING OF QUEENS |
CBS |
8.0 |
12 |
8389 |
28 |
4.5 |
12040 |
|
25 |
HOME DEPOT SEC CHAMP- CBS(S) (Tennessee vs. LSU) |
CBS |
7.9 |
15 |
8368 |
26 |
4.6 |
12465 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media
Research
|
||||||||
|
CABLE TV |
|||||
| BASIC CABLE | |||||
|
House- |
House- holds |
Persons 2+ |
|||
|
# |
PROGRAM NAME |
Net |
(000) |
Rtg % | (000) |
|
1 |
TNT ORIGINAL(S)-12/02/2001 (CALL ME CLAUS) |
TNT |
5360 |
5.1 |
9443 |
|
2 |
NFL REGULAR SEASON L (BILLS/49ERS) |
ESPN |
4938 |
4.7 |
7165 |
|
3 |
NFL REGULAR SEASON L (EAGLES/CHIEFS) |
ESPN |
4045 |
3.8 |
5628 |
|
4 |
WWF ENTERTAINMENT (WWF RAW ZONE) |
TNN |
3836 |
3.6 |
5760 |
|
5 |
WWF ENTERTAINMENT (WWF RAW) |
TNN |
3580 |
3.4 |
5559 |
|
6 |
WIZARD OF OZ(S)-12/01/2001 |
TNT |
3103 |
2.9 |
5589 |
|
7 |
WE ALL DREAM OF OZ(S)-12/01/2001 |
TNT |
2809 |
2.7 |
4844 |
|
8 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
2638 |
2.5 |
3899 |
|
9 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
2602 |
2.5 |
3826 |
|
10 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
2548 |
2.4 |
4078 |
|
11 |
TBS PRIME MOVIE (MOST WANTED) |
TBS |
2508 |
2.4 |
3598 |
|
12 |
HEY ARNOLD |
NICK |
2498 |
2.4 |
3913 |
|
13 |
RUGRATS |
NICK |
2467 |
2.3 |
3582 |
|
14 |
HEY ARNOLD |
NICK |
2454 |
2.3 |
3804 |
|
15 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
2427 |
2.3 |
3589 |
|
PAY CABLE |
|||||
|
House- |
House- holds |
Persons 2+ |
|||
|
# |
PROGRAM NAME |
Net |
(000) |
Rtg % |
(000) |
|
1 |
SEX AND THE CITY(S)-12/02/2001 |
HBO |
2741 |
2.6 |
3716 |
|
2 |
SEX AND THE CITY(S)-12/02/2001 |
HBO |
2692 |
2.6 |
3750 |
|
3 |
FINDING FORRESTER |
HBO |
2253 |
2.1 |
3268 |
|
4 |
SOPRANOS, THE |
HBO |
2209 |
2.1 |
3584 |
|
5 |
BEST OF REAL SEX 97 |
HBO |
1894 |
1.8 |
2321 |
|
*Coverage
area ratings are within each cable network's universe. *Total U.S. ratings and household projections are based on 105.5 million TV homes. *For inclusion in the rankings, telecasts must be promoted as distinct programs and must be of 5 minutes minimum duration. Source: Nielsen Media Research |
|||||
|
SYNDICATION |
||||
|
|
Households |
Households |
||
|
# |
PROGRAM NAME |
Syndicator |
Rtg % | (000) |
|
1 |
WHEEL OF FORTUNE |
KIN |
9.5 |
9974 |
|
2 |
JEOPARDY |
KIN |
8.3 |
8721 |
|
3 |
ESPN NFL REGULAR SEASON |
ESP |
7.9 |
8339 |
|
4 |
FRIENDS-SYN (AT) |
WB |
6.1 |
6418 |
|
4 |
OPRAH WINFREY SHOW (AT) |
KIN |
6.1 |
6385 |
|
6 |
SEINFELD (AT) |
CTS |
6.0 |
6360 |
|
6 |
JUDGE JUDY (AT) |
PRM |
6.0 |
6344 |
|
8 |
SEINFELD-WKND (AT) |
CTS |
5.7 |
6009 |
|
9 |
EVRYBDY LVS RAYMOND-SYN |
KIN |
5.2 |
5501 |
|
10 |
WHEEL OF FORTUNE WKND |
KIN |
5.1 |
5350 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media
Research
|
||||
|
NETWORK
SPORTS |
||||||
|
|
House- |
House- |
Persons 2+ |
|||
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Episode |
(000) |
US Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1 |
FOX NFL SUNDAY- NATIONAL |
FOX |
VARIOUS TEAMS AND TIMES |
14611 |
13.8 |
21471 |
|
2 |
NFL MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL |
ABC |
TAMPA BAY AT ST. LOUIS |
12919 |
12.2 |
17956 |
|
3 |
CBS NFL SINGLE |
CBS |
VARIOUS TEAMS AND TIMES |
9823 |
9.3 |
13558 |
|
4 |
FOX NFL SUNDAY- REGIONAL |
FOX |
VARIOUS TEAMS AND TIMES |
7765 |
7.4 |
10868 |
|
5 |
BIG 12 CHAMP- |
ABC |
COLORADO VS TEXAS |
6721 |
6.4 |
9663 |
|
6 |
HOME DEPOT CLLG FOOTBALL2 |
CBS |
TENN- |
6530 |
6.2 |
9181 |
|
7 |
WORLD ICE CHALLENGE (S)- 11/30/2001 |
CBS |
5572 |
5.3 |
8509 |
|
|
8 |
WWF SMACK- |
UPN |
4471 |
4.2 |
7003 |
|
|
9 |
ABC COLLEGE FTBL GM-EARLY |
ABC |
MIAMI AT VIRGINIA TECH |
4106 |
3.9 |
5171 |
|
10 |
BIG 12 CHAMP- |
ABC |
COLORADO VS TEXAS |
4039 |
3.8 |
6059 |
|
11 |
ABC COLLEGE FTBL GM-LATE |
ABC |
NOTRE DAME AT PURD/OR ST AT OR |
3485 |
3.3 |
4480 |
|
12 |
HOME DEPOT CLLG FOOTBALL1 |
CBS |
ARMY VS NAVY |
3106 |
2.9 |
3799 |
|
13 |
NBA BASKET- |
NBC |
ORLANDO AT WASH- |
2504 |
2.4 |
3246 |
|
14 |
ISU G.P. FIG SKTNG- 12/2(S)- 12/02/2001 |
ABC |
CUP OF RUSSIA |
2476 |
2.3 |
3151 |
|
15 |
NCAA BASKET- |
CBS |
KS AT AZ/BSTN CLG AT MICHGN |
2092 |
2.0 |
2590 |
|
16 |
FATHER/SON GOLF-SUN(S)- 12/02/2001 |
NBC |
2157 |
2.0 |
2803 |
|
|
17 |
SPORTS- |
NBC |
K BROWNING DANCE ICE SKATING |
1959 |
1.9 |
2256 |
|
18 |
SPORTS- |
NBC |
WORLD PRO FIGURE SKTG CHP ENC. |
1930 |
1.8 |
2441 |
|
19 |
FATHER/SON GOLF-SAT(S)- 12/01/2001 |
NBC |
1537 |
1.5 |
1803 |
|
|
Source: Nielsen Media
Research
|
||||||
|
SPANISH-LANGUAGE
TELEVISION |
||||
|
# |
PROGRAM NAME |
Net |
NHTI Rating |
Projection (000) |
|
1 |
AMIGAS Y RIVALES-WED |
UNV |
28.6 |
2918 |
|
2 |
AMIGAS Y RIVALES-TUE |
UNV |
28.2 |
2876 |
|
3 |
AMIGAS Y RIVALES-MON |
UNV |
27.8 |
2840 |
|
4 |
AMIGAS Y RIVALES-THU |
UNV |
27.3 |
2788 |
|
5 |
AMIGAS Y RIVALES-FRI |
UNV |
26.7 |
2727 |
|
6 |
INTRUSA THU |
UNV |
24.5 |
2498 |
|
7 |
INTRUSA WED |
UNV |
24.0 |
2444 |
|
8 |
INTRUSA MON |
UNV |
22.5 |
2290 |
|
9 |
INTRUSA TUE |
UNV |
22.3 |
2271 |
|
10 |
INTRUSA FRI |
UNV |
22.2 |
2266 |
|
10 |
DERECHO DE NACER-WED |
UNV |
22.2 |
2259 |
|
12 |
DERECHO DE NACER-FRI |
UNV |
22.0 |
2248 |
|
13 |
DERECHO DE NACER-MON |
UNV |
21.6 |
2205 |
|
13 |
DERECHO DE NACER-TUE |
UNV |
21.6 |
2205 |
|
15 |
DERECHO DE NACER-THU |
UNV |
21.4 |
2187 |
|
16 |
ECO MODA SUN |
UNV |
19.8 |
2022 |
|
17 |
AQUI Y AHORA-TUE |
UNV |
17.7 |
1810 |
|
18 |
LOS METICHES-THU |
UNV |
17.6 |
1797 |
|
19 |
GR NOCHE VINA MAR 01 12/2(S)-12/02/2001 |
UNV |
17.5 |
1785 |
|
20 |
DON FRANCISCO PRESENTA-WE |
UNV |
17.4 |
1779 |
|
SPANISH LANGUAGE CABLE NETWORKS |
||||
|
# |
PROGRAM NAME |
Net |
NHTI Rating |
Projection (000) |
|
1 |
QUE LOCOS (TUE) |
GALA |
0.9 |
97 |
|
2 |
LUCHA LIBRE |
GALA |
0.8 |
82 |
|
2 |
JUNTOS PERO NO REVUELTOS |
GALA |
0.8 |
80 |
|
2 |
VIDEO MIX: BRIEF |
GALA |
0.8 |
77 |
|
5 |
COMPLICES EN FAMILIA |
GALA |
0.7 |
71 |
|
5 |
BOXEO: EN ESTA ESQ (TH) |
GALA |
0.7 |
68 |
|
Source: Nielsen Hispanic Television Index ratings and projections are based on 10.2 million Hispanic Viewers |
||||
December 12. 2001 © 2001 Media Life
-Kevin Downey is a staff writer for Media Life.
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