|
|
ABC a sip of victory
But just a sip and no relief in a parched season
By Kevin Downey
ABC ranked No. 1 last week, but as victories go it was but a brief flicker and one that only serves to reveal the depth of its problems.
The network didn’t beat out its rivals with regularly scheduled programs of the sort that promise more damage to the competition in coming weeks.
Instead, it did it with three nights of football bowl games.
The Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, and the Rose Bowl--the week’s second-most-watched show with 21.6 million viewers--beat mostly repeats on three of the most contested nights of the week, Tuesday through Thursday.
All three games were in the top-20 among adults 18-49, giving ABC only its second win in the demo this season with a 4.6 rating, which is about 18 percent above what it’s been averaging.
NBC had a 4.0, Fox had a 3.6, and CBS had a 3.4. UPN had a 1.6 and the WB had a 1.2.
More problematic for ABC is that its "Monday Night Football" concluded its season the other day and will be replaced with movies until "The Court," a drama starring Sally Field, debuts in a couple of months.
That means its highest-rated show is gone and the network will be left with few hits, a lot of aging shows, two hours of the nearly-forgotten "Millionaire," and tired retreads, like "America’s Funniest Home Videos."
In other words, the 2001-2002 season for ABC is a wash.
Through the first 15 weeks of the season, ABC is tied with CBS for last place among the Big Four networks in the adult 18-49 demographic that many advertisers favor.
NBC is in the lead with a 4.6, while Fox has a 4.0. CBS and ABC have a 3.9. UPN has a 2.0 to the WB’s 1.6.
ABC’s poor showing makes this week’s resignation of 22-year ABC executive, Stu Bloomberg, less of a surprise than the realization of a long-rumored shake-up.
ABC parent company, Walt Disney, has named Susan Lyne president of entertainment at ABC television. She had most recently been in charge of movies and miniseries at the network.
While she inherits a weak programming lineup, she also gets a handful of hits.
Highest among them is "The Practice." ABC’s Sunday night drama is a regular in the top-10 and ranked No. 9 last week with a 5.7, adult 18-49 rating, which almost doubled the rating of NBC’s rookie series, "U.C.: Undercover," in head-to-head competition.
Meanwhile, Dick Clark’s "New Year’s Rockin’ Eve" ranked No. 37 for the week with a 3.6 rating.
And in the unusual holiday week, CBS fell from its usual perch atop the household ratings.
CBS was in third place with a 6.9 rating and 11 share. ABC had an 8.1/13, NBC had a 7.0/12, Fox had a 4.9/8, UPN had a 2.3/4, and the WB had a 1.8/3.
If it hadn't been hidden on its low-rated Saturday schedule, the first-ever "AFI Awards" show could have been a major embarrassment for CBS. Instead, it was simply a dud notable mostly for the long list of movie and television actors who didn’t show up for the event. Its broadcast on CBS ranked No. 70 in the younger demo.
CBS did have some success with its second showing this season of "I Love Lucy’s 50th Anniversary." With 10.7 million viewers, it ranked No. 30 among the week’s most-watched programs. The special had 17.6 million viewers when it premiered two months ago.
And with its finale airing tomorrow, CBS’s "Survivor: Africa" was the week’s third-most-watched show, with 21.3 million viewers. It bettered its average this season by 9 percent. The reality show ranked No. 1 against light competition among adults 18-49.
|
PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK |
|||||||||
|
|
HOUSEHOLDS |
PERSONS 2+ | ADULTS 18-49 | ||||||
|
Net |
Rtg |
(000) |
SHR |
Rtg |
(000) |
SHR |
Rtg |
(000) |
SHR |
| ABC |
8.1 |
8540 |
13 |
4.7 |
12730 |
12 |
4.6 |
5800 |
12 |
| NBC |
7.0 |
7420 |
12 |
3.9 |
10660 |
10 |
4.0 |
5040 |
10 |
| CBS |
6.9 |
7320 |
11 |
3.9 |
10610 |
10 |
3.4 |
4300 |
9 |
| FOX |
4.9 |
5120 |
8 |
3.0 |
8060 |
7 |
3.6 |
4640 |
9 |
| UPN |
2.3 |
2380 |
4 |
1.4 |
3650 |
3 |
1.6 |
2030 |
4 |
| WB |
1.8 |
1940 |
3 |
1.0 |
2820 |
3 |
1.2 |
1580 |
3 |
| PAX |
1.0 |
1010 |
2 |
0.5 |
1440 |
1 |
0.4 |
470 |
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 |
8.2 |
8650 |
13 |
4.6 |
12380 |
12 |
3.9 |
5020 |
11 |
| NBC |
7.9 |
8330 |
13 |
4.4 |
11840 |
11 |
4.6 |
5900 |
12 |
| ABC |
6.9 |
7250 |
11 |
3.9 |
10470 |
10 |
3.9 |
4960 |
11 |
| FOX |
6.1 |
6450 |
10 |
3.5 |
9570 |
9 |
4.0 |
5110 |
11 |
| UPN |
2.8 |
2990 |
5 |
1.7 |
4550 |
4 |
2.0 |
2510 |
5 |
| WB |
2.5 |
2680 |
4 |
1.4 |
3870 |
4 |
1.6 |
2070 |
4 |
| PAX |
0.9 |
960 |
1 |
0.5 |
1300 |
1 |
0.3 |
440 |
1 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
|||||||||
|
NETWORK TV |
||||||||
|
|
|
|
HOUSEHOLDS |
PERSONS 2+ |
||||
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Rtg% |
Shr |
(000) |
# |
Rtg% |
(000) |
| 1 | CBS NFL NATL | CBS |
14.5 |
24 |
15262 |
1 |
8.4 |
22560 |
| 2 | ROSE BOWL (Miami vs. Nebraska) | ABC |
13.8 |
22 |
14548 |
2 |
8.0 |
21559 |
| 3 | CSI | CBS |
13.0 |
19 |
13729 |
4 |
7.8 |
21161 |
| 4 | 60 MINUTES | CBS |
12.0 |
19 |
12642 |
6 |
6.5 |
17640 |
| 5 | SURVIVOR: AFRICA | CBS |
11.9 |
17 |
12511 |
3 |
7.9 |
21309 |
| 6 | LAW AND ORDER:SVU | NBC |
11.7 |
20 |
12313 |
5 |
6.6 |
17715 |
| 7 | ROSE BOWL-PRE | ABC |
11.4 |
18 |
12078 |
6 |
6.5 |
17622 |
| 8 | FRIENDS | NBC |
10.9 |
16 |
11551 |
9 |
6.2 |
16748 |
| 8 | LAW AND ORDER | NBC |
10.9 |
18 |
11490 |
10 |
6.0 |
16215 |
| 10 | FIESTA BOWL-MID POST | ABC |
10.7 |
17 |
11254 |
8 |
6.3 |
16996 |
| 11 | PRACTICE, THE | ABC |
9.9 |
16 |
10487 |
11 |
5.7 |
15398 |
| 12 | ORANGE BOWL (Maryland vs. Florida) | ABC |
9.5 |
15 |
9996 |
12 |
5.2 |
14027 |
| 13 | DATELINE FRI | NBC |
9.4 |
16 |
9871 |
14 |
5.0 |
13394 |
| 14 | JAG - SPCL | CBS |
8.9 |
14 |
9392 |
13 |
5.1 |
13773 |
| 15 | WEST WING | NBC |
8.7 |
13 |
9162 |
17 |
4.7 |
12761 |
| 16 | 60 MINUTES II | CBS |
8.6 |
13 |
9046 |
19 |
4.5 |
12253 |
| 16 | ORANGE BOWL-PRE | ABC |
8.6 |
14 |
9119 |
15 |
4.8 |
12854 |
| 16 | SUGAR BOWL (Illinois vs. LSU) | ABC |
8.6 |
15 |
9084 |
15 |
4.8 |
13058 |
| 19 | PROVIDENCE | NBC |
8.2 |
14 |
8616 |
19 |
4.5 |
12167 |
| 20 | EDUCATION OF MAX BICKFORD | CBS |
8.1 |
12 |
8516 |
24 |
4.3 |
11737 |
| 20 | LAW AND ORDER: CRIM INTENT | NBC |
8.1 |
12 |
8499 |
18 |
4.6 |
12285 |
| 20 | WILL & GRACE | NBC |
8.1 |
12 |
8578 |
21 |
4.4 |
11973 |
| 23 | AGENCY, THE | CBS |
7.7 |
13 |
8106 |
24 |
4.3 |
11671 |
| 24 | E.R. | NBC |
7.6 |
13 |
8044 |
28 |
4.2 |
11224 |
| 25 | DATELINE SUN-7PM | NBC |
7.4 |
12 |
7813 |
36 |
3.8 |
10238 |
| 25 | I LOVE LUCY'S 50TH ANNIV | CBS |
7.4 |
12 |
7816 |
30 |
4.0 |
10675 |
| 25 | JUST SHOOT ME | NBC |
7.4 |
11 |
7828 |
29 |
4.1 |
10952 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
||||||||
|
CABLE TV |
|||||
| BASIC CABLE | |||||
|
House- |
House- holds |
Persons 2+ |
|||
|
# |
PROGRAM NAME |
Net |
(000) |
Rtg % | (000) |
| 1 | NFL REGULAR SEASON L (REDSKINS/SAINTS) | ESPN |
5384 |
5.1 |
7934 |
| 2 | HOLIDAY BOWL L (WASHINGTON/ TEXAS) | ESPN |
4525 |
4.3 |
6570 |
| 3 | ALAMO BOWL L (IOWA/TEXAS TECH) | ESPN |
3241 |
3.1 |
4482 |
| 4 | NFL PRIME TIME L | ESPN |
3229 |
3.1 |
4839 |
| 5 | INDEPENDENCE BOWL L (ALABAMA/IOWA STATE) | ESPN |
3102 |
2.9 |
4058 |
| 6 | WWF ENTERTAINMENT (WWF RAW ZONE) | TNN |
2965 |
2.8 |
4677 |
| 7 | MUSIC CITY BOWL L (BOSTON COLLEGE/GEORGIA) | ESPN |
2781 |
2.6 |
3623 |
| 8 | TBS PRIME MOVIE (BIG JAKE) | TBS |
2773 |
2.6 |
4345 |
| 9 | SUNDAY MOVIE (FALSE ARREST, PART II) | LIF |
2670 |
2.5 |
3383 |
| 10 | WWF ENTERTAINMENT (WWF RAW) | TNN |
2488 |
2.4 |
3970 |
| 11 | MOTOR CITY BOWL L (CINCINNATI/TOLEDO) | ESPN |
2451 |
2.3 |
3192 |
| 12 | SUNDAY MOVIE (MOTHER'S REVENGE,A) | LIF |
2440 |
2.3 |
3423 |
| 13 | SATURDAY MOVIE II (VOWS OF DECEPTION) | LIF |
2400 |
2.3 |
2975 |
| 14 | PRIME MOVIE (HOLIDAY AFFAIR) | LIF |
2266 |
2.1 |
3155 |
| 15 | TBS PRIME MOVIE (FEW GOOD MEN, A) | TBS |
2226 |
2.1 |
3430 |
|
PAY CABLE |
|||||
|
House- |
House- holds |
Persons 2+ |
|||
|
# |
PROGRAM NAME |
Net |
(000) |
Rtg % |
(000) |
| 1 | SEX AND THE CITY(S)-12/30/2001 | HBO |
2540 |
2.4 |
3434 |
| 2 | SEX AND THE CITY(S)-12/30/2001 | HBO |
2250 |
2.1 |
3150 |
| 3 | BEDAZZLED | HBO |
2070 |
2.0 |
3145 |
| 4 | SHOCK VIDEO 2002 (AU) | HBO |
2054 |
1.9 |
2572 |
| 5 | SOPRANOS, THE | HBO |
1777 |
1.7 |
2814 |
|
Total U.S. ratings and household
projections are based on 105.5 million TV homes. Source: Nielsen Media Research |
|||||
|
SYNDICATION |
||||
|
|
Households |
Households |
||
|
# |
PROGRAM NAME |
Syndicator |
Rtg % | (000) |
| 1 | WHEEL OF FORTUNE | KIN |
9.9 |
10494 |
| 2 | JEOPARDY | KIN |
8.2 |
8623 |
| 3 | FRIENDS-SYN (AT) | WB |
6.9 |
7287 |
| 4 | SEINFELD (AT) | CTS |
6.5 |
6872 |
| 5 | ESPN NFL REGULAR SEASON | ESP |
6.0 |
6317 |
| 6 | EVRYBDY LVS RAYMOND-SYN | KIN |
5.8 |
6147 |
| 6 | JUDGE JUDY (AT) | PRM |
5.8 |
6142 |
| 8 | ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT(AT) | PRM |
5.6 |
5930 |
| 9 | OPRAH WINFREY SHOW (AT) | KIN |
5.3 |
5584 |
| 10 | SEINFELD-WKND (AT) | CTS |
4.2 |
4432 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
||||
|
NETWORK
SPORTS |
||||||
|
|
House- |
House- |
Persons 2+ |
|||
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Episode |
(000) |
US Rtg% |
(000) |
| 1 | CBS NFL NATIONAL | CBS | VARIOUS TEAMS AND TIMES |
12.6 |
13245 |
19170 |
| 2 | FOX NFL SUNDAY-SINGLE | FOX | VARIOUS TEAMS AND TIMES |
12.3 |
12995 |
19524 |
| 3 | CBS NFL REGIONAL | CBS | VARIOUS TEAMS AND TIMES |
8.8 |
9248 |
13249 |
| 4 | NFL MNF(HOL BASH)(S)- 12/29/2001 | ABC | BALTIMORE AT TAMPA BAY |
8.6 |
9085 |
13685 |
| 5 | LAS VEGAS BOWL(S)- 12/25/2001 | ABC | UTAH VS USC |
4.7 |
4917 |
7751 |
| 6 | WWF SMACKDOWN! | UPN |
3.9 |
4151 |
6702 |
|
| 7 | NBA BASKETBALL SPL GM2(S)- 12/25/2001 | NBC | PHILA. AT LOS ANGELES |
3.7 |
3932 |
5936 |
| 8 | KELLY BLUE-GRAY FOOTBALL(S)- 12/25/2001 | ABC |
3.3 |
3458 |
5073 |
|
| 9 | NBA BASKETBALL SPL GM1(S)- 12/25/2001 | NBC | TORONTO AT NEW YORK |
2.7 |
2884 |
4077 |
| 10 | ABC WWOS 40TH ANNIV. SPEC(S)- 12/29/2001 | ABC |
2.6 |
2770 |
4219 |
|
| 11 | EMC SKILLS CHALLENGE- SAT(S)- 12/29/2001 | NBC |
2.6 |
2787 |
3675 |
|
| 12 | NCAA BASKETBALL- SAT-2 | CBS | GRGTWN AT UCLA \/LVILLE AT KNTKY |
2.3 |
2437 |
3465 |
| 13 | EMC SKILLS CHALLENGE- SUN(S)- 12/30/2001 | NBC |
2.3 |
2414 |
3238 |
|
| 14 | ABC NCAA BASKETBALL- SAT. | ABC | SN DIEGO ST
AT DUKE TX AT UTAH |
1.2 |
1258 |
1715 |
| 15 | NBC SPORTS SPECIAL-(S)- 12/30/2001 | NBC | FRESTYL GRAND NATL - STMBoaT |
1.1 |
1144 |
1483 |
| 16 | CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR-SA | CBS | XTERRA WORLD CHAMP |
1.0 |
1053 |
1235 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
||||||
|
SPANISH-LANGUAGE
TELEVISION |
||||
|
# |
PROGRAM NAME |
Net |
NHTI Rating |
Projection (000) |
|
1 |
AMIGAS Y RIVALES-FRI | UNV |
26.9 |
2739 |
|
2 |
AMIGAS Y RIVALES-THU | UNV |
25.7 |
2625 |
|
3 |
AMIGAS Y RIVALES-WED | UNV |
23.8 |
2432 |
|
4 |
DERECHO DE NACER-FRI | UNV |
23.2 |
2362 |
|
5 |
INTRUSA THU | UNV |
22.6 |
2309 |
|
6 |
INTRUSA WED | UNV |
22.4 |
2288 |
|
7 |
DERECHO DE NACER-THU | UNV |
22.3 |
2276 |
|
8 |
INTRUSA FRI | UNV |
21.9 |
2231 |
|
9 |
DERECHO DE NACER-WED | UNV |
20.2 |
2058 |
|
10 |
CRISTINA EN ANO NUEVO 1/2(S)-01/02/2002 | UNV |
19.4 |
1980 |
|
11 |
SABADO GIGANTE-SAT | UNV |
18.6 |
1902 |
|
12 |
PREMIO LO NUESTRO '01 1/1(S)-01/01/2002 | UNV |
16.5 |
1681 |
|
13 |
DISENADOR AMBOS SEXOS FRI | UNV |
16.4 |
1674 |
|
14 |
LOS METICHES-THU | UNV |
15.4 |
1575 |
|
15 |
CERO EN CONDUCTA-SUN | UNV |
15.1 |
1543 |
|
16 |
MJR...CASOS VIDA REAL SAT | UNV |
14.6 |
1493 |
|
17 |
VER PARA CREER-SUN | UNV |
14.5 |
1481 |
|
18 |
ECO MODA SUN | UNV |
14.4 |
1472 |
|
19 |
HORA PICO-FRI | UNV |
13.9 |
1419 |
|
20 |
NOCHE DE CARNAVAL'01-(S)- 12/31/2001 | UNV |
13.3 |
1352 |
|
SPANISH LANGUAGE CABLE NETWORKS |
||||
|
# |
PROGRAM NAME |
Net |
NHTI Rating |
Projection (000) |
|
1 |
BOXEO: EN ESTA ESQ. (SAT) | GALA |
1.0 |
101 |
|
2 |
QUE LOCOS (WED) | GALA |
0.7 |
73 |
|
2 |
BOXEO: EN ESTA ESQ (TH) | GALA |
0.7 |
72 |
|
2 |
LO MEJOR DE QUE LOCOS (2)(S)-01/01/2002 | GALA |
0.7 |
68 |
|
5 |
EN LA JUGADA | GALA |
0.6 |
58 |
|
5 |
LUCHA LIBRE | GALA |
0.6 |
58 |
|
* Nielsen Hispanic Television
Index NHTI ratings and projections are based on 10.2 million Hispanic TV homes in the U.S. Source: Nielsen Media Research |
||||
January 9, 2002 © 2002 Media Life
-Kevin Downey is a staff writer for Media Life.
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