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to stump NBC
Sputters to season's end with celeb boxing
By Kevin Downey
It doesn’t seem to matter what gimmick Fox uses, the languishing network just can’t get it together to beat NBC these days.
Fox’s attempt last week included two sure bets: a second version of “Celebrity Boxing” – the original pulled in more than 15 million viewers - and the series finale of “Ally
McBeal.”
But the network still fell more than a half-rating point behind NBC with a 3.6 adult 18-49 rating, despite having three shows in the top 10, including “That 70s Show,” “Ally,” and boxing.
Although the boxing special drew 5 million fewer viewers than the original, the show ranked No. 10 in the 18-49 demo with a 5.1 rating and ranked No. 28 in total viewers with an audience of just under 10.2 million.
Still, NBC was No. 1 for the week in a decisive victory among the 18-49 demographic favored by many advertisers.
In a week that marked both the end of the regular broadcast season and the beginning of the summer doldrums, NBC ranked No. 1 with a 4.1 rating in the demo, thanks in large part to season finales of “Law & Order,” “Frasier” and “West Wing,” all of which ranked among the week’s top-4 programs.
ABC had a 2.9 rating in the 18-49 demo, CBS had a 2.8, UPN had a 2.1 and the WB had a 1.7.
With the summer season officially getting started last Thursday, the week’s top shows provided a glimpse into the broadcast network’s post-season lineup.
Original programming, like NBC’s “Fear Factor,” and newsmagazines will intermingle at the top of the ratings with shows that repeat well, like CBS’s “CSI.”
“CSI” is proving to be a strong post-season show in addition to ending the regular season as the second most-watched program after NBC’s “Friends.” “CSI’s” repeat rating last week was down 37 percent from an original a week earlier, but ranked No. 6 for the week.
In addition to “Fear Factor” and “Celebrity Boxing,” a number of unscripted programs popped up among the week’s highest rated programs.
NBC’s “20 Years of Must See TV,” “Most Outrageous Game Show Moments” and ABC’s “David Blaine’s Vertigo” all ranked among the top-30.
The reunion of “That’s Incredible” failed to draw much attention, though, with a 2.3 rating that put it at No. 62.
Even worse was the NBC special, “America’s Heroes,” which tied at No. 87 with a 0.9 rating.
Sports programs will also do well over the summer.
The NBA playoffs on NBC tied for No. 20 last week and post-race coverage of NASCAR on Fox tied for No. 32.
As the networks ease into the summer months, the starting off point for next fall has already been established with NBC’s dominance of the ratings last season.
Including four days of summer programs, the networks’ final adult 18-49 ratings for the regular season has NBC at more than a one-point advantage over its nearest competitor, due in no small part to the Salt Lake City winter Olympics.
NBC ended the season with a 5.2 rating among adults 18-49. Fox had a 4, CBS had a 3.9 and ABC had a 3.6. Every major network posted declines, compared to last season, except NBC.
UPN had a 1.8 and the WB had a 1.6.
NBC also dominated the season in household ratings and managed to tie CBS for No. 1 last week.
Both networks had a 6.8 rating and 12 share to ABC’s 5.3/10, Fox’s 5/9, UPN’s 2.8/5 and the WB’s 2.6/5.
|
PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY
NETWORK |
|||||||||
|
Households |
People 2+ |
Adults 18-49 |
|||||||
|
Network |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
|
CBS |
6.8 |
7220 |
12 |
3.7 |
10080 |
11 |
2.8 |
3590 |
9 |
|
NBC |
6.8 |
7200 |
12 |
3.8 |
10180 |
11 |
4.1 |
5200 |
13 |
|
ABC |
5.3 |
5590 |
10 |
3.0 |
8050 |
9 |
2.9 |
3650 |
9 |
|
FOX |
5.0 |
5280 |
9 |
3.0 |
7980 |
9 |
3.6 |
4580 |
11 |
|
UPN |
2.8 |
2980 |
5 |
1.7 |
4640 |
5 |
2.1 |
2620 |
6 |
|
WB |
2.6 |
2740 |
5 |
1.4 |
3890 |
4 |
1.7 |
2140 |
5 |
|
PAX |
0.9 |
910 |
2 |
0.4 |
1200 |
1 |
0.3 |
350 |
1 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research
|
|||||||||
|
SEASON-TO-DATE* |
|||||||||
|
Households |
People 2+ |
Adults 18-49 |
|||||||
|
Network |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
|
NBC |
8.8 |
9270 |
14 |
5.0 |
13420 |
13 |
5.2 |
6650 |
14 |
|
CBS |
8.1 |
8520 |
13 |
4.5 |
12230 |
12 |
3.9 |
4920 |
10 |
|
ABC |
6.3 |
6650 |
10 |
3.6 |
9650 |
9 |
3.6 |
4520 |
10 |
|
FOX |
5.7 |
5990 |
9 |
3.4 |
9170 |
9 |
4.0 |
5100 |
11 |
|
UPN |
2.7 |
2820 |
4 |
1.6 |
4290 |
4 |
1.8 |
2340 |
5 |
|
WB |
2.5 |
2610 |
4 |
1.4 |
3770 |
3 |
1.6 |
2040 |
4 |
|
PAX |
0.9 |
940 |
1 |
0.5 |
1280 |
1 |
0.3 |
420 |
1 |
|
* Regular broadcast season
ended May 22, 2002 |
|||||||||
|
NETWORK TV |
||||||||
|
HOUSEHOLDS |
PERSONS 2+ |
|||||||
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Rtg% |
Shr |
(000) |
RK |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1 |
LAW AND ORDER |
NBC |
12.9 |
21 |
13638 |
2 |
7.2 |
19511 |
|
2 |
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND |
CBS |
12.8 |
19 |
13477 |
1 |
7.5 |
20183 |
|
3 |
WEST WING |
NBC |
11.3 |
17 |
11871 |
4 |
6.2 |
16636 |
|
4 |
CSI |
CBS |
11.1 |
19 |
11685 |
4 |
6.2 |
16609 |
|
5 |
BECKER |
CBS |
11.0 |
16 |
11637 |
3 |
6.4 |
17282 |
|
6 |
FRASIER |
NBC |
10.8 |
17 |
11355 |
6 |
6.1 |
16497 |
|
7 |
JAG |
CBS |
9.8 |
16 |
10391 |
7 |
5.2 |
14146 |
|
7 |
JUDGING AMY |
CBS |
9.8 |
16 |
10357 |
7 |
5.2 |
13995 |
|
9 |
CSI-8PM(S) |
CBS |
8.8 |
17 |
9302 |
13 |
4.7 |
12759 |
|
10 |
ACM AWARDS(S) |
CBS |
8.6 |
14 |
9069 |
10 |
4.9 |
13321 |
|
10 |
KING OF QUEENS - SPECIAL(S) |
CBS |
8.6 |
13 |
9044 |
9 |
5.0 |
13465 |
|
12 |
GUARDIAN, THE |
CBS |
8.5 |
13 |
8957 |
14 |
4.5 |
12120 |
|
12 |
NYPD BLUE |
ABC |
8.5 |
13 |
8994 |
12 |
4.8 |
12941 |
|
14 |
48 HOURS MON-SPCL(S) |
CBS |
8.1 |
13 |
8544 |
16 |
4.3 |
11732 |
|
15 |
KING OF QUEENS |
CBS |
8.0 |
13 |
8417 |
14 |
4.5 |
12212 |
|
16 |
DATELINE NBC-TUE |
NBC |
7.9 |
13 |
8341 |
16 |
4.3 |
11572 |
|
17 |
FRASIER-SL(S) |
NBC |
7.8 |
13 |
8281 |
20 |
4.2 |
11318 |
|
17 |
LAW & ORDER-5/26(S) |
NBC |
7.8 |
14 |
8187 |
20 |
4.2 |
11276 |
|
19 |
SCRUBS |
NBC |
7.6 |
12 |
8003 |
16 |
4.3 |
11645 |
|
20 |
60 MINUTES |
CBS |
7.5 |
17 |
7955 |
22 |
4.1 |
11125 |
|
20 |
ALLY MCBEAL |
FOX |
7.5 |
11 |
7889 |
16 |
4.3 |
11509 |
|
22 |
MOST OUTRAG GAM SHO MOMNT(S) |
NBC |
7.4 |
13 |
7857 |
23 |
4.0 |
10802 |
|
23 |
FEAR FACTOR |
NBC |
7.3 |
11 |
7690 |
10 |
4.9 |
13223 |
|
23 |
PRIMETIME THURSDAY |
ABC |
7.3 |
13 |
7694 |
25 |
3.8 |
10268 |
|
25 |
FRIENDS |
NBC |
7.2 |
14 |
7645 |
29 |
3.7 |
10103 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
||||||||
|
CABLE TV |
|||||
|
BASIC CABLE |
|||||
|
Households |
Persons 2+ |
||||
|
# |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
3879 |
3.7 |
6321 |
|
2 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
3626 |
3.4 |
5652 |
|
3 |
WWF ENTERTAINMENT |
TNN |
3625 |
3.4 |
4603 |
|
4 |
NBA PLAYOFFS |
TBS |
3450 |
3.3 |
5593 |
|
5 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
3351 |
3.2 |
5265 |
|
6 |
WINSTON CUP RACE |
FX |
3186 |
3.0 |
4245 |
|
7 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
3056 |
2.9 |
4897 |
|
8 |
WWF ENTERTAINMENT |
TNN |
3048 |
2.9 |
4711 |
|
9 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
3032 |
2.9 |
4110 |
|
10 |
NBA PLAYOFFS |
TNT |
2980 |
2.8 |
4075 |
|
11 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
2862 |
2.7 |
3918 |
|
12 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
2852 |
2.7 |
4022 |
|
13 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
2794 |
2.6 |
3823 |
|
14 |
NBA PLAYOFFS |
TBS |
2762 |
2.6 |
3377 |
|
15 |
RUGRATS |
NICK |
2610 |
2.5 |
4116 |
|
PAY CABLE |
|||||
|
Households |
Households |
Persons 2+ |
|||
|
# |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1 |
SIX FEET UNDER |
HBO |
2891 |
2.7 |
4294 |
|
2 |
SOPRANOS |
HBO |
2519 |
2.4 |
3598 |
|
3 |
HBO BAD: GATTI VS. WARD(S)-05/18/2002 |
HBO |
2464 |
2.3 |
3516 |
|
4 |
HBO BAD: GATTI VS. WARD(S) |
HBO |
2281 |
2.2 |
3404 |
|
5 |
HBO BAD: GATTI VS. WARD(S) |
HBO |
1869 |
1.8 |
2496 |
|
Total U.S. ratings and
household projections are based on 105.5 million TV homes. |
|||||
|
SPANISH-LANGUAGE TELEVISION |
||||
|
NHTI* |
Projection |
|||
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1 |
SALOME WED |
UNI |
27.4 |
2791 |
|
2 |
SALOME THU |
UNI |
26.3 |
2678 |
|
3 |
SALOME TUE |
UNI |
24.6 |
2511 |
|
3 |
PRIVILEGIO DE AMAR-MON |
UNI |
24.6 |
2508 |
|
5 |
PRIVILEGIO DE AMAR-WED |
UNI |
24.0 |
2448 |
|
6 |
SALOME MON |
UNI |
23.9 |
2437 |
|
7 |
PRIVILEGIO DE AMAR-THU |
UNI |
23.4 |
2388 |
|
8 |
SALOME FRI |
UNI |
22.3 |
2279 |
|
9 |
PRIVILEGIO DE AMAR-TUE |
UNI |
21.0 |
2138 |
|
10 |
DON FRANCISCO PRESENTA-WE |
UNI |
20.9 |
2128 |
|
11 |
INTRUSA MON |
UNI |
20.8 |
2126 |
|
11 |
PRIVILEGIO DE AMAR-FRI |
UNI |
20.8 |
2126 |
|
13 |
CRISTINA-MON |
UNI |
20.0 |
2043 |
|
14 |
INTRUSA WED |
UNI |
19.7 |
2012 |
|
15 |
INTRUSA THU |
UNI |
18.7 |
1907 |
|
16 |
INTRUSA TUE |
UNI |
17.5 |
1780 |
|
17 |
AQUI Y AHORA-TUE |
UNI |
16.9 |
1727 |
|
18 |
PICA Y SE EXTIENDE THU |
UNI |
16.8 |
1709 |
|
19 |
INTRUSA FRI |
UNI |
14.6 |
1492 |
|
20 |
METICHES-FRI |
UNI |
13.7 |
1399 |
|
SPANISH LANGUAGE CABLE NETWORKS |
||||
|
NHTI* |
Projection |
|||
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1 |
FURCIO |
GALA |
1.0 |
105 |
|
2 |
EN LA JUGADA |
GALA |
0.8 |
80 |
|
3 |
FUTBOL AFONDO (WED) |
GALA |
0.7 |
74 |
|
3 |
EL CHAVO |
GALA |
0.7 |
73 |
|
3 |
POR USTED |
GALA |
0.7 |
69 |
|
* Nielsen Hispanic Television
Index; ratings based on 10.2 million Hispanic TV homes. |
||||
|
SYNDICATION |
||||
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Syndicator |
Households |
|
|
US Rtg% |
(000) |
|||
|
1 |
WHEEL OF FORTUNE |
KIN |
8.6 |
9091 |
|
2 |
JEOPARDY |
KIN |
7.8 |
8205 |
|
3 |
FRIENDS-SYN (AT) |
WB |
6.8 |
7191 |
|
4 |
SEINFELD (AT) |
CTS |
6.0 |
6320 |
|
5 |
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT(AT) |
PRM |
5.8 |
6087 |
|
5 |
OPRAH WINFREY SHOW (AT) |
KIN |
5.8 |
6071 |
|
7 |
EVRY LVS RAYMOND-SYN (AT) |
KIN |
5.7 |
5981 |
|
8 |
JUDGE JUDY (AT) |
PRM |
5.5 |
5790 |
|
9 |
SEINFELD-WKND (AT) |
CTS |
4.9 |
5140 |
|
10 |
WHEEL OF FORTUNE WKND |
KIN |
4.4 |
4684 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research
|
||||
|
NETWORK
SPORTS |
||||||
|
NETWORK TV |
Households |
Persons 2+ |
||||
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
US Rtg |
Shr |
(000) |
(000) |
|
1 |
PREAKNESS |
NBC |
6.5 |
16 |
6886 |
9208 |
|
2 |
NBA PLAYOFF |
NBC |
6.3 |
13 |
6598 |
9153 |
|
3 |
NBA PLAYOFF-SUN |
NBC |
5.9 |
12 |
6229 |
8667 |
|
4 |
WWF SMACKDOWN! |
UPN |
3.6 |
6 |
3797 |
5810 |
|
5 |
COLONIAL GOLF-SUN( |
CBS |
2.8 |
7 |
2937 |
3699 |
|
6 |
NHL PLAYOFFS |
ABC |
1.9 |
5 |
2034 |
3057 |
|
7 |
COLONIAL GOLF-SAT |
CBS |
1.9 |
5 |
2050 |
2529 |
|
8 |
INDY 500 TIME TRIALS-SUN |
ABC |
1.0 |
3 |
1091 |
1385 |
|
9 |
NBC SPORTS SPECIA |
NBC |
1.0 |
3 |
1088 |
1403 |
|
10 |
NFL EUROPE |
FOX |
0.9 |
2 |
901 |
1119 |
|
11 |
USA SOCCER NAT VS HOLLAND |
ABC |
0.8 |
2 |
872 |
1143 |
|
12 |
INSTINET CLSC |
PAX |
0.1 |
0 |
129 |
158 |
|
13 |
WAL-MART FLW TOUR |
PAX |
0.1 |
0 |
118 |
204 |
|
14 |
WUSA WOMENS SOCCER |
PAX |
0.1 |
0 |
83 |
149 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Researc h |
||||||
May 30, 2002 © 2002 Media Life
-Kevin Downey is a staff writer for Media Life.
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