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In the endless squabbling
between the broadcast and cable industries, the latter consistently
reports every increase in audience share with the zeal of a race
horse announcer barking out the advances of a Seabiscuit or
Secretariat.
There's no disputing those gains.
But the broadcast networks can still claim the ability to deliver far larger audiences, which explains why they continue to
fetch the top ad dollars from advertisers.
One TV show can bring in viewers you would need to be
on hundreds of cable shows to reach.
To affirm this
point, the Television Bureau of Advertising has released its ranking of
the top TV shows of the year through Dec. 18, including regularly
scheduled programs (each ranked only once, by season average)
and specials. A program appears more than once only when it was
telecast at a time other than its regularly scheduled time.
Broadcast takes the top 100 spots in household ratings.
But it also takes the next 100 spots, then the next 5o or so after
that.
Indeed, the No. 1 cable show--the NBA all-star game-- ranked a lowly No.
258, behind such non-luminary network events
as a Katie Couric special on NBC and CBS’s “People’s Choice
Awards.”
Moreover, you have to reach all the way down to No. 773
to get to the No. 10 show of cable's top 10 shows of 2003. Between
258 and 773 there is a great sea of broadcast shows with less than
sterling viewership numbers that nonetheless rank higher than some
of cable's very best-rated shows.
Looking at the list of top shows of 2003, we see that
ABC, the No. 4 network among adults 18-49 last season, finished with
the top four draws of the year based on household ratings: the Super
Bowl, the Super Bowl postgame show, the Academy Awards and the
Fiesta Bowl, college’s national championship game.
Fox had five in the top 11, while CBS didn’t enter
the rankings until No. 12 with the Grammys. NBC’s first appearance
was for a February episode of “Friends” at No. 14.
February’s NBA
all-star game on TNT averaged a 6.65 household rating to lead all
cable programs.
At No. 296 was a “Sunday Night Football” game on ESPN,
but the third-highest-rated cable show didn’t come until No. 408,
TLC’s special “Trading Spaces: $100,000.”
Fox News Channel had five of the cable top 10,
including No. 582 and 646, both Iraqi war specials.
MTV’s only appearance was at 709, seventh overall for
cable, for September’s Video Music Awards.
|
Top 100
Program Rankings
Household Rating
Year to Date, 1/1/03 - 12/18/03 |
|
# |
PROGRAM |
NET |
TOTAL US HOUSEHOLD
RATING |
|
1 |
SUPER BOWL POST GUN |
ABC |
33.14 |
|
2 |
SUPER BOWL POST GAME |
ABC |
23.44 |
|
3 |
ACADEMY AWARDS |
ABC |
20.40 |
|
4 |
FIESTA BOWL |
ABC |
17.23 |
|
5 |
AMERICAN IDOL-WED SPL |
FOX |
17.22 |
|
6 |
FOX MLB ALCS GAME 7 |
FOX |
17.15 |
|
7 |
FOX MLB NLCS GAME 7 |
FOX |
16.94 |
|
8 |
20/20 SPECIAL-2/6 |
ABC |
16.82 |
|
9 |
JOE MILLIONAIRE SPC |
FOX |
16.60 |
|
10 |
AFC/NFC PLAYOFF GM2 |
ABC |
16.03 |
|
11 |
FOX NFC PLAYOFF-SAT |
FOX |
14.82 |
|
12 |
GRAMMY AWARDS |
CBS |
14.67 |
|
13 |
MY BIG FAT GREEK LIFE SPC |
CBS |
14.28 |
|
14 |
FRIENDS 2/6 |
NBC |
13.63 |
|
15 |
AFC/NFC SHOWCASE 2 |
ABC |
13.57 |
|
15 |
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 4 |
FOX |
13.57 |
|
17 |
FOX NFC WILDCARD POST GME |
FOX |
13.47 |
|
18 |
ANDY GRIFFITH SH REUNION |
CBS |
13.46 |
|
19 |
GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS |
NBC |
13.41 |
|
20 |
JOE MILLIONAIRE |
FOX |
13.34 |
|
21 |
FRIENDS 4/24 |
NBC |
13.33 |
|
21 |
CSI |
CBS |
13.33 |
|
23 |
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 5 |
FOX |
13.21 |
|
24 |
AFC CHMP POST GAME ON CBS |
CBS |
13.16 |
|
25 |
SURVIVOR:PRL ISL. FINALE |
CBS |
13.08 |
|
26 |
NFL MON NIGHT FTBL OPENER |
ABC |
12.92 |
|
27 |
CMA AWARDS |
CBS |
12.85 |
|
28 |
FRIENDS 11/20 |
NBC |
12.80 |
|
29 |
AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY |
FOX |
12.62 |
|
30 |
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 2 |
FOX |
12.60 |
|
31 |
OSCAR COUNTDOWN 2003 |
ABC |
12.59 |
|
32 |
CBS NCAA BSKBL CHAMPSHIPS |
CBS |
12.58 |
|
33 |
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 3 |
FOX |
12.52 |
|
34 |
AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY |
FOX |
12.50 |
|
35 |
FRIENDS 2/13 |
NBC |
12.38 |
|
36 |
SURVIVOR:PEARL ISLANDS-S |
CBS |
12.35 |
|
37 |
FRIENDS 5/8 |
NBC |
12.33 |
|
38 |
JOE MILLIONAIRE:AFTERMATH |
FOX |
12.08 |
|
39 |
SURVIVOR: PEARL ISLANDS |
CBS |
12.07 |
|
40 |
FRIENDS 11/6 |
NBC |
12.02 |
|
41 |
FOX MLB LCS: GMS 1&2 |
FOX |
11.98 |
|
42 |
FRIENDS 11/13 |
NBC |
11.94 |
|
43 |
CBS AT 75 |
CBS |
11.91 |
|
44 |
FIESTA BOWL-PRE |
ABC |
11.88 |
|
45 |
SURVIVOR: AMAZON FINALE |
CBS |
11.81 |
|
46 |
TRISTA & RYAN'S WEDDING-3 |
ABC |
11.79 |
|
47 |
FRIENDS 2/20 |
NBC |
11.76 |
|
47 |
EMMY AWARDS |
FOX |
11.76 |
|
49 |
SURVIVOR: AMAZON |
CBS |
11.73 |
|
50 |
FOX MLB ALCS GAME 4 |
FOX |
11.58 |
|
51 |
FRIENDS 5/1 |
NBC |
11.57 |
|
52 |
SURVIVOR:PRL ISL. REUNION |
CBS |
11.55 |
|
53 |
NFL MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL |
ABC |
11.48 |
|
54 |
SIMPSONS SPCL 2 |
FOX |
11.12 |
|
54 |
SURVIVOR:PEARL ISLAND-W |
CBS |
11.12 |
|
56 |
WILL & GRACE CLIP SHOW |
NBC |
11.11 |
|
57 |
BACHELORETTE:MEN TELL ALL |
ABC |
11.10 |
|
58 |
2003 NFL SHOWCASE |
ABC |
11.02 |
|
59 |
CHER:FAREWELL TOUR |
NBC |
10.98 |
|
60 |
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 1 |
FOX |
10.91 |
|
61 |
LAW AND ORDER 5/21-B |
NBC |
10.83 |
|
62 |
BACHELORETTE, THE |
ABC |
10.70 |
|
63 |
AMERICAN IDOL BEST/WORST |
FOX |
10.69 |
|
64 |
FOX WRLD SERIES GM6-POST |
FOX |
10.68 |
|
65 |
PRIMETIME SP ED-11/11 |
ABC |
10.64 |
|
66 |
FRIENDS |
NBC |
10.58 |
|
67 |
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND |
CBS |
10.50 |
|
68 |
LAW & ORDER 4/17 |
NBC |
10.46 |
|
69 |
FRIENDS 3/6-A |
NBC |
10.44 |
|
70 |
LAW AND ORDER |
NBC |
10.27 |
|
71 |
AMERICAN IDOL: FINAL TWO |
FOX |
10.15 |
|
72 |
FOX MLB NLCS GAME 1 |
FOX |
10.13 |
|
73 |
SURVIVOR: AMAZON SPCL |
CBS |
10.12 |
|
74 |
TWO AND A HALF MEN |
CBS |
10.10 |
|
75 |
SURVIVOR: AMAZON REUNION |
CBS |
10.08 |
|
75 |
CSI: MIAMI |
CBS |
10.08 |
|
77 |
CSI - THANKSGIVING |
CBS |
10.02 |
|
78 |
PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS |
CBS |
9.96 |
|
78 |
E.R. |
NBC |
9.96 |
|
80 |
AMERICAN IDOL SPECIAL |
FOX |
9.90 |
|
81 |
PRIMETIME SP EDTN-12/17 |
ABC |
9.85 |
|
82 |
NBC MOVIE OF THE WEEK-SU. |
NBC |
9.83 |
|
83 |
FOX MLB DIV: NL GM 5 |
FOX |
9.78 |
|
84 |
NBC MOVIE OF THE WEEK-MO |
NBC |
9.77 |
|
85 |
ORANGE BOWL |
ABC |
9.74 |
|
86 |
STATE-UNION ANALYSIS-NBC |
NBC |
9.72 |
|
87 |
ABC NEWS SPECIAL-6/8 |
ABC |
9.61 |
|
88 |
BACHELOR SP-5/18, THE |
ABC |
9.59 |
|
89 |
SURVIVOR: AMAZON-SPCL |
CBS |
9.58 |
|
90 |
FOX MLB ALL-STAR GAME |
FOX |
9.51 |
|
91 |
DATELINE SP 2/17M JACKSON |
NBC |
9.50 |
|
92 |
WITHOUT A TRACE |
CBS |
9.44 |
|
93 |
COLD CASE |
CBS |
9.41 |
|
94 |
ABC NEWS SPECIAL-9/16 |
ABC |
9.40 |
|
95 |
FRIENDS-3/6 |
NBC |
9.39 |
|
96 |
PRELUDE TO A CHAMPIONSHIP |
CBS |
9.31 |
|
97 |
FOX MLB NLCS GAME 3 |
FOX |
9.30 |
|
98 |
LAW AND ORDER:CI-10PM |
NBC |
9.27 |
|
99 |
SUGAR BOWL |
ABC |
9.22 |
|
100 |
KATIE AT NIGHT |
NBC |
9.21 |
|
Cable
|
|
258 |
2003 NBA ALLSTAR GAME |
TNT |
6.65 |
|
296 |
NFL REGULAR SEASON |
ESPN |
6.42 |
|
408 |
TRAD SP:100 GRAND |
TLC |
5.61 |
|
582 |
PRES ADDRESS TO NATION |
FOX NC |
4.61 |
|
646 |
SR/IRAQ-MILITARY ACTION |
FOXNC |
4.32 |
|
683 |
MLB DIVISIONAL SERIES |
ESPN |
4.13 |
|
709 |
2003 VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS |
MTV |
4.00 |
|
742 |
PRES ADDRESS/ANALYSIS |
FOXNC |
3.84 |
|
761 |
PRES NEWS CONF/ANALYSIS |
FOXNC |
3.73 |
|
773 |
SR/PUB INFO OFFCR PC-POW |
FOXNC |
3.66 |
| Source:
Nielsen Media Research as supplied by TVB. |
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