MTV aired the season finale of “Real World XIV” last night, and judging by the way the season has been progressing, both in terms of ratings trends and actual entertainment value of the show, the numbers should be up over last season.
   Timing of the San Diego finale could prove key when the final numbers are released. Last night’s finale came during the summer period when TV schedules are most diluted, possibly meaning more of the there’s-nothing-else-on viewers for MTV. 
   Last season’s Paris finale, featuring a dull-for-MTV cast, came during the last week of November, with holiday specials and the NFL season in full gear. The final averaged 1.68 million viewers 18-49 and 1.34 million 18-34s.
   The episodes leading up to last night’s finale attracted more viewers than that.
   In June, “Real World” accounted for four of the top 18 shows among 18-49s on ad-supported cable, the lowest-rated attracting 2.28 million viewers June 8. The best performance for “Real World” during the month was the June 1 episode, which finished sixth for the month in 18-49s while attracting 2.95 million viewers.
   Among 18-34s “Real World” did even better—the show accounted for four of the top six shows on ad-supported cable in June (the other two being the MTV Movie Awards and an NBA playoff game on TNT).
  Its worst performance of the month in the demo also came on June 8, when it averaged 1.86 million 18-34s—but that number is still up 38.9 percent over last season’s finale.
   This season’s finale will also likely surpass the numbers the entertaining “Real World: Las Vegas” received for its capper in April 2003. That finale attracted 2.79 million viewers 18-49 and 2.24 million 18-34s.
   Those numbers are lower than “Real World: San Diego’s” best performance June 1—2.95 million 18-49s and 2.26 million 18-34s—and the finale’s numbers will almost certainly be higher.
   In other cable ratings, Comedy Central shattered some network records on Sunday, and it has Redneck Weekend to thank.
   Due mostly to new stand-up comedy specials by veterans of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, Comedy Central set new total viewer marks in total day and primetime, including a 32 percent increase in total-day viewers over the previous all-time record.
   Overall, Comedy Central averaged 2.8 million total viewers in primetime and 1.5 million for the day.
   The three specials that helped set the records were “Ron White: They Call Me Tater Salad,” “Larry the Cable Guy: Git-R-Done,” and “Jeff Foxworthy: Totally Committed.” 

- Diego Vasquez is a staff writer for Media Life.

Printer Friendly Version  |  Send to a Friend
Cover Page | Contact Us

Click here to add the Media Life home page to your favorites