Strong opener for syndicated talk shows

Ratings for day one of Katie Couric's new daytime talk show, "Katie," were very strong, but even before her bow the new syndicated season was off to a strong start.

The “Steve Harvey Show” and the revamped “Live! with Kelly and Michael” both did very well the week ended Sept. 9.

“Harvey” ended its premiere week with a series high, averaging a 1.6 household rating on Friday, according to Nielsen metered markets. That was up 60 percent over last year’s timeslot average and increased its lead-in’s average by a third.

It was up from a 1.5 for last Tuesday’s debut.

Harvey continued to draw very good numbers among women, the key daytime demographic. On Friday he averaged a 1.1 in women 25-54 and a 0.9 in women 18-49, bettering his lead-in by at least 80 percent in both demos.

Meanwhile, veteran syndie show “Live!,” which named Michael Strahan the replacement for Regis Philbin last Tuesday, scored its best premiere week since 2007.

The show averaged a 3.3 household rating, up 14 percent from last year, and saw big gains among the female demos.

The show was up 50 percent among women 18-34 and 27 percent in women 18-49 and 25-54.

The competition gott tougher this week, though, with "Katie" making its debut, in addition to the return of top veteran programs like “Dr. Oz,” “Dr. Phil” and “Ellen.”

Also debuting yesterday were new shows from Ricki Lake and Jeff Probst, which drew lower numbers than "Katie."

Couric’s show, where singer Jessica Simpson appeared yesterday to debut her post-baby weight loss, scored the best debut for any talk show in 10 years.
 

Tags: debut, demos, live with kelly, live with kelly and michael, new shows, premiere, premiere week, steve harvey, steve harvey show, syndicated talk show ratings, syndicated talk shows, syndication, talk show, talk shows, timeslot