|
If May sweeps were a football game,
last week would represent warm-ups. Judging by the pre-game stretching, NBC
looks as strong as a national championship team, and Fox looked like the
wily challenger unlikely to pull off the upset.
But even though NBC has surely strengthened its position
since January, when it headed into the February sweeps as an underdog,
it's important to remember that NBC now loses its star player in "The
Apprentice," which ended last week.
And Fox still has its All-American, as in "American
Idol," which could boost it to No. 1 in May. Still, NBC looked pretty
dominating last week.
On the strength of six of the top
10 shows, and eight of the top 13 last week, NBC was No. 1 in adults
18-49. In contrast, Fox was an entire point behind NBC's 4.5 average
because "Idol" was displaced by President Bush's Iraqi war
speech.
The finale of “The Apprentice”
on NBC was easily the most-watched show in 18-49s last week, drawing a
13.6 rating in the demo. It was NBC's top-rated show among 18-49s in 18
months, and the top-rated regularly scheduled entertainment show on any
network this season.
For possibly the first time since
the “Seinfeld” era, a Thursday night show on NBC may have actually
helped boost the ratings of “Friends,” as opposed to the other way
around.
Two pre-Trump repeats of “Friends”
posted 5.9 and 7.6 ratings as fans prepared for “The Apprentice”
finale and the final three episodes of “Friends,” which begin airing
this week.
Even dramas “Law & Order”
and “Crossing Jordan” contributed for NBC last week, both finishing in
the top 10 in 18-49s with 5.2 and 5.1 ratings, respectively.
Fox poses a legitimate threat to
NBC for the upcoming sweeps period with "The Apprentice"
gone.
“American Idol” continues to
perform well—a 9.7 rating for the displaced-by-President Bush's-speech
Wednesday competition and 6.2 rating for the Thursday results show last
week—and ratings will almost certainly rise as the field of “talent”
dwindles.
If it wants to be the last
network standing when the May dust clears, however, Fox will need
stepped-up efforts from its second tier of shows, including “The O.C.,”
“The Simpsons,” “That '70s Show” and newcomer “The Swan.”
CBS has been solid, but a sweeps win in
18-49s would be a huge upset. Last week CBS had four shows in the top 20
in 18-49s, including “CSI” finishing third with a 7.9 rating and “Survivor:
All-Stars” tied for fourth with a 7.6.
|
PRIMETIME
AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked on Households
Week Ending April 18 |
|
Network |
Households |
People 2+ |
Adults 18-49 |
|
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
|
NBC |
7.6 |
8240 |
13 |
4.2 |
11630 |
12 |
4.5 |
5840 |
13 |
|
CBS |
7.1 |
7670 |
12 |
3.9 |
10760 |
11 |
3.1 |
4050 |
9 |
|
FOX |
5.2 |
5690 |
9 |
3.0 |
8280 |
8 |
3.5 |
4520 |
10 |
|
ABC |
4.8 |
5240 |
8 |
2.7 |
7440 |
7 |
2.7 |
3410 |
8 |
|
WB |
2.3 |
2510 |
4 |
1.2 |
3380 |
3 |
1.4 |
1820 |
4 |
|
UPN |
1.9 |
2100 |
3 |
1.0 |
2870 |
3 |
1.1 |
1410 |
3 |
|
PAX |
0.6 |
680 |
1 |
0.3 |
960 |
1 |
0.2 |
270 |
1 |
|
* Each rating point is
equivalent to 1.084 million homes
Source: Nielsen Media Research
|
|
SEASON-TO-DATE
PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked
on Households
Week Ending April 18 |
|
Network |
Households |
People 2+ |
Adults 18-49 |
|
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
|
CBS |
8.5 |
9230 |
14 |
4.8 |
13250 |
13 |
3.9 |
5080 |
11 |
|
NBC |
7.2 |
7820 |
12 |
4.0 |
10920 |
10 |
4.2 |
5440 |
12 |
|
FOX |
6.1 |
6580 |
10 |
3.5 |
9710 |
9 |
4.0 |
5180 |
11 |
|
ABC |
6.0 |
6500 |
10 |
3.3 |
9190 |
9 |
3.3 |
4260 |
9 |
|
WB |
2.4 |
2650 |
4 |
1.3 |
3640 |
3 |
1.5 |
1870 |
4 |
|
UPN |
2.3 |
2530 |
4 |
1.3 |
3460 |
3 |
1.4 |
1820 |
4 |
|
PAX |
0.7 |
720 |
1 |
0.4 |
990 |
1 |
0.2 |
300 |
1 |
|
* Each
rating point is equivalent to 1.084 million homes
Source: Nielsen Media Research
|
|
NETWORK TV
Ranked
on Households
Week Ending April 18 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
HOUSEHOLDS |
PERSONS 2+ |
|
Rtg% |
Shr |
(000) |
# |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1 |
APPRENTICE |
NBC |
17.2 |
27 |
18650 |
1 |
10.2 |
28047 |
|
2 |
CSI |
CBS |
14.8 |
22 |
16003 |
2 |
8.6 |
23791 |
|
3 |
AMER IDOL-WED PERF SHOW(S) |
FOX |
13.9 |
23 |
15041 |
3 |
8.4 |
23100 |
|
4 |
SURVIVOR: ALL-STARS |
CBS |
11.6 |
19 |
12600 |
4 |
7.4 |
20419 |
|
5 |
WITHOUT A TRACE |
CBS |
11.2 |
18 |
12193 |
5 |
6.2 |
17133 |
|
6 |
FRIENDS 4/15(S) |
NBC |
11.0 |
18 |
11973 |
6 |
6.1 |
16840 |
|
7 |
LAW AND ORDER |
NBC |
10.6 |
18 |
11529 |
7 |
5.9 |
16161 |
|
8 |
AMER IDOL-THU RSLT SHOW(S) |
FOX |
9.4 |
16 |
10168 |
8 |
5.6 |
15326 |
|
9 |
LAW AND ORDER:CRIM INTENT |
NBC |
9.1 |
14 |
9834 |
10 |
5.2 |
14251 |
|
10 |
CSI: MIAMI |
CBS |
8.9 |
14 |
9633 |
12 |
4.8 |
13239 |
|
11 |
CROSSING JORDAN |
NBC |
8.8 |
14 |
9548 |
12 |
4.8 |
13309 |
|
12 |
FEAR FACTOR |
NBC |
8.6 |
14 |
9366 |
9 |
5.3 |
14657 |
|
12 |
FRIENDS |
NBC |
8.6 |
15 |
9371 |
11 |
4.9 |
13494 |
|
14 |
COLD CASE |
CBS |
8.3 |
14 |
9013 |
15 |
4.7 |
12928 |
|
15 |
MISS USA 2004(S) |
NBC |
8.2 |
13 |
8934 |
12 |
4.8 |
13098 |
|
16 |
LAW AND ORDER:SVU |
NBC |
7.6 |
13 |
8286 |
16 |
4.1 |
11243 |
|
17 |
60 MINUTES |
CBS |
7.4 |
14 |
8046 |
18 |
4.0 |
11152 |
|
18 |
DATELINE NBC SPECIAL 4/14(S) |
NBC |
7.3 |
11 |
7894 |
20 |
3.8 |
10372 |
|
18 |
TWO AND A HALF MEN |
CBS |
7.3 |
11 |
7951 |
16 |
4.1 |
11250 |
|
18 |
TWO AND A HALF MEN-9PM(S) |
CBS |
7.3 |
11 |
7870 |
18 |
4.0 |
11010 |
|
21 |
BACHELOR, THE |
ABC |
7.0 |
11 |
7568 |
20 |
3.8 |
10467 |
|
21 |
TWO AND A HALF MEN 830PM(S) |
CBS |
7.0 |
11 |
7535 |
23 |
3.7 |
10146 |
|
23 |
EXTREME MAKEOVER-WED |
ABC |
6.7 |
11 |
7302 |
26 |
3.5 |
9589 |
|
23 |
TWO AND A HALF MEN-8PM(S) |
CBS |
6.7 |
11 |
7218 |
24 |
3.6 |
9805 |
|
25 |
COLD CASE SPECIAL(S) |
CBS |
6.6 |
12 |
7131 |
26 |
3.5 |
9634 |
|
25 |
DATELINE FRI |
NBC |
6.6 |
12 |
7162 |
30 |
3.4 |
9326 |
|
25 |
THE OC |
FOX |
6.6 |
10 |
7192 |
20 |
3.8 |
10495 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research
|
|
TOP 30 PROGRAMS
- BROADCAST AND CABLE
Adults
18-49
Week Ending April 18 |
|
Rank |
Program |
Net |
Rtg% |
In Millions |
|
1 |
APPRENTICE |
NBC |
13.6 |
17.51 |
|
2 |
AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY |
FOX |
9.7 |
12.51 |
|
3 |
CSI |
CBS |
7.9 |
10.14 |
|
4 |
FRIENDS 4/15 |
NBC |
7.6 |
9.83 |
|
4 |
SURVIVOR: ALL-STARS |
CBS |
7.6 |
9.74 |
|
6 |
AMERICAN IDOL-THURSDAY |
FOX |
6.2 |
7.99 |
|
7 |
FEAR FACTOR |
NBC |
5.9 |
7.60 |
|
7 |
FRIENDS |
NBC |
5.9 |
7.54 |
|
9 |
LAW AND ORDER |
NBC |
5.2 |
6.75 |
|
10 |
CROSSING JORDAN |
NBC |
5.1 |
6.50 |
|
10 |
WITHOUT A TRACE |
CBS |
5.1 |
6.58 |
|
12 |
MISS USA 2004 |
NBC |
4.9 |
6.34 |
|
13 |
LAW AND ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT |
NBC |
4.8 |
6.20 |
|
14 |
CSI: MIAMI |
CBS |
4.7 |
6.08 |
|
15 |
THE BACHELOR |
ABC |
4.6 |
5.87 |
|
16 |
THE O.C. |
FOX |
4.4 |
5.66 |
|
17 |
THE SIMPSONS |
FOX |
4.3 |
5.56 |
|
17 |
LAW & ORDER: SVU |
NBC |
4.3 |
5.50 |
|
19 |
EXTREME MAKEOVER |
ABC |
4.2 |
5.44 |
|
19 |
THAT 70’S SHOW SPECIAL |
FOX |
4.2 |
5.35 |
|
19 |
THE SIMPSONS 8:30 |
FOX |
4.2 |
5.37 |
|
22 |
DATELINE NBC SPECIAL 4/14 |
NBC |
4.1 |
5.30 |
|
23 |
THE SWAN |
FOX |
3.9 |
5.02 |
|
23 |
TWO AND A HALF MEN |
CBS |
3.9 |
5.01 |
|
23 |
TWO AND A HALF MEN 9:00 PM |
CBS |
3.9 |
4.96 |
|
26 |
EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION |
ABC |
3.7 |
4.82 |
|
27 |
ALIAS |
ABC |
3.5 |
4.49 |
|
28 |
FRASIER |
NBC |
3.3 |
4.24 |
|
29 |
NYPD BLUE |
ABC |
3.2 |
4.16 |
|
29 |
KING OF QUEENS-SPECIAL |
CBS |
3.2 |
4.13 |
|
29 |
TWO AND A HALF MEN 8:30 PM |
CBS |
3.2 |
4.07 |
|
Source: ABC Networks, based on
data from Nielsen Media Research
|
|
CABLE TV
Ranked
on Households
Week Ending April 4 |
|
BASIC CABLE |
|
# |
PROGRAM NAME |
NET |
Households |
Persons 2+ |
|
(000) |
Rtg % |
(000) |
|
1 |
NCAA WOMENS BASKET TOUR L
(CONNECTICUT/TENNESSEE) |
ESPN |
3801 |
3.5 |
5583 |
|
2 |
WWE ENTERTAINMENT(WWE RAW
ZONE) |
SPIKE |
3539 |
3.3 |
4700 |
|
3 |
BAND OF BROTHERS |
HIST |
3163 |
2.9 |
4618 |
|
4 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
3089 |
2.8 |
4147 |
|
5 |
FAIRLY ODD PARENTS |
NICK |
3080 |
2.8 |
3914 |
|
6 |
WWE ENTERTAINMENT (WWE RAW) |
SPIKE |
3059 |
2.8 |
4128 |
|
7 |
FAIRLY ODD PARENTS |
NICK |
3011 |
2.8 |
3902 |
|
8 |
REAL WORLD XIV |
MTV |
2985 |
2.8 |
3881 |
|
9 |
CHAPPELLES SHOW |
CMDY |
2980 |
2.7 |
4431 |
|
10 |
LAW & ORDER |
TNT |
2960 |
2.7 |
3776 |
|
11 |
LAW & ORDER |
TNT |
2921 |
2.7 |
3485 |
|
12 |
SOUTH PARK |
CMDY |
2661 |
2.5 |
3958 |
|
13 |
NCAA WMNS BSKT NAT POST L |
ESPN |
2629 |
2.4 |
3826 |
|
14 |
RW/RR CHALLENGE: INFERNO |
MTV |
2577 |
2.4 |
3237 |
|
15 |
GOLF, PROFESSIONAL LIVE
(MASTERS, THE) |
USA |
2570 |
2.4 |
3070 |
|
PAY CABLE |
|
# |
PROGRAM NAME |
NET |
Households |
Persons 2+ |
|
(000) |
Rtg % |
(000) |
|
1 |
SOPRANOS, THE |
HBO |
6188 |
5.7 |
9927 |
|
2 |
DEADWOOD |
HBO |
3462 |
3.2 |
5403 |
|
3 |
WCB: 4/10/04 (KLITSCHKO VS.
BREWSTER) |
HBO |
2475 |
2.3 |
3573 |
|
4 |
WCB: 4/10/04 (POST) |
HBO |
2197 |
2.0 |
3093 |
|
5 |
WCB: 4/10/04 (PRE 2) |
HBO |
2192 |
2.0 |
3236 |
|
* Each rating point is
equivalent to 108.4 million homes
Source: Nielsen Media Research
|
|
SYNDICATION
Ranked
on Households
Week Ending April 11 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Syndicator |
Households |
|
US Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1 |
WHEEL OF FORTUNE |
KIN |
8.1 |
8818 |
|
2 |
JEOPARDY |
KIN |
6.7 |
7299 |
|
3 |
OPRAH WINFREY SHOW (AT) |
KIN |
5.8 |
6277 |
|
4 |
SEINFELD-WKND (AT) |
SPT |
5.6 |
6113 |
|
4 |
SEINFELD (AT) |
SPT |
5.6 |
6112 |
|
6 |
FRIENDS-SYN (AT) |
WB |
5.4 |
5902 |
|
7 |
EVRY LVS RAYMOND-SYN (AT) |
KIN |
5.0 |
5456 |
|
8 |
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT(AT) |
PRM |
4.7 |
5101 |
|
9 |
WHEEL OF FORTUNE WKND |
KIN |
4.6 |
5018 |
|
9 |
JUDGE JUDY (AT) |
PRM |
4.6 |
4980 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research
|
|
SPANISH-LANGUAGE
TELEVISION
Ranked
on Households
Week Ending April 18 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
NHTI*
Rtg% |
Projection
(000) |
|
1 |
MARIANA DE LA NOCHE TUE |
UNI |
20.5 |
2171 |
|
2 |
MARIANA DE LA NOCHE WED |
UNI |
20.3 |
2147 |
|
3 |
MARIANA DE LA NOCHE MON |
UNI |
20.1 |
2123 |
|
4 |
MARIANA DE LA NOCHE THU |
UNI |
19.2 |
2030 |
|
5 |
DON FRANCISCO PRESENTA-WE |
UNI |
18.3 |
1934 |
|
5 |
MARIANA DE LA NOCHE FRI |
UNI |
18.3 |
1931 |
|
5 |
AMAR OTRA VEZ WED |
UNI |
18.3 |
1930 |
|
8 |
BAJO LA MISMA PIEL TUE |
UNI |
18.0 |
1908 |
|
9 |
BAJO LA MISMA PIEL WED |
UNI |
17.8 |
1886 |
|
10 |
BAJO LA MISMA PIEL THU |
UNI |
17.7 |
1874 |
|
11 |
BAJO LA MISMA PIEL MON |
UNI |
17.4 |
1840 |
|
11 |
AMAR OTRA VEZ TUE |
UNI |
17.4 |
1838 |
|
13 |
AMAR OTRA VEZ MON |
UNI |
17.2 |
1819 |
|
14 |
AMAR OTRA VEZ THU |
UNI |
16.4 |
1734 |
|
15 |
BAJO LA MISMA PIEL FRI |
UNI |
16.2 |
1712 |
|
16 |
AMAR OTRA VEZ FRI |
UNI |
16.0 |
1691 |
|
17 |
SABADO GIGANTE-SAT |
UNI |
15.5 |
1634 |
|
18 |
CRISTINA-MON |
UNI |
15.1 |
1597 |
|
19 |
ESCUELITA VIP FRI |
UNI |
14.1 |
1495 |
|
20 |
CASOS VIDA R: ED. ESP TUE |
UNI |
13.8 |
1459 |
|
* Nielsen Hispanic Television
Index; ratings based on 9.7 million Hispanic TV homes.
Source: Nielsen Media Research
|
|
NETWORK SPORTS
Ranked on
Households
Week Ending April 11 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Episode |
Households |
Persons 2+ |
|
US Rtg% |
Shr |
(000) |
(000) |
|
1 |
CBS NCAA BSKBL CHAMP(S)-4/5 |
CBS |
UCONN
VS GA TECH |
11.0 |
18 |
11892 |
17088 |
|
2 |
MASTERS GOLF
TRN.-SUN(S)-4/11/ |
CBS |
|
7.3 |
19 |
7913 |
11821 |
|
3 |
MASTERS GOLF
TOURN. SAT.
(S)4/10 |
CBS |
|
5.8 |
15 |
6324 |
8119 |
|
4 |
CBS SPORTS
SPEC.-SU |
CBS |
CELEBRATE
LEG:B JONES |
3.8 |
9 |
4098 |
6333 |
|
5 |
NBA ON ABC
SUN 2 |
ABC |
LA AT SACRA |
3.1 |
8 |
3398 |
4726 |
|
6 |
WWE SMCKDWN! |
UPN |
|
3.0 |
5 |
3204 |
4782 |
|
7 |
NBA ON
ABC-SUN 1 |
ABC |
PHIL AT NJ |
1.8 |
5 |
1924 |
2374 |
|
8 |
CBS SPORTS
SPEC-SU1 |
CBS |
QUEST FOR
GRAND SLAM |
1.5 |
5 |
1680 |
2086 |
|
9 |
NHL PLYFFS ON
ABC
SAT 1(S)-04/10 |
ABC |
VAR TEAMS
AND TIMES |
1.4 |
4 |
1477 |
1848 |
|
10 |
NBC SPORTS
SPEC 4/10-B(S) |
NBC |
ROAD TO KTY DERBY |
1.1 |
3 |
1184 |
1537 |
|
11 |
NBC SPORTS
SPECIAL 4/11-A(S) |
NBC |
SI FOR KIDS:
NEXT SNOW SEARCH |
1.1 |
4 |
1242 |
1420 |
|
12 |
NBC SPORTS
SPEC 4/10-A(S) |
NBC |
WORLD ADV
SPORTS |
0.8 |
2 |
823 |
938 |
|
13 |
NBC SPORTS
SPEC. 4/11-B(S) |
NBC |
US OPEN
SNWBRDING |
0.8 |
2 |
868 |
1000 |
|
14 |
NBC ARENA
FOOTBALL |
NBC |
TMPA BAY AT CHI
GA AT AUST |
0.7 |
2 |
755 |
980 |
|
15 |
PURINA DG CHW
DG CHLG |
PAX |
|
0.3 |
1 |
315 |
408 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
|
