|
Critics panned the holy heck out of
NBC's cheeseball miniseries "10.5" last weekend, warning viewers
of cardboard characters, ridiculous plot twists and soap opera cliches.
Said Media Life's Dan Jewel, in a review typical of
"10.5's" reception, " '10.5' dwells, instead,
on a series of hackneyed subplots involving various strained
relationships. It winds up as a four-hour episode of 'General Hospital'
punctuated by the shakes."
Viewers either didn't read such reviews or didn't care. The
special delivered NBC's best movie ratings in years and gave it an
unexpectedly strong start to the May sweeps.
In fact, although it's still
early, "10.5" may have locked up a May sweeps win among adults
18-49 for NBC, with the finales of “Frasier” and “Friends” yet
to come.
Part one of “10.5”
posted an 8.1 rating in 18-49s on Sunday night, making it the most watched
movie or miniseries on any network in more than two years. Not since “Rose
Red, Part Two” on ABC and “9/11” on CBS, both in early 2002, has a
movie or miniseries telecast done so well.
And for NBC, it was the highest
rated miniseries since part two of “Noah’s Ark” way back in May of 1999.
The impressive numbers for
“10.5” were probably higher than even NBC expected with all those
horrid reviews. The 8.0 in 18-49s
nearly doubled the 4.4 it has averaged so far this primetime season. And the rating
more than doubled its closest head to head competition Sunday, a 3.8 average
rating for ABC.
The disaster drama, starring Beau
Bridges as President Hollister along with Kim Delaney, Fred Ward and Ivan
Sergei, averaged 20.4 million total viewers, 75 percent better than CBS averaged with
the competing “Book of Ruth.”
Regularly NBC doesn’t even have
a big gun on Sunday, outside of “Crossing Jordan,” which has
done surprisingly well. But maybe it's not surprising NBC has finished
first or tied for first six of the last nine Sundays in 18-49s,
considering what shows up on the other networks.
Fox’s Sunday comedy lineup
usually skews toward a slightly younger audience, while CBS’s movies
skew older. That leaves ABC as NBC’s main competition in
18-49s on Sunday nights. And although Sunday nights are one of ABC’s
strongest in the demo as of late, having done well with a member of the
fading home-improvement genre, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” last
week that wasn't enough.
The second half of
“10.5” also did well, according to Nielsen’s fast affiliate-based
ratings, although not as well as part one. Monday night’s version
averaged a 7.7 rating in 18-49s, the most watched show that night.
|
PRIMETIME
AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked on Households
Week Ending May 2
|
|
Network |
Households |
People 2+ |
Adults 18-49 |
|
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
|
CBS |
7.9 |
8580 |
13 |
4.3 |
11830 |
12 |
3.3 |
4220 |
9 |
|
NBC |
7.9 |
8540 |
13 |
4.4 |
12100 |
12 |
4.8 |
6130 |
14 |
|
FOX |
5.6 |
6060 |
9 |
3.2 |
8900 |
9 |
3.9 |
5030 |
11 |
|
ABC |
5.2 |
5600 |
9 |
2.9 |
7910 |
8 |
3.0 |
3920 |
9 |
|
WB |
2.5 |
2720 |
4 |
1.4 |
3730 |
4 |
1.6 |
2000 |
4 |
|
UPN |
1.9 |
2080 |
3 |
1.0 |
2740 |
3 |
1.1 |
1400 |
3 |
|
PAX |
0.7 |
710 |
1 |
0.3 |
950 |
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 May 2
|
|
Network |
Households |
People 2+ |
Adults 18-49 |
|
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
|
CBS |
8.5 |
9190 |
14 |
4.8 |
13160 |
12 |
3.9 |
5020 |
11 |
|
NBC |
7.2 |
7840 |
12 |
4.0 |
10960 |
10 |
4.2 |
5460 |
12 |
|
FOX |
6.0 |
6540 |
10 |
3.5 |
9660 |
9 |
4.0 |
5160 |
11 |
|
ABC |
5.9 |
6430 |
10 |
3.3 |
9090 |
9 |
3.3 |
4220 |
9 |
|
WB |
2.4 |
2650 |
4 |
1.3 |
3640 |
3 |
1.5 |
1880 |
4 |
|
UPN |
2.3 |
2510 |
4 |
1.2 |
3410 |
3 |
1.4 |
1800 |
4 |
|
PAX |
0.7 |
710 |
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 25
|
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
HOUSEHOLDS |
PERSONS 2+ |
|
Rtg% |
Shr |
(000) |
# |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1 |
FRIENDS |
NBC |
14.4 |
24 |
15584 |
2 |
8.2 |
22640 |
|
2 |
AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY |
FOX |
14.0 |
23 |
15185 |
1 |
8.5 |
23405 |
|
3 |
CSI: MIAMI |
CBS |
13.9 |
23 |
15080 |
5 |
7.6 |
21023 |
|
4 |
CSI |
CBS |
13.2 |
21 |
14269 |
3 |
7.7 |
21123 |
|
5 |
E.R. |
NBC |
13.0 |
21 |
14103 |
8 |
7.2 |
19846 |
|
5 |
FRIENDS 4/22(S) |
NBC |
13.0 |
21 |
14056 |
7 |
7.4 |
20328 |
|
7 |
AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY |
FOX |
12.6 |
20 |
13659 |
3 |
7.7 |
21227 |
|
8 |
SURVIVOR: ALL-STARS |
CBS |
12.1 |
20 |
13129 |
5 |
7.6 |
20990 |
|
9 |
LAW AND ORDER |
NBC |
11.4 |
19 |
12406 |
9 |
6.2 |
17208 |
|
10 |
WILL & GRACE |
NBC |
10.8 |
17 |
11721 |
10 |
5.9 |
16362 |
|
11 |
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND |
CBS |
10.4 |
16 |
11304 |
11 |
5.8 |
16080 |
|
12 |
CBS SUNDAY MOVIE |
CBS |
10.2 |
16 |
11049 |
12 |
5.6 |
15350 |
|
13 |
COLD CASE |
CBS |
9.6 |
16 |
10448 |
13 |
5.4 |
14829 |
|
13 |
TWO AND A HALF MEN |
CBS |
9.6 |
14 |
10411 |
14 |
5.3 |
14581 |
|
15 |
WITHOUT A TRACE |
CBS |
9.5 |
16 |
10262 |
15 |
5.0 |
13799 |
|
16 |
SCRUBS 4/22(S) |
NBC |
9.0 |
14 |
9710 |
16 |
4.9 |
13559 |
|
17 |
LAW AND ORDER:SVU |
NBC |
8.8 |
14 |
9535 |
17 |
4.7 |
12825 |
|
18 |
BACHELOR, THE |
ABC |
8.2 |
13 |
8850 |
20 |
4.3 |
11946 |
|
19 |
LAW AND ORDER:CRIM INTENT |
NBC |
8.1 |
12 |
8790 |
18 |
4.4 |
12117 |
|
20 |
DATELINE FRI |
NBC |
8.0 |
15 |
8711 |
21 |
4.1 |
11204 |
|
21 |
60 MINUTES |
CBS |
7.8 |
15 |
8476 |
21 |
4.1 |
11172 |
|
22 |
CROSSING JORDAN |
NBC |
7.7 |
12 |
8337 |
21 |
4.1 |
11275 |
|
23 |
FRASIER |
NBC |
7.5 |
12 |
8176 |
26 |
3.9 |
10765 |
|
24 |
WEST WING |
NBC |
7.2 |
11 |
7766 |
24 |
4.0 |
11105 |
|
25 |
48 HOURS INVESTIGATES |
CBS |
6.9 |
11 |
7497 |
39 |
3.4 |
9263 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research
|
|
TOP 30
PROGRAMS - BROADCAST AND CABLE
Adults 18-49
Week Ending May 2
|
|
Rank |
Program |
Net |
Rtg% |
In Millions |
|
1 |
FRIENDS |
NBC |
11.2 |
14.39 |
|
2 |
E.R |
NBC |
10.5 |
13.58 |
|
3 |
AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY |
FOX |
10.4 |
13.42 |
|
4 |
WILL & GRACE |
NBC |
10.0 |
12.86 |
|
5 |
AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY |
FOX |
9.3 |
11.95 |
|
5 |
CSI |
CBS |
9.3 |
11.92 |
|
7 |
FRIENDS 8:30 |
NBC |
9.0 |
11.64 |
|
8 |
NBC MOVIE “10.5” |
NBC |
8.1 |
10.46 |
|
9 |
SURVIVOR: ALL-STARS |
CBS |
7.5 |
9.62 |
|
10 |
LAW & ORDER |
NBC |
5.7 |
7.39 |
|
11 |
FEAR FACTOR |
NBC |
5.6 |
7.18 |
|
12 |
WITHOUT A TRACE |
CBS |
5.5 |
7.02 |
|
13 |
EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION |
ABC |
5.4 |
6.98 |
|
14 |
LAW & ORDER: SVU |
NBC |
5.2 |
6.65 |
|
15 |
THE BACHELOR |
ABC |
5.0 |
6.43 |
|
15 |
24 |
FOX |
5.0 |
6.40 |
|
17 |
EXTREME MAKEOVER – WEDNESDAY |
ABC |
4.9 |
6.34 |
|
18 |
THE SIMPSONS – SUNDAY 8:30 |
FOX |
4.8 |
6.13 |
|
19 |
THE O.C. |
FOX |
4.7 |
6.10 |
|
19 |
THAT 70’S SHOW |
FOX |
4.7 |
6.06 |
|
19 |
CSI: MIAMI |
CBS |
4.7 |
6.11 |
|
22 |
THE SIMPSONS |
FOX |
4.6 |
5.91 |
|
23 |
LAS VEGAS |
NBC |
4.5 |
5.84 |
|
23 |
FRASIER |
NBC |
4.5 |
5.83 |
|
25 |
THE SWAN |
FOX |
4.3 |
5.53 |
|
25 |
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND |
CBS |
4.3 |
5.50 |
|
27 |
SCRUBS |
NBC |
4.1 |
5.27 |
|
28 |
TWO AND A HALF MEN |
CBS |
3.9 |
5.08 |
|
29 |
WEST WING |
NBC |
3.8 |
4.85 |
|
30 |
NYPD BLUE |
ABC |
3.7 |
4.72 |
|
30 |
ALIAS |
ABC |
3.7 |
4.82 |
|
Source: ABC Networks, based on
data from Nielsen Media Research
|
|
CABLE TV
Ranked on Households
Week Ending May 2
|
|
BASIC CABLE |
|
# |
PROGRAM NAME |
NET |
Households |
Persons 2+ |
|
(000) |
Rtg % |
(000) |
|
1 |
WWE ENTERTAINMENT (WWE RAW
ZONE) |
SPIKE |
3584 |
3.3 |
5109 |
|
2 |
WWE ENTERTAINMENT (WWE RAW) |
SPIKE |
3469 |
3.2 |
5053 |
|
3 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
3431 |
3.2 |
4534 |
|
4 |
FAIRLY ODD PARENTS |
NICK |
3254 |
3.0 |
4383 |
|
5 |
NBA PLAYOFFS (ROCKETS/LAKERS) |
TNT |
3153 |
2.9 |
3963 |
|
6 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
3002 |
2.8 |
3907 |
|
7 |
REAL WORLD XIV |
MTV |
2970 |
2.7 |
3720 |
|
8 |
FAIRLY ODD PARENTS |
NICK |
2819 |
2.6 |
3617 |
|
9 |
NBA PLAYOFFS (KINGS/MAVERICKS) |
TNT |
2809 |
2.6 |
3481 |
|
10 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
2796 |
2.6 |
3355 |
|
11 |
FAIRLY ODD PARENTS |
NICK |
2789 |
2.6 |
4088 |
|
12 |
PUNKD |
MTV |
2725 |
2.5 |
3599 |
|
13 |
FAIRLY ODD PARENTS |
NICK |
2722 |
2.5 |
3530 |
|
14 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
2719 |
2.5 |
3618 |
|
15 |
JIMMY NEUTRON |
NICK |
2717 |
2.5 |
3613 |
|
PAY CABLE |
|
# |
PROGRAM NAME |
NET |
Households |
Persons 2+ |
|
(000) |
Rtg % |
(000) |
|
1 |
SOPRANOS, THE |
HBO |
5870 |
5.4 |
8959 |
|
2 |
DEADWOOD |
HBO |
2917 |
2.7 |
4291 |
|
3 |
MATRIX RELOADED, THE |
HBO |
1827 |
1.7 |
2680 |
|
4 |
REAL SEX XTRA: SIZE MATTE |
HBO |
1102 |
1.0 |
1362 |
|
5 |
SIX FEET UNDER |
HBO |
931 |
0.9 |
1393 |
|
* Each rating point is
equivalent to 108.4 million homes
Source: Nielsen Media Research
|
|
SYNDICATION
Ranked on Households
Week Ending April 25
|
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Syndicator |
Households |
|
US Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1 |
WHEEL OF FORTUNE |
KIN |
8.2 |
8928 |
|
2 |
JEOPARDY |
KIN |
7.0 |
7624 |
|
3 |
OPRAH WINFREY SHOW (AT) |
KIN |
6.6 |
7106 |
|
4 |
SEINFELD-WKND (AT) |
SPT |
6.0 |
6499 |
|
5 |
SEINFELD (AT) |
SPT |
5.9 |
6437 |
|
6 |
FRIENDS-SYN (AT) |
WB |
5.5 |
5937 |
|
7 |
EVRY LVS RAYMOND-SYN (AT) |
KIN |
5.3 |
5789 |
|
8 |
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT(AT) |
PRM |
5.2 |
5614 |
|
9 |
DR. PHIL SHOW |
KIN |
5.1 |
5509 |
|
10 |
JUDGE JUDY (AT) |
PRM |
4.8 |
5197 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research
|
|
SPANISH-LANGUAGE
TELEVISION
Ranked on Households
Week Ending May 2
|
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
NHTI |
(000) |
|
1 |
MARIANA DE LA NOCHE TUE |
UNI |
20.9 |
2212 |
|
2 |
BAJO LA MISMA PIEL WED |
UNI |
20.7 |
2187 |
|
3 |
MARIANA DE LA NOCHE MON |
UNI |
20.4 |
2159 |
|
4 |
MARIANA DE LA NOCHE WED |
UNI |
19.8 |
2096 |
|
5 |
BAJO LA MISMA PIEL TUE |
UNI |
19.5 |
2056 |
|
6 |
MARIANA DE LA NOCHE FRI |
UNI |
19.4 |
2053 |
|
6 |
BAJO LA MISMA PIEL MON |
UNI |
19.4 |
2049 |
|
8 |
DON FRANCISCO PRESENTA-WE |
UNI |
19.1 |
2019 |
|
9 |
BAJO LA MISMA PIEL FRI |
UNI |
18.9 |
1999 |
|
10 |
AMAR OTRA VEZ TUE |
UNI |
18.8 |
1985 |
|
11 |
MARIANA DE LA NOCHE THU |
UNI |
18.4 |
1942 |
|
12 |
AMAR OTRA VEZ WED |
UNI |
18.2 |
1923 |
|
13 |
AMAR OTRA VEZ MON |
UNI |
18.1 |
1913 |
|
14 |
BAJO LA MISMA PIEL THU |
UNI |
17.8 |
1887 |
|
15 |
AMAR OTRA VEZ THU |
UNI |
17.5 |
1848 |
|
16 |
AQUI Y AHORA-THU |
UNI |
17.2 |
1814 |
|
17 |
CRISTINA-MON |
UNI |
16.8 |
1775 |
|
17 |
AMAR OTRA VEZ FRI |
UNI |
16.8 |
1775 |
|
19 |
CASOS VIDA R: ED. ESP TUE |
UNI |
15.1 |
1599 |
|
20 |
HORA PICO...REVENTON
5/2(S)-05/02/2004 |
UNI |
14.5 |
1537 |
|
* 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 25 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Episode |
Households |
Persons 2+ |
|
US Rtg% |
Shr |
(000) |
(000) |
|
1 |
FOX NASCAR NEXTEL CUP |
FOX |
AARON'S 499 - TALLADEGA |
6.3 |
15 |
6789 |
10144 |
|
2 |
NBA PLAYOFFS ON ABC-SUN 1 |
ABC |
LA LAKERS AT HOUSTON |
4.8 |
11 |
5179 |
7006 |
|
3 |
WWE SMACKDOWN! |
UPN |
|
3.1 |
5 |
3335 |
4703 |
|
4 |
FOX NASCAR BUSCH SERIES |
FOX |
AARON'S 312 - TALLADEGA |
2.1 |
6 |
2235 |
2815 |
|
5 |
SHELL HOUSTON OPN-SU-RAIN(S)-04/25/2004 |
CBS |
|
1.5 |
4 |
1673 |
2126 |
|
6 |
NBC SPORTS SPECIAL
4/24-B(S)-04/24/2004 |
NBC |
PENN RELAYS TRACK |
1.5 |
4 |
1673 |
2015 |
|
7 |
NHL PLAYOFFS ON ABC-SAT
3(S)-04/24/2004 |
ABC |
CALGY AT DETRT/COL AT SAN JOSE |
1.3 |
4 |
1378 |
1869 |
|
8 |
SHELL HSTN-SA-PART'L RAIN(S)-04/24/2004 |
CBS |
|
1.3 |
4 |
1385 |
1774 |
|
9 |
NBC SPORTS SPECIAL
4/24-A(S)-04/24/2004 |
NBC |
BOXING |
1.1 |
3 |
1220 |
1472 |
|
10 |
LIBERTY LEGEND GOLF-SUN(S)-04/25/2004 |
ABC |
|
1.0 |
3 |
1038 |
1263 |
|
11 |
NBC ARENA FOOTBALL
12P(S)-04/25/2004 |
NBC |
DALLAS AT ORLND/SAN JOSE AT GA |
1.0 |
3 |
1032 |
1260 |
|
12 |
LIBERTY LEGEND GOLF-SAT(S)-04/24/2004 |
ABC |
|
0.8 |
2 |
828 |
1092 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
|
