|
The series finale of “Friends”
has panic-inclined media people worrying about the end of the sitcom as we know
it. Even with the final episode drawing more than 52 million viewers,
pundits ponder over where those people might turn next to fill the void in
their lives.
But “Survivor: All-Stars” finished it season last week as
well, airing on Sunday night. And for all the hype going into the season
about the final showdown between the top reality show and the top sitcom, “Survivor”
did just okay compared to earlier season finales.
So bury your worries about
sitcoms.
Where, when the pioneer of reality TV appears to be fading, does
the genre stand?
Despite posting the highest adult 18-49 rating for a “Survivor"
finale
since “Marquesas” in May 2002, the reunion special (where
Amber was proposed to by Boston Rob and then crowned champion) finished a
mere fifth among households for the week. That served only to worsen CBS's
position against NBC in the May sweeps.
NBC averaged a 9.5 in households last week to CBS’s 8.4
while holding its usual lead in 18-49s (6.1 to 4.3). During the
same week a year ago, CBS posted an 8.7 average household rating to NBC’s
7.5, though NBC still led in 18-49s (NBC posted a 4.3 18-49 average to CBS’s
4.1).
The finale of “Survivor: All-Stars” delivered 24.8
million total viewers, slightly less than the 25.2 million that watched
the finale of the seventh edition, “Survivor: Pearl Islands” last
December.
But that number is significantly less than the finale of the
first season, which attracted 51.7 million viewers, and the finale of
season two's “Survivor: Australian Outback,” which drew 36.4 million
viewers.
The slipping numbers still aren’t terrible, but no longer
are they unbeatable; “E.R.” on NBC finished ahead of “All-Stars”
in households by five full ratings points, albeit because the hospital
drama followed the “Friends” sendoff. “American Idol” finished
ahead of “All-Stars” among households as well.
“Survivor” is the benchmark of reality TV, but with the
show’s slow yet steady dip in viewers over the years, issues arise.
First, how will the next version of “Survivor” fare?
The new “Survivor” obviously won’t have “Friends”
to compete with anymore. Well, at least not all six friends. With spinoff “Joey”
likely destined to air in the old “Friends” slot, so
much will depend on early reviews and audience reaction to the Matt
LeBlanc comedy.
But would NBC dare put “The Apprentice” opposite “Survivor”
in a battle to find the ultimate survivor of the reality shows? Probably
not, but such a face off would definitely be interesting, considering the Donald Trump
hit is bound to be promoted endlessly in its return.
Will other networks look at how “Survivor,” the one that
started the reality craze on broadcast TV, is doing to help determine
which direction they will head in terms of reality fare?
Sure, “Apprentice” took off, but other new reality
shows have found themselves knee-deep in mediocre ratings and victims of
“how far will they go” banter. “The Restaurant” on
NBC is a fairly straightforward concept but has been greeted with less-than-stellar ratings. And what some call the signal to the end of humanity
as we know it, “The Swan” on Fox, had initial buzz but is finding out
that shock value isn’t always enough.
Networks will still order up reality shows as long as the ratings
are there and production costs remain low.
Despite lots of interesting personalities,
"All-Stars" didn't have a great deal of conflict or surprise. Maybe that's
more of what's needed to keep the next edition afloat.
|
PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY
NETWORK
Ranked on
Households
Week Ending May 9 |
|
Network |
Households |
People 2+ |
Adults 18-49 |
|
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
|
NBC |
9.5 |
10290 |
16 |
5.4 |
14860 |
15 |
6.1 |
7800 |
17 |
|
CBS |
8.4 |
9070 |
14 |
4.8 |
13220 |
13 |
4.3 |
5550 |
12 |
|
FOX |
5.3 |
5780 |
9 |
3.0 |
8380 |
8 |
3.5 |
4520 |
10 |
|
ABC |
4.9 |
5350 |
8 |
2.7 |
7570 |
7 |
2.7 |
3530 |
8 |
|
WB |
2.4 |
2580 |
4 |
1.3 |
3570 |
3 |
1.5 |
1910 |
4 |
|
UPN |
2.0 |
2180 |
3 |
1.1 |
2980 |
3 |
1.2 |
1490 |
3 |
|
PAX |
0.6 |
630 |
1 |
0.3 |
890 |
1 |
0.2 |
260 |
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 9 |
|
Network |
Households |
People 2+ |
Adults 18-49 |
|
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
|
CBS |
8.5 |
9180 |
14 |
4.8 |
13160 |
12 |
3.9 |
5040 |
11 |
|
NBC |
7.3 |
7920 |
12 |
4.0 |
11080 |
10 |
4.3 |
5530 |
12 |
|
FOX |
6.0 |
6520 |
10 |
3.5 |
9620 |
9 |
4.0 |
5140 |
11 |
|
ABC |
5.9 |
6390 |
10 |
3.3 |
9040 |
9 |
3.3 |
4200 |
9 |
|
WB |
2.4 |
2650 |
4 |
1.3 |
3640 |
3 |
1.5 |
1880 |
4 |
|
UPN |
2.3 |
2500 |
4 |
1.2 |
3400 |
3 |
1.4 |
1790 |
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 May 9 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
HOUSEHOLDS |
PERSONS 2+ |
|
Rtg% |
Shr |
(000) |
# |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1 |
FRIENDS |
NBC |
29.8 |
43 |
32303 |
1 |
19.0 |
52458 |
|
2 |
FRIENDS CLIPSHOW SPCL(S) |
NBC |
22.0 |
35 |
23860 |
2 |
13.4 |
36893 |
|
3 |
E.R. |
NBC |
18.1 |
29 |
19581 |
3 |
10.3 |
28367 |
|
4 |
AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY |
FOX |
13.6 |
22 |
14744 |
6 |
8.3 |
22817 |
|
5 |
SURVIVOR ALL-STRS REUNION(S) |
CBS |
13.1 |
22 |
14175 |
5 |
8.7 |
23919 |
|
6 |
SURVIVOR ALL-STARS FINALE(S) |
CBS |
13.0 |
21 |
14096 |
4 |
9.0 |
24758 |
|
7 |
CSI |
CBS |
12.8 |
18 |
13901 |
8 |
7.4 |
20393 |
|
8 |
AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY |
FOX |
12.3 |
20 |
13327 |
7 |
7.7 |
21176 |
|
9 |
NBC MOVIE OF THE WEEK-MON(S) |
NBC |
12.2 |
19 |
13189 |
9 |
7.2 |
19872 |
|
10 |
CSI: MIAMI |
CBS |
11.6 |
18 |
12575 |
11 |
6.4 |
17617 |
|
11 |
SURVIVOR: ALL-STARS |
CBS |
11.0 |
17 |
11950 |
10 |
7.0 |
19214 |
|
12 |
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND |
CBS |
10.9 |
16 |
11820 |
12 |
6.3 |
17266 |
|
13 |
TWO AND A HALF MEN |
CBS |
10.5 |
15 |
11338 |
13 |
5.9 |
16200 |
|
13 |
WITHOUT A TRACE |
CBS |
10.5 |
16 |
11340 |
14 |
5.8 |
16037 |
|
15 |
DATELINE NBC SPECIAL 5/5(S) |
NBC |
10.3 |
16 |
11132 |
15 |
5.3 |
14712 |
|
16 |
FRASIER |
NBC |
9.4 |
14 |
10138 |
16 |
5.2 |
14326 |
|
17 |
CSI-SPCL(S) |
CBS |
9.3 |
15 |
10077 |
17 |
4.8 |
13331 |
|
18 |
JUDGING AMY |
CBS |
9.0 |
15 |
9726 |
20 |
4.4 |
12214 |
|
19 |
LAW AND ORDER:SVU |
NBC |
8.9 |
14 |
9685 |
18 |
4.7 |
13038 |
|
20 |
CROSSING JORDAN |
NBC |
8.1 |
13 |
8753 |
21 |
4.3 |
11862 |
|
21 |
60 MINUTES |
CBS |
7.7 |
16 |
8358 |
23 |
4.2 |
11460 |
|
22 |
AMERICAN IDOL: FINAL FIVE(S) |
FOX |
7.6 |
12 |
8225 |
21 |
4.3 |
11731 |
|
23 |
LAW AND ORDER:CRIM INTENT |
NBC |
7.5 |
12 |
8168 |
23 |
4.2 |
11643 |
|
24 |
FEAR FACTOR |
NBC |
7.4 |
12 |
8002 |
19 |
4.5 |
12321 |
|
25 |
SCRUBS |
NBC |
7.3 |
11 |
7916 |
25 |
4.0 |
11105 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research
|
|
TOP 30 PROGRAMS -
BROADCAST AND CABLE
Adults 18-49
Week Ending May 9 |
|
Rank |
Program |
Net |
Rtg% |
In Millions |
|
1 |
FRIENDS |
NBC |
24.9 |
32.10 |
|
2 |
FRIENDS CLIPSHOW |
NBC |
16.7 |
21.52 |
|
3 |
E.R. |
NBC |
13.8 |
17.81 |
|
4 |
SURVIVOR: ALL-STARS REUNION |
CBS |
10.6 |
13.60 |
|
5 |
SURVIVOR: ALL-STARS FINALE |
CBS |
10.0 |
12.89 |
|
6 |
AMERICAN IDOL – TUESDAY |
FOX |
9.0 |
11.64 |
|
7 |
AMERICAN IDOL – WEDNESDAY |
FOX |
8.8 |
11.37 |
|
8 |
NBC MOVIE “10.5” |
NBC |
8.0 |
10.27 |
|
9 |
SURVIVOR: ALL-STARS |
CBS |
7.2 |
9.27 |
|
10 |
CSI |
CBS |
6.5 |
8.41 |
|
10 |
DATELINE SPECIAL 5/5 |
NBC |
6.5 |
8.42 |
|
12 |
CSI: MIAMI |
CBS |
6.3 |
8.13 |
|
13 |
TWO AND A HALF MEN |
CBS |
5.8 |
7.47 |
|
13 |
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND |
CBS |
5.8 |
7.49 |
|
15 |
FRASIER |
NBC |
5.3 |
6.88 |
|
15 |
FEAR FACTOR |
NBC |
5.3 |
6.87 |
|
15 |
LAW & ORDER: SVU |
NBC |
5.3 |
6.83 |
|
18 |
WITHOUT A TRACE |
CBS |
5.1 |
6.52 |
|
19 |
SCRUBS |
NBC |
4.9 |
6.33 |
|
20 |
AMERICAN IDOL: FINAL FIVE |
FOX |
4.8 |
6.21 |
|
20 |
24 |
FOX |
4.8 |
6.20 |
|
22 |
THE BACHELOR |
ABC |
4.7 |
6.01 |
|
22 |
THE O.C. |
FOX |
4.7 |
6.00 |
|
24 |
THE SWAN |
FOX |
4.6 |
5.93 |
|
25 |
THAT 70’S SHOW |
FOX |
4.5 |
5.77 |
|
26 |
CSI – SPECIAL |
CBS |
4.4 |
5.66 |
|
27 |
EXTREME MAKEOVER – WED. |
ABC |
4.3 |
5.58 |
|
28 |
FRIENDS 5/5 8:30 |
NBC |
4.1 |
5.33 |
|
29 |
CROSSING JODAN |
NBC |
3.9 |
4.97 |
|
30 |
HARRY POTTER |
ABC |
3.8 |
4.91 |
|
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 May 2 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Syndicator |
Households |
|
US Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1 |
WHEEL OF FORTUNE |
KIN |
8.4 |
9094 |
|
2 |
JEOPARDY |
KIN |
7.0 |
7589 |
|
3 |
OPRAH WINFREY SHOW (AT) |
KIN |
6.5 |
7076 |
|
4 |
SEINFELD (AT) |
SPT |
5.8 |
6281 |
|
5 |
SEINFELD-WKND (AT) |
SPT |
5.7 |
6196 |
|
6 |
FRIENDS-SYN (AT) |
WB |
5.5 |
5945 |
|
7 |
DR. PHIL SHOW |
KIN |
5.4 |
5810 |
|
8 |
EVRY LVS RAYMOND-SYN (AT) |
KIN |
5.3 |
5695 |
|
9 |
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT(AT) |
PRM |
5.2 |
5679 |
|
10 |
JUDGE JUDY (AT) |
PRM |
5.0 |
5461 |
|
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 May 2 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Episode |
Households |
Persons 2+ |
|
US Rtg% |
Shr |
(000) |
(000) |
|
1 |
KTY DERBY
(S)-5/1 |
NBC |
|
9.3 |
22 |
10095 |
14568 |
|
2 |
FOX NASCAR
NEXTEL CUP |
FOX |
AUTOCLB
500/ VISA |
6.1 |
14 |
6577 |
9817 |
|
3 |
NBA PLAYOFFS
ON ABC-SUN 1 |
ABC |
LA AT SAN
ANT |
4.9 |
11 |
5331 |
7290 |
|
4 |
WWE SMACKDOWN! |
UPN |
|
3.1 |
5 |
3345 |
4546 |
|
5 |
HP CLASSIC
NEW ORLEANS
SU(S)-5/2 |
CBS |
3RD RND |
2.1 |
5 |
2266 |
2772 |
|
6 |
FOX NASCAR
BUSCH SERIES |
FOX |
LIVE FROM
FONTANA |
1.9 |
5 |
2110 |
2717 |
|
7 |
HP CLASSIC
NEW ORLEANS
SA(S)-5/1 |
CBS |
2ND RND |
1.7 |
5 |
1822 |
2218 |
|
8 |
NHL PLAYOFFS
ON ABC
SAT 4(S)-5/1 |
ABC |
CALG AT DETRT/
COL AT SAN JOSE |
1.6 |
4 |
1686 |
2038 |
|
9 |
NCAA WOMEN'S
GYMNASTC
CHP(S)-5/1 |
CBS |
|
1.3 |
4 |
1449 |
1779 |
|
10 |
NBC SPORTS
SPECIAL 5/2(S) |
NBC |
EQSTRIAN |
1.2 |
3 |
1259 |
1643 |
|
11 |
NBC SPORTS
SPEC. 5/1(S)-5/1 |
NBC |
BOXING |
1.1 |
3 |
1157 |
1384 |
|
12 |
NBC ARENA
FOOTBALL |
NBC |
TPA BAY AT ORLND
CHI AT DTRT |
0.7 |
2 |
804 |
937 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
|
