Thank you for joining me throughout the Fall 2012 TV season. I hope you have enjoyed my recaps of the television ratings of new and returning shows this year. I certainly enjoyed watching the situations and surprises in the industry unfold on a week-to-week basis. I do not plan on continuing this blog past this post, as it was only intended for the Fall season, to see which of the new shows would sink or swim. I decided to follow 4 shows, one from each network: "Revolution" from NBC,
"Elementary" from CBS, "Last Resort" from ABC, and "The Mindy Project" from FOX. It was interesting to see how the fates of each show panned out. Some where crushed by the competition, and some thrived in their timeslots. It was very interesting for me to watch unfold, and I hope you enjoyed my play-by-play commentary these last few months.
Don't really know how to end this now.
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
(Google it)
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
4 Months Later
It's been nearly four months since the 2012 Fall TV season kicked off, and a lot has happened in that time.NBC unexpectedly rose to prominence, while previously dominating networks FOX and CBS fell, and ABC hit new lows. New shows debuted, some were major successes, and many many others were cancelled. Shows returns from last year with volatile ratings, with many being pre-cancelled (aka airing their "final season"). Here is my network-by-network recap of the happenings this fall:
NBC: I've written a lot about NBC's success in my last post, so Ill focus on the network's shortcomings here. "Animal Practice", which debuted during the Olympics for extra viewers, fell from 12.80 million viewers to 3.68 million viewers before being cancelled. It's replacement, the returning "Whitney", managed just 3.9 in it's latest episode, and is likely to be cancelled later this year as well. Otherwise, "30 Rock" and "The Office" are preforming dismally in their officially final seasons, while "Parks & Recreation" is preforming at new lows, and there aren't many hopes for midseason replacement "Community" to salvage NBC's once glorious and dominant comedy lineup either.
ABC: ABC has cancelled more hours of television than any of the other networks so far this year, with "666 Park Avenue" and critical darling "Last Resort" getting the ax, and "Private Practice" getting the 'final farewell season' treatment (which is another term for cancelled). "Don't Trust The B in Apt 23" and "Happy Endings" are also finding new ratings lows for the network. However, the network has found success in new show "Nashville", the returning "Once Upon A Time" and "Castle", and it's always dominant Thursday night lineup. Unfortunately, ABC is last place among the networks this year.
CBS: The single casualty so far this season on CBS has been "Made in Jersey", of which there was never much confidence in the show, seeing how it was regulated to a Friday night death time slot. "Elementary" premiered well for the network, and while it is maintaining over 10 million viewers weekly, it's leaving much to be desired in the 18-49 male viewership demographic. Other newcomer "Vegas" has been sinking and will not likely last beyond this TV season. All of the returning CBS sitcoms are as dominant as always and will remain for many years to come.
FOX: With "Fringe" in it's final season, "The Mob Doctor" (the intended replacement for "House") already cancelled, the comedy lineup of "Ben and Kate" and "The Mindy Project" not long for this world, "Glee" loosing viewers left and right, and "The X Factor" falling to NBC's "The Voice", FOX has fallen greatly from last year. However, they have reason to look up to the blue sky. In January, they debut mid-season show "The Following" with Kevin Bacon, which was hailed by critics during the summer. Still, one show can't save a network, and FOX has a lot of work to do to regain their viewers again.
NBC: I've written a lot about NBC's success in my last post, so Ill focus on the network's shortcomings here. "Animal Practice", which debuted during the Olympics for extra viewers, fell from 12.80 million viewers to 3.68 million viewers before being cancelled. It's replacement, the returning "Whitney", managed just 3.9 in it's latest episode, and is likely to be cancelled later this year as well. Otherwise, "30 Rock" and "The Office" are preforming dismally in their officially final seasons, while "Parks & Recreation" is preforming at new lows, and there aren't many hopes for midseason replacement "Community" to salvage NBC's once glorious and dominant comedy lineup either.
ABC: ABC has cancelled more hours of television than any of the other networks so far this year, with "666 Park Avenue" and critical darling "Last Resort" getting the ax, and "Private Practice" getting the 'final farewell season' treatment (which is another term for cancelled). "Don't Trust The B in Apt 23" and "Happy Endings" are also finding new ratings lows for the network. However, the network has found success in new show "Nashville", the returning "Once Upon A Time" and "Castle", and it's always dominant Thursday night lineup. Unfortunately, ABC is last place among the networks this year.
CBS: The single casualty so far this season on CBS has been "Made in Jersey", of which there was never much confidence in the show, seeing how it was regulated to a Friday night death time slot. "Elementary" premiered well for the network, and while it is maintaining over 10 million viewers weekly, it's leaving much to be desired in the 18-49 male viewership demographic. Other newcomer "Vegas" has been sinking and will not likely last beyond this TV season. All of the returning CBS sitcoms are as dominant as always and will remain for many years to come.
FOX: With "Fringe" in it's final season, "The Mob Doctor" (the intended replacement for "House") already cancelled, the comedy lineup of "Ben and Kate" and "The Mindy Project" not long for this world, "Glee" loosing viewers left and right, and "The X Factor" falling to NBC's "The Voice", FOX has fallen greatly from last year. However, they have reason to look up to the blue sky. In January, they debut mid-season show "The Following" with Kevin Bacon, which was hailed by critics during the summer. Still, one show can't save a network, and FOX has a lot of work to do to regain their viewers again.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
The Resurgence of NBC
By far the biggest surprise this year is NBC's dominance on broadcast television. It is the only network to increase it's viewership (up 14%) while all the other networks are seeing double digit drops. It has finished at #1 (or tied for #1) of all the networks for all eight weeks of this TV season so far. Last year (and for about half a decade before that) NBC was a solid 4th among the networks, so what is responsible for this jarring and abrupt change?
The Voice. It's all about The Voice. In the spring of 2011, NBC hit gold with the Voice, and nurtured it as it became a monster last spring. NBC took a gamble by organizing a second cycle of the show in the fall, similar to what ABC does with "Dancing With The Stars", but it's clear the move has payed off. The Voice is providing an anchor for NBC's Monday and Tuesday nights, and has helped launch Revolution as the to new drama this fall.
NBC's weak spot ironically was it's best night last year. The NBC Thursday night comedies have gone from NBC's shining hope to unwanted step child. With both 30 Rock and The Office in their final seasons, Up All Night de-facto cancelled, and Community being banished to February, NBC seems to be gearing up for a clean slate of their comedy lineup, likely led by The New Normal.
NBC has gotten off to a great start this year, and seem to be finally moving past the mess that was started when the old regime thought it was a good idea to put Jay Leno at 10pm and set this whole fiasco into motion.
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/ratings/2012/11/20/nbc-finishes-number-1-or-tied-for-number-1-during-seven-of-the-seasons-first-eight-weeks-for-the-first-time-in-10-years-999204/20121120nbc02/
The Voice. It's all about The Voice. In the spring of 2011, NBC hit gold with the Voice, and nurtured it as it became a monster last spring. NBC took a gamble by organizing a second cycle of the show in the fall, similar to what ABC does with "Dancing With The Stars", but it's clear the move has payed off. The Voice is providing an anchor for NBC's Monday and Tuesday nights, and has helped launch Revolution as the to new drama this fall.
NBC's weak spot ironically was it's best night last year. The NBC Thursday night comedies have gone from NBC's shining hope to unwanted step child. With both 30 Rock and The Office in their final seasons, Up All Night de-facto cancelled, and Community being banished to February, NBC seems to be gearing up for a clean slate of their comedy lineup, likely led by The New Normal.
NBC has gotten off to a great start this year, and seem to be finally moving past the mess that was started when the old regime thought it was a good idea to put Jay Leno at 10pm and set this whole fiasco into motion.
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/ratings/2012/11/20/nbc-finishes-number-1-or-tied-for-number-1-during-seven-of-the-seasons-first-eight-weeks-for-the-first-time-in-10-years-999204/20121120nbc02/
How The Mighty Have Fallen
Remember when Glee was a juggernaut? When it was all everyone would talk about or watch on TV? Neither do I. Times have changed and Glee has rapidly fallen from it's mighty pedestal in the past few years.
In it's first year, Glee averaged 9.77 million viewers.
In it's second year, Glee averaged 10.11 million viewers.
In it's third year, Glee averaged 8.71 million viewers.
How is it doing now? Last week, Glee received 4.62 million viewers. Since it was during Thanksgiving, that number can be excused, so lets look at the episode from 2 weeks ago: 5.28 million viewers. That is nearly half the viewership of Glee from 2 seasons ago, and over 3 million less from last season. In it's prime, it was pulling a 4.0+ 18-49 demo point. Now, it's hovering around 2.0. Glee is shedding viewers left and right and fast. The train is slowing down, or rather, speeding up as it heads down the mountain.
Glee 2 years ago: http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/05/25/tuesday-final-ratings-american-idol-dancing-with-the-stars-adjusted-up/93910/
Glee last week: http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/11/27/thursday-final-ratings-the-x-factor-adjusted-up-final-football-numbers/158882/
Glee 2 weeks ago: http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/11/16/tv-ratings-thursdaybig-bang-theory-two-a-half-men-person-of-interest-hit-season-highsgreys-anatomy-vampire-diaries-down/157997/
In it's first year, Glee averaged 9.77 million viewers.
In it's second year, Glee averaged 10.11 million viewers.
In it's third year, Glee averaged 8.71 million viewers.
How is it doing now? Last week, Glee received 4.62 million viewers. Since it was during Thanksgiving, that number can be excused, so lets look at the episode from 2 weeks ago: 5.28 million viewers. That is nearly half the viewership of Glee from 2 seasons ago, and over 3 million less from last season. In it's prime, it was pulling a 4.0+ 18-49 demo point. Now, it's hovering around 2.0. Glee is shedding viewers left and right and fast. The train is slowing down, or rather, speeding up as it heads down the mountain.
Glee 2 years ago: http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/05/25/tuesday-final-ratings-american-idol-dancing-with-the-stars-adjusted-up/93910/
Glee last week: http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/11/27/thursday-final-ratings-the-x-factor-adjusted-up-final-football-numbers/158882/
Glee 2 weeks ago: http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/11/16/tv-ratings-thursdaybig-bang-theory-two-a-half-men-person-of-interest-hit-season-highsgreys-anatomy-vampire-diaries-down/157997/
Three Forks In The Road
At the beginning of the TV season, I gave my predictions for three new shows of the Fall 2012 season. Now as we end November sweeps month, the destinies for Revolution, Last Resort, and Elementary have become very clear.
Revolution, which debuted as the top new rookie drama this Fall, has lost about 25% of it's viewership since it's premier, but remains NBC's top new drama and one of the top new shows this year. In it's Fall finale last night, Revolution received 8.7 million viewers, winning it's timeslot. NBC has decided to put Revolution on an extended vacation until March, where it will run new episodes until May. Personally, I disagree with this move. A few years ago, NBC tried the same tactic with "The Event", which flopped in the ratings after it's return from absence for months.
Last Resort on ABC has been cancelled. It will produce all 13 of it's ordered episodes, but no more after that. It's last new episode received 5.8 million viewers and was third in it's timeslot, which aren't good numbers. There are plenty of reasons why Last Resort has failed. It aired in one of TV's toughest time-slots (Thursday at 8pm) against The Big Bang Theory, Two And A Half Men, and The X Factor, all ratings powerhouses. Last Resort has been given enough notice to wrap up it's story within 13 episodes, but that's all that will come out of this critically acclaimed show.
Elementary on CBS has been a great success with viewers, with the latest episode having 10.72 million watchers. However, with only around 2.5 million of them being between 18-49 year old males, it ranks low in the advertisers demographic. Still, it is doing well enough for CBS to grant it a extra-large 24 episode season, and it is also getting the holy grail of TV time-slots: The post Super Bowl slot. Elementary will gain exposure most shows dream they could get this February.
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/11/16/tv-ratings-thursdaybig-bang-theory-two-a-half-men-person-of-interest-hit-season-highsgreys-anatomy-vampire-diaries-down/157997/
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/11/27/tv-ratings-monday-revolution-the-voice-2-broke-girls-mike-molly-hawaii-five-0-hit-season-highs/159016/
Revolution, which debuted as the top new rookie drama this Fall, has lost about 25% of it's viewership since it's premier, but remains NBC's top new drama and one of the top new shows this year. In it's Fall finale last night, Revolution received 8.7 million viewers, winning it's timeslot. NBC has decided to put Revolution on an extended vacation until March, where it will run new episodes until May. Personally, I disagree with this move. A few years ago, NBC tried the same tactic with "The Event", which flopped in the ratings after it's return from absence for months.
Last Resort on ABC has been cancelled. It will produce all 13 of it's ordered episodes, but no more after that. It's last new episode received 5.8 million viewers and was third in it's timeslot, which aren't good numbers. There are plenty of reasons why Last Resort has failed. It aired in one of TV's toughest time-slots (Thursday at 8pm) against The Big Bang Theory, Two And A Half Men, and The X Factor, all ratings powerhouses. Last Resort has been given enough notice to wrap up it's story within 13 episodes, but that's all that will come out of this critically acclaimed show.
Elementary on CBS has been a great success with viewers, with the latest episode having 10.72 million watchers. However, with only around 2.5 million of them being between 18-49 year old males, it ranks low in the advertisers demographic. Still, it is doing well enough for CBS to grant it a extra-large 24 episode season, and it is also getting the holy grail of TV time-slots: The post Super Bowl slot. Elementary will gain exposure most shows dream they could get this February.
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/11/16/tv-ratings-thursdaybig-bang-theory-two-a-half-men-person-of-interest-hit-season-highsgreys-anatomy-vampire-diaries-down/157997/
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/11/27/tv-ratings-monday-revolution-the-voice-2-broke-girls-mike-molly-hawaii-five-0-hit-season-highs/159016/
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
The Walking Dead
Ever since it's debut two years ago, "The Walking Dead" has been AMC's top rated show, and one of the biggest draws on cable. Every year it's ratings have increased, and with the third season premier two weeks ago came the largest telecast ever on cable with 15.2 million viewers. Additionally, the 5.8 point in the 18-49 years old demo was the biggest this fall across cable and broadcast networks.
To put the 5.8 rating into perspective, no scripted show across the broadcast networks broke a 5 rating during the week that The Walking Dead's third season premiered. The closest show was Modern Family, which scored two ratings of 4.9 and 4.8 that week. Including unscripted television, the only broadcast program to beat The Walking Dead was NBC's Sunday Night Football. Likewise, the only program on cable that scored more viewers in the same week was Monday Night Football on ESPN.
Compared to previous seasons, The Walking Dead is outperforming itself. It's previous high viewership mark was 8.99 million viewers for it's season two finale. The season two premier scored 7.26 million viewers, which means that The Walking Dead has doubled it's viewership year to year, a feat rarely seen in the television industry.
The Walking Dead's Ratings:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/23/sunday-cable-ratingswalking-dead-kills-it-again-breaking-amish-dexter-long-island-medium-nfl-countdown-more/154272/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Walking_Dead_episodes
Network Top 25:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/16/tv-ratings-broadcast-top-25-sunday-night-football-tops-week-3-viewing-among-adults-18-49-with-total-viewers-modern-family-number-1-scripted-show/153047/
Cable Top 25:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/16/cable-top-25-monday-night-football-again-tops-cable-viewership-for-the-week-ending-october-14-2012/153049/
To put the 5.8 rating into perspective, no scripted show across the broadcast networks broke a 5 rating during the week that The Walking Dead's third season premiered. The closest show was Modern Family, which scored two ratings of 4.9 and 4.8 that week. Including unscripted television, the only broadcast program to beat The Walking Dead was NBC's Sunday Night Football. Likewise, the only program on cable that scored more viewers in the same week was Monday Night Football on ESPN.
Compared to previous seasons, The Walking Dead is outperforming itself. It's previous high viewership mark was 8.99 million viewers for it's season two finale. The season two premier scored 7.26 million viewers, which means that The Walking Dead has doubled it's viewership year to year, a feat rarely seen in the television industry.
The Walking Dead's Ratings:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/23/sunday-cable-ratingswalking-dead-kills-it-again-breaking-amish-dexter-long-island-medium-nfl-countdown-more/154272/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Walking_Dead_episodes
Network Top 25:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/16/tv-ratings-broadcast-top-25-sunday-night-football-tops-week-3-viewing-among-adults-18-49-with-total-viewers-modern-family-number-1-scripted-show/153047/
Cable Top 25:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/16/cable-top-25-monday-night-football-again-tops-cable-viewership-for-the-week-ending-october-14-2012/153049/
The Presidental Debates
This year's series of presidential debates have come to their conclusion, and the ratings for them have been the highest in decades.
The first debate on October 3rd reached 67 million viewers, the widest viewership for a presidential debate in 32 years (Jimmy Carter vs Ronald Reagan). This makes the debate the second most watched TV event this year, behind the Super Bowl which received 111.3 million views. FOX News Channel had the highest viewership, followed by ABC, NBC, and CBS.
The second debate on October 16 drew in 65.6 million viewers, slightly down from the first debate, but still higher than any debate from previous election cycles. In round two, NBC won across both cable and broadcast networks, with 13.81 million viewers. ABC followed with 12.5, and FOX News (the cable channel, not the broadcast network) with 11.1, making this the biggest telecast ever for the FOX News channel.
The final debate from last night, which aired against a football game between the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions (ironic since Obama is from Chicago and Romney is from Detroit) and MLB playoffs, was the least watched of the debates, and the only one of the three that was down from it's 2008 counterpart. While final numbers from the debate aren't in yet, NBC again led the broadcast networks with 11.5 million viewers. The main reason why this debate will come in as the least watched is because FOX broadcast network did not show the debate due to contractual obligations to show the MLB Playoffs.
First Debate Ratings:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/obama-mitt-romney-presidential-debate-ratings-record-376575
Second Debate Ratings:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/17/second-presidential-debate-ratings_n_1974838.html
Third Debate Ratings:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-nbc-leads-third-381947
Super Bowl Ratings:
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/feb/07/entertainment/la-et-super-bowl-ratings-20120207
The first debate on October 3rd reached 67 million viewers, the widest viewership for a presidential debate in 32 years (Jimmy Carter vs Ronald Reagan). This makes the debate the second most watched TV event this year, behind the Super Bowl which received 111.3 million views. FOX News Channel had the highest viewership, followed by ABC, NBC, and CBS.
The second debate on October 16 drew in 65.6 million viewers, slightly down from the first debate, but still higher than any debate from previous election cycles. In round two, NBC won across both cable and broadcast networks, with 13.81 million viewers. ABC followed with 12.5, and FOX News (the cable channel, not the broadcast network) with 11.1, making this the biggest telecast ever for the FOX News channel.
The final debate from last night, which aired against a football game between the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions (ironic since Obama is from Chicago and Romney is from Detroit) and MLB playoffs, was the least watched of the debates, and the only one of the three that was down from it's 2008 counterpart. While final numbers from the debate aren't in yet, NBC again led the broadcast networks with 11.5 million viewers. The main reason why this debate will come in as the least watched is because FOX broadcast network did not show the debate due to contractual obligations to show the MLB Playoffs.
First Debate Ratings:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/obama-mitt-romney-presidential-debate-ratings-record-376575
Second Debate Ratings:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/17/second-presidential-debate-ratings_n_1974838.html
Third Debate Ratings:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-nbc-leads-third-381947
Super Bowl Ratings:
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/feb/07/entertainment/la-et-super-bowl-ratings-20120207
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
The Chopping Block
Update (Wednesday October 10, 2012): Today, CBS cancelled "Made In Jersey", making it the first official failure of the Fall 2012 TV season.
Who want''s to play a game? It's called "Which TV Network Admits Fault First". It happens every year, the major broadcast networks wait as long as possible before cancelling a show, hoping that one of the other networks makes the first move. As we enter the third week of the 2012 TV season, it is becoming clear which shows are not long for this world. Here are my predictions for the first cancellation from each network:
FOX: This is the easiest one to pick. Last year, FOX's Monday night was anchored by "House", which ended back in May. It's replacement? "The Mob Doctor", a new medical drama that has flopped on arrival. It's Monday's least watched show across all of television, and the biggest disappointment since ABC's "My Generation" a few years ago. With only 3.5 million people watching, I don't expect this show to last past this week.
ABC: ABC is the hardest to predict, because while they don't have any shows that are standing out in the ratings (other than Modern Family), they don't have any incredible flops either. Their ratings are very similar throughout the week. Their three lowest preforming dramas are "Private Practice", which is rumored to be in it's final season, "Castle", which despite being watched by over 10 million people can only muster up a 1.9 ratings point in the key demographic, and "Last Resort", the new and acclaimed program with around 8 million viewers. I don't think ABC will cancel any of their shows until at least November, as all are preforming around expectations.
NBC: Before the season even started, NBC "cancelled" two of it's longest running programs, "The Office" and "30 Rock" which are now in their final years. They also gave death sentences to "Community" and "Up All Night" by only renewing them for 13 episodes and changing it's showrunner. Their weakest performer so far this year in terms of critics and viewership is "Animal Practice", which only resulted in a 1.5 ratings point last week. I don't see that show lasting more than it's initial order.
CBS: By far, CBS's weakest show so far this year is "Made In Jersey", which is disappointing even by the lowered standards of Friday night. With only a 0.8 ratings point last week, this show won't make it past this Fall, much less the full TV season. CBS's "Vegas" on Tuesday nights is also a weak performer by CBS's standards. It pulled a 2.1 ratings point on a night where CBS averaged a 2.9 ratings point, and was only able to retain 55% of the audience from it's lead in (NCIS:LA).
"The Mob Doctor", "Castle" Ratings:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/02/tv-ratings-monday-the-voice-hawaii-five-0-up-revolution-2-broke-girls-drop-a-bit-dancing-with-the-stars-partners-the-mob-doctor-fall/150950/
"Vegas", "Private Practice" Ratings:
tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/03/tv-ratings-tuesday-new-girl-steady-raising-hope-debuts-down-hart-of-dixie-debut-solid-ncis-the-mindy-project-down/151317/
"Animal Practice" Ratings:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/04/tv-ratings-wednesday-supernatural-premiere-steadyx-factor-flat-animal-practice-guys-with-kids-up-the-middle-the-neighbors-down-plus-presidential-debate-coverage/151499/
"Last Resort", "The Office", "30 Rock" Ratings:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/05/tv-ratings-thursday-big-bang-theory-wins-night-person-of-interest-glee-two-and-a-half-men-up-greys-anatomy-last-resort-down30-rock-premieres-low/151677/
"Made In Jersey" Ratings:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/06/tv-ratings-friday-shark-tank-rises-wins-night-fringe-down-grimm-steady-made-in-jersey-falls/151819/
Who want''s to play a game? It's called "Which TV Network Admits Fault First". It happens every year, the major broadcast networks wait as long as possible before cancelling a show, hoping that one of the other networks makes the first move. As we enter the third week of the 2012 TV season, it is becoming clear which shows are not long for this world. Here are my predictions for the first cancellation from each network:
FOX: This is the easiest one to pick. Last year, FOX's Monday night was anchored by "House", which ended back in May. It's replacement? "The Mob Doctor", a new medical drama that has flopped on arrival. It's Monday's least watched show across all of television, and the biggest disappointment since ABC's "My Generation" a few years ago. With only 3.5 million people watching, I don't expect this show to last past this week.
ABC: ABC is the hardest to predict, because while they don't have any shows that are standing out in the ratings (other than Modern Family), they don't have any incredible flops either. Their ratings are very similar throughout the week. Their three lowest preforming dramas are "Private Practice", which is rumored to be in it's final season, "Castle", which despite being watched by over 10 million people can only muster up a 1.9 ratings point in the key demographic, and "Last Resort", the new and acclaimed program with around 8 million viewers. I don't think ABC will cancel any of their shows until at least November, as all are preforming around expectations.
NBC: Before the season even started, NBC "cancelled" two of it's longest running programs, "The Office" and "30 Rock" which are now in their final years. They also gave death sentences to "Community" and "Up All Night" by only renewing them for 13 episodes and changing it's showrunner. Their weakest performer so far this year in terms of critics and viewership is "Animal Practice", which only resulted in a 1.5 ratings point last week. I don't see that show lasting more than it's initial order.
CBS: By far, CBS's weakest show so far this year is "Made In Jersey", which is disappointing even by the lowered standards of Friday night. With only a 0.8 ratings point last week, this show won't make it past this Fall, much less the full TV season. CBS's "Vegas" on Tuesday nights is also a weak performer by CBS's standards. It pulled a 2.1 ratings point on a night where CBS averaged a 2.9 ratings point, and was only able to retain 55% of the audience from it's lead in (NCIS:LA).
"The Mob Doctor", "Castle" Ratings:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/02/tv-ratings-monday-the-voice-hawaii-five-0-up-revolution-2-broke-girls-drop-a-bit-dancing-with-the-stars-partners-the-mob-doctor-fall/150950/
"Vegas", "Private Practice" Ratings:
tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/03/tv-ratings-tuesday-new-girl-steady-raising-hope-debuts-down-hart-of-dixie-debut-solid-ncis-the-mindy-project-down/151317/
"Animal Practice" Ratings:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/04/tv-ratings-wednesday-supernatural-premiere-steadyx-factor-flat-animal-practice-guys-with-kids-up-the-middle-the-neighbors-down-plus-presidential-debate-coverage/151499/
"Last Resort", "The Office", "30 Rock" Ratings:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/05/tv-ratings-thursday-big-bang-theory-wins-night-person-of-interest-glee-two-and-a-half-men-up-greys-anatomy-last-resort-down30-rock-premieres-low/151677/
"Made In Jersey" Ratings:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/06/tv-ratings-friday-shark-tank-rises-wins-night-fringe-down-grimm-steady-made-in-jersey-falls/151819/
Monday, October 8, 2012
Cable vs Network
The days of Network television dominance ended over a decade ago. Nowadays, cable networks are just as competitive as the networks, and at times even have higher watched programs. In this post, I am going to take a look at a couple programs in cable television and their ratings.
The biggest show on cable in the past couple years has been Jersey Shore, and while it's ratings have been dropping over it's past couple cycles, it is still a powerhouse. The latest (and final) season premiered to a 2.5 ratings point, which is better than the average premier week ratings for both ABC and CBS. However, it was only watched by 4.7 million viewers, making it one of youngest skewing shows on MTV. This number is down from the last season premier of 7.6 million viewers, and the one before that had 8.8 million viewers. Jersey Shore is quickly shedding viewers but remains a show that is competitive with the broadcast networks.
Tosh.0 has been on Comedy Central for the past 4 years and has grown into one of the network's top preforming programs. This past week's episode earned a 1.4 ratings point, making it the third watched cable program of the night. While this number doesn't compete well with most TV dramas, it is about what NBC receives for it's comedies. It's the same exact rating as NBC's "30 Rock" and "Up All Night" from last week. Not only is Tosh.0 at a natural disadvantage being on cable, but it is also a much cheaper program to produce. One episode of Tosh.0 costs about $400,000, while network sitcoms can cost around 2 million dollars. Comedy Central is competing with the networks by cutting costs and skewing as young as possible, and it's working.
Jersey Shore Ratings:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/08/05/thursday-cable-ratings-jersey-shore-dominates-burn-notice-suits-project-runway-wilfred-futurama-louie-more/99741/
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/01/06/thursday-cable-ratings-jersey-shore-premieres-down-slightly-still-broadcast-project-runway-the-first-48-beyond-scared-straight-more/115571/
Tosh.0 cost: http://socialtimes.com/daniel-tosh-online-video_b41265
Tosh.0 Ratings: http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/03/tuesday-cable-ratingssons-of-anarchy-wins-night-tosh-0-brickleberry-face-off-shipping-wars-teen-mom-farewell-more/151331/
NBC Sitcom Ratings: http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/05/thursday-final-ratingsthe-x-factor-last-resort-30-rock-greys-anatomy-the-office-adjusted-up-two-and-a-half-men-person-of-interest-scandal-elementary/151704/
The biggest show on cable in the past couple years has been Jersey Shore, and while it's ratings have been dropping over it's past couple cycles, it is still a powerhouse. The latest (and final) season premiered to a 2.5 ratings point, which is better than the average premier week ratings for both ABC and CBS. However, it was only watched by 4.7 million viewers, making it one of youngest skewing shows on MTV. This number is down from the last season premier of 7.6 million viewers, and the one before that had 8.8 million viewers. Jersey Shore is quickly shedding viewers but remains a show that is competitive with the broadcast networks.
Tosh.0 has been on Comedy Central for the past 4 years and has grown into one of the network's top preforming programs. This past week's episode earned a 1.4 ratings point, making it the third watched cable program of the night. While this number doesn't compete well with most TV dramas, it is about what NBC receives for it's comedies. It's the same exact rating as NBC's "30 Rock" and "Up All Night" from last week. Not only is Tosh.0 at a natural disadvantage being on cable, but it is also a much cheaper program to produce. One episode of Tosh.0 costs about $400,000, while network sitcoms can cost around 2 million dollars. Comedy Central is competing with the networks by cutting costs and skewing as young as possible, and it's working.
Jersey Shore Ratings:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/08/05/thursday-cable-ratings-jersey-shore-dominates-burn-notice-suits-project-runway-wilfred-futurama-louie-more/99741/
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/01/06/thursday-cable-ratings-jersey-shore-premieres-down-slightly-still-broadcast-project-runway-the-first-48-beyond-scared-straight-more/115571/
Tosh.0 cost: http://socialtimes.com/daniel-tosh-online-video_b41265
Tosh.0 Ratings: http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/03/tuesday-cable-ratingssons-of-anarchy-wins-night-tosh-0-brickleberry-face-off-shipping-wars-teen-mom-farewell-more/151331/
NBC Sitcom Ratings: http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/05/thursday-final-ratingsthe-x-factor-last-resort-30-rock-greys-anatomy-the-office-adjusted-up-two-and-a-half-men-person-of-interest-scandal-elementary/151704/
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Week 2 Ratings Recap
After decisively winning the first week of the TV season, NBC slipped a bit in week 2, thanks to a weaker Tuesday as a result of The Voice not airing a new episode that night.
The big story this week was how TV show ratings were falling across the board. Between the four major networks, there are 55 hours of primetime programing a week (FOX only programs shows for 8pm and 9pm). This week, only 8 hours of television managed to improve on their viewership from last week. The programs that improved were "The Voice", "Animal Practice", "Guys With Kids", "Glee", "The Office", "Parks and Recreation", "The Big Bang Theory", "Two And A Half Men", "Person of Interest", and "Shark Tank". All other programs either maintained their rating or fell, and some notable shows crashed hard.
The ABC Wednesday sitcoms that aired last week (The Middle and The Neighbors) both fell without Modern Family to anchor the night (due to the Debate). Those shows fell 24% and 38% respectively in the ratings. Although they still received 8 million and 6 million viewers apiece, the shows skewed towards older viewers which doesn't bring in advertisers.
Thursday night featured the biggest falls for new and established TV programs. New shows had their standard post-premier drop-offs ("Elementary" dropped 16% and "Last Resort" dropped 18%), but the most notable drop had to be that of NBC's critically acclaimed sitcom "30 Rock", which in it's season premier dropped 28% from it's season finale. Ratings don't matter much here though since this is the program's final season.
Friday, which is television's least watched night and known as the graveyard where shows network's don't care about go to die, also had some big drops. The CBS dramas "Made In Jersey" and "Blue Bloods" fell by 28% and 20% respectively. Friday also saw the night a network improved on last week's ratings (other than Wednesday which is being discounted because of the debate). That network was ABC, whose slight ratings increase was due to more people watching "Shark Tank".
Overall, the TV networks all came crashing down to earth in week 2 of the TV season, some falling harder than others. Week 3 is important in establishing trends in viewership, and this is the week we should start to see shows cancelled.
Monday Ratings:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/02/tv-ratings-monday-the-voice-hawaii-five-0-up-revolution-2-broke-girls-drop-a-bit-dancing-with-the-stars-partners-the-mob-doctor-fall/150950/
Tuesday Ratings:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/03/tv-ratings-tuesday-new-girl-steady-raising-hope-debuts-down-hart-of-dixie-debut-solid-ncis-the-mindy-project-down/151317/
Wednesday Ratings:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/04/tv-ratings-wednesday-supernatural-premiere-steadyx-factor-flat-animal-practice-guys-with-kids-up-the-middle-the-neighbors-down-plus-presidential-debate-coverage/151499/
Thursday Ratings:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/05/tv-ratings-thursday-big-bang-theory-wins-night-person-of-interest-glee-two-and-a-half-men-up-greys-anatomy-last-resort-down30-rock-premieres-low/151677/
Friday Ratings:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/06/tv-ratings-friday-shark-tank-rises-wins-night-fringe-down-grimm-steady-made-in-jersey-falls/151819/
The big story this week was how TV show ratings were falling across the board. Between the four major networks, there are 55 hours of primetime programing a week (FOX only programs shows for 8pm and 9pm). This week, only 8 hours of television managed to improve on their viewership from last week. The programs that improved were "The Voice", "Animal Practice", "Guys With Kids", "Glee", "The Office", "Parks and Recreation", "The Big Bang Theory", "Two And A Half Men", "Person of Interest", and "Shark Tank". All other programs either maintained their rating or fell, and some notable shows crashed hard.
The ABC Wednesday sitcoms that aired last week (The Middle and The Neighbors) both fell without Modern Family to anchor the night (due to the Debate). Those shows fell 24% and 38% respectively in the ratings. Although they still received 8 million and 6 million viewers apiece, the shows skewed towards older viewers which doesn't bring in advertisers.
Thursday night featured the biggest falls for new and established TV programs. New shows had their standard post-premier drop-offs ("Elementary" dropped 16% and "Last Resort" dropped 18%), but the most notable drop had to be that of NBC's critically acclaimed sitcom "30 Rock", which in it's season premier dropped 28% from it's season finale. Ratings don't matter much here though since this is the program's final season.
Friday, which is television's least watched night and known as the graveyard where shows network's don't care about go to die, also had some big drops. The CBS dramas "Made In Jersey" and "Blue Bloods" fell by 28% and 20% respectively. Friday also saw the night a network improved on last week's ratings (other than Wednesday which is being discounted because of the debate). That network was ABC, whose slight ratings increase was due to more people watching "Shark Tank".
Overall, the TV networks all came crashing down to earth in week 2 of the TV season, some falling harder than others. Week 3 is important in establishing trends in viewership, and this is the week we should start to see shows cancelled.
Monday Ratings:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/02/tv-ratings-monday-the-voice-hawaii-five-0-up-revolution-2-broke-girls-drop-a-bit-dancing-with-the-stars-partners-the-mob-doctor-fall/150950/
Tuesday Ratings:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/03/tv-ratings-tuesday-new-girl-steady-raising-hope-debuts-down-hart-of-dixie-debut-solid-ncis-the-mindy-project-down/151317/
Wednesday Ratings:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/04/tv-ratings-wednesday-supernatural-premiere-steadyx-factor-flat-animal-practice-guys-with-kids-up-the-middle-the-neighbors-down-plus-presidential-debate-coverage/151499/
Thursday Ratings:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/05/tv-ratings-thursday-big-bang-theory-wins-night-person-of-interest-glee-two-and-a-half-men-up-greys-anatomy-last-resort-down30-rock-premieres-low/151677/
Friday Ratings:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/06/tv-ratings-friday-shark-tank-rises-wins-night-fringe-down-grimm-steady-made-in-jersey-falls/151819/
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Premier Week Ratings Recap
For the first time in 9 years, NBC has started the TV season on top. It's average 8.2 million viewers tops all the other networks, and it also has the youngest skewing audience, which is what is most important to advertisers. Additionally, NBC was the only network to improve on it's ratings from last year's premier week. NBC is up 11%, while FOX, CBS, and ABC are down 24%, 27%, and 21% respectively.
So why the big turnaround for NBC? With "The Voice" anchoring it's schedule, NBC has premiered new shows to high viewership, even though it's returning shows on Wednesday and Thursday nights are receiving some of their lowest viewership ever. FOX is struggling due to the lack of "House" to anchor Monday nights, and "The X Factor" greatly disappointing, despite having new well known judges. CBS's premier week last year was greatly inflated due to "Two And A Half Men"'s relaunch gaining record viewership. Without that type of event, it was only natural for CBS's average to fall. ABC's ratings have been falling due to horrible premiers for "Last Resort" and "666 Park Avenue".
We are now entering the second week of the TV season. Will NBC continue it's ratings turnaround, or will it fall back to Earth like it has in past years?
So why the big turnaround for NBC? With "The Voice" anchoring it's schedule, NBC has premiered new shows to high viewership, even though it's returning shows on Wednesday and Thursday nights are receiving some of their lowest viewership ever. FOX is struggling due to the lack of "House" to anchor Monday nights, and "The X Factor" greatly disappointing, despite having new well known judges. CBS's premier week last year was greatly inflated due to "Two And A Half Men"'s relaunch gaining record viewership. Without that type of event, it was only natural for CBS's average to fall. ABC's ratings have been falling due to horrible premiers for "Last Resort" and "666 Park Avenue".
We are now entering the second week of the TV season. Will NBC continue it's ratings turnaround, or will it fall back to Earth like it has in past years?
Monday, October 1, 2012
The TV Season Begins: Part 2
In this post, I am going to review my predictions for some of TV's new shows and discuss their first week ratings, and the likeliness that they will last a full year.
FOX:
What I said last week:
""Ben and Kate" and "The Mindy Project" are two new female driven sitcoms debuting on FOX this season. Both have received critical acclaim, with "Mindy" taking an edge due to it having Mindy Kaling from "The Office" staring. I expect "Mindy" to succeed and recieve a full 22 episode season, but I find "Ben and Kate" to be another generic relationship sitcom, and those have not done well on broadcast television in recent years."
Now:
As I predicted, "Mindy" preformed better than "Ben and Kate", even though it had less support from FOX. "Ben and Kate" debuted in between two new episodes of "New Girl", a move common in the industry. While both episodes of "New Girl" had over 5 million viewers, "Ben and Kate" struggled to average over 4 million viewers. "Mindy", which aired after "New Girl" was over for the night, fared better with 4.75 million viewers, and also skewed towards a younger audience, which helps with advertisers. I still expect "Ben and Kate" to last only 13 episodes, and for "Mindy" to get a full 22 episode season.
ABC:
What I said last week:
""Last Resort" is this year's most critically acclaimed new drama. Staring Andre Braugher, a veteran of the TV industry, and created by Shawn Ryan, creator of "The Shield", a famous drama from the mid-2000s. This show will be in a tough timeslot, against "The Big Bang Theory", "The X Factor" and a few NBC sitcoms, and although it will be great, TV audiences avoid intelligent serialized dramas, including last year's "Awake" and Ryan's own "The Chicago Code" from a few years ago. I want this show to succeed, but I doubt it receives more than 13 episodes before being cancelled."
Now:
"Last Resort" had an uneven debut. It received 9 million viewers, about the same as "The X Factor" on the same night and time, but it skewed towards older viewers. It only received a 2.2 18-49 rating, meaning only 2.5 million of the 9 million viewers were in the target demographic. That number will likely drop in coming weeks and doesn't bode well for "Last Resort"'s future beyond 13 episodes.
CBS:
What I said last week:
""Elementary" is a new program that has divided the internet community. It is a modern interpretation of Sherlock Holmes, one that the fanbase is not proud of for two major reasons: For starters, there is "Sherlock" on BBC, a BAFTA winning drama that perfectly tells the tale of what Sherlock would be like in modern day times. Secondly, the creators of "Elementary" gave John Watson a sex change, and she is now Joan Watson, as played by Lucy Liu. Despite the hatred of the fanbase though, people are drawn to the Sherlock Holmes cannon, and this show will likely become a multi-year franchise for CBS, even if it has little to do with the classic Sherlock Holmes tales."
Now:
"Elementary" had a fantastic start for CBS. With 13 million viewers, it was the third most watched program, and the second most watched drama of the night (the other shows with more viewers than "Elementary" were also on CBS). It's premier viewership was virtually identical to fellow CBS show "Person of Interest"'s debut from a year ago on the same night. Like "Last Resort" on ABC, "Elementary" is also an older viewer skewing show, with a 3.1 18-49 rating, but that is still enough young viewers to believe this show will last a full first year.
Sources:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/09/26/tv-ratings-tuesday-new-girl-returns-down-ncis-beats-the-voice-for-top-spot-the-mindy-project-vegas-ben-and-kate-premieres/150232/
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/09/28/tv-ratings-thursday-greys-anatomy-returns-up-big-bang-theory-steady-with-last-year-premieres-for-elementary-last-resort/150554/
FOX:
What I said last week:
""Ben and Kate" and "The Mindy Project" are two new female driven sitcoms debuting on FOX this season. Both have received critical acclaim, with "Mindy" taking an edge due to it having Mindy Kaling from "The Office" staring. I expect "Mindy" to succeed and recieve a full 22 episode season, but I find "Ben and Kate" to be another generic relationship sitcom, and those have not done well on broadcast television in recent years."
Now:
As I predicted, "Mindy" preformed better than "Ben and Kate", even though it had less support from FOX. "Ben and Kate" debuted in between two new episodes of "New Girl", a move common in the industry. While both episodes of "New Girl" had over 5 million viewers, "Ben and Kate" struggled to average over 4 million viewers. "Mindy", which aired after "New Girl" was over for the night, fared better with 4.75 million viewers, and also skewed towards a younger audience, which helps with advertisers. I still expect "Ben and Kate" to last only 13 episodes, and for "Mindy" to get a full 22 episode season.
ABC:
What I said last week:
""Last Resort" is this year's most critically acclaimed new drama. Staring Andre Braugher, a veteran of the TV industry, and created by Shawn Ryan, creator of "The Shield", a famous drama from the mid-2000s. This show will be in a tough timeslot, against "The Big Bang Theory", "The X Factor" and a few NBC sitcoms, and although it will be great, TV audiences avoid intelligent serialized dramas, including last year's "Awake" and Ryan's own "The Chicago Code" from a few years ago. I want this show to succeed, but I doubt it receives more than 13 episodes before being cancelled."
Now:
"Last Resort" had an uneven debut. It received 9 million viewers, about the same as "The X Factor" on the same night and time, but it skewed towards older viewers. It only received a 2.2 18-49 rating, meaning only 2.5 million of the 9 million viewers were in the target demographic. That number will likely drop in coming weeks and doesn't bode well for "Last Resort"'s future beyond 13 episodes.
CBS:
What I said last week:
""Elementary" is a new program that has divided the internet community. It is a modern interpretation of Sherlock Holmes, one that the fanbase is not proud of for two major reasons: For starters, there is "Sherlock" on BBC, a BAFTA winning drama that perfectly tells the tale of what Sherlock would be like in modern day times. Secondly, the creators of "Elementary" gave John Watson a sex change, and she is now Joan Watson, as played by Lucy Liu. Despite the hatred of the fanbase though, people are drawn to the Sherlock Holmes cannon, and this show will likely become a multi-year franchise for CBS, even if it has little to do with the classic Sherlock Holmes tales."
Now:
"Elementary" had a fantastic start for CBS. With 13 million viewers, it was the third most watched program, and the second most watched drama of the night (the other shows with more viewers than "Elementary" were also on CBS). It's premier viewership was virtually identical to fellow CBS show "Person of Interest"'s debut from a year ago on the same night. Like "Last Resort" on ABC, "Elementary" is also an older viewer skewing show, with a 3.1 18-49 rating, but that is still enough young viewers to believe this show will last a full first year.
Sources:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/09/26/tv-ratings-tuesday-new-girl-returns-down-ncis-beats-the-voice-for-top-spot-the-mindy-project-vegas-ben-and-kate-premieres/150232/
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/09/28/tv-ratings-thursday-greys-anatomy-returns-up-big-bang-theory-steady-with-last-year-premieres-for-elementary-last-resort/150554/
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Wednesday, September 26 Ratings
- 8pm
- NBC: Animal Practice (5.188)
- CBS: Survivor (10.158)
- FOX: The X Factor (9.446)
- ABC: The Middle (8.973)
- 8:30pm
- NBC: Guys With Kids (4.782)
- 9pm
- NBC: Law & Order: SVU (7.097)
- CBS: Criminal Minds (11.588)
- ABC: Modern Family (14.208)
- 9:30pm
- ABC: The Neighbors (9.276)
- 10pm
- CBS: CSI (10.658)
- ABC: Revenge (recap episode) (5.385)
ABC: Both "The Middle" and "Modern Family" dropped from last year, which is to be expected for shows entering their fourth year. New sitcom "The Neighbors" debuted decently with 9 million viewers. I expected the show to flop given it's about aliens, but with these ratings it could last until the Spring.
CBS: The premier of "Criminal Minds" was down far from last year, when it debuted to a 18-49 ratings average of 4.1, while this year it was down a full point to 3.1. That doesn't bode well towards the show's future beyond this year, and Criminal Minds could be winding down. CSI premiered to a 2.5 ratings point, but it's always been a show that skews older, as over 66% of it's audience is over 50 years old.
FOX: "The X Factor" earned a 3.3 rating points, down from last week's 3.6, and considerably down from last year when it was still averaging 4.0 ratings points. "Factor" is still lagging behind NBC;s "The Voice" in viewership.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Monday, September 24 Ratings
Starting with this blog post, I will be recording and reporting the daily TV ratings as they come in.
The numbers in the parentheses are the amount of viewers in millions.
On CBS, all the sitcoms fell in viewership from last year's premier, due to the lack of powerhouse anchor "Two And A Half Men", which will be on Thursday nights this year. "Hawaii Five-0" at 10pm has had the biggest drop off so far of a returning show.
On FOX, "Bones" fell from it's premier last week, but was rated higher than it's follow up, "The Mob Doctor", which is the least watched new show of the season, and likely to be cancelled in the coming weeks.
On ABC, "Dancing With The Stars" received less viewers than last year's start, as well as cult favorite show "Castle". Their respective drop off's were .8 and .7 of an 18-49 point. One 18-49 point represents 1,159,000 viewers in the key demographic.
The numbers in the parentheses are the amount of viewers in millions.
- 8pm
- NBC: The Voice (11.93)
- CBS: How I Met Your Mother (8.66)
- FOX: Bones (7.34)
- ABC: Dancing With The Stars (14.58)
- 8:30pm
- CBS: Partners (6.50)
- 9pm
- CBS: 2 Broke Girls (10.02)
- FOX: The Mob Doctor (3.96)
- 9:30pm
- CBS: Mike & Molly (9.31)
- 10pm
- NBC: Revolution (9.29)
- CBS: Hawaii Five-0 (7.97)
- ABC: 11.38 (11.38)
On CBS, all the sitcoms fell in viewership from last year's premier, due to the lack of powerhouse anchor "Two And A Half Men", which will be on Thursday nights this year. "Hawaii Five-0" at 10pm has had the biggest drop off so far of a returning show.
On FOX, "Bones" fell from it's premier last week, but was rated higher than it's follow up, "The Mob Doctor", which is the least watched new show of the season, and likely to be cancelled in the coming weeks.
On ABC, "Dancing With The Stars" received less viewers than last year's start, as well as cult favorite show "Castle". Their respective drop off's were .8 and .7 of an 18-49 point. One 18-49 point represents 1,159,000 viewers in the key demographic.
Monday, September 24, 2012
The TV Season Begins
After half a decade of being steamrolled over by the other networks, NBC is finally ready to rebound. After being the leading broadcast network in the 1990s, they fell to the bottom of the rankings in recent years, to the point where second tier netoworks like The CW and Univision have more viewers than NBC. However, NBC's luck seems to be turning around this season.
As I previously discussed, "The Voice", NBC's singing competition show, has been beating FOX's "The X Factor", a feat which was not expected among industry analysts. Even curiouser, last week NBC debuted "Revolution", a new drama from J.J. Abrams, the man behind "Lost" and "Fringe". "Revoultion" became the most watched drama debut since "V" back in 2009, with over 11 million viewers. Additionally, NBC has found unexpected success with "Go On", a new sitcom with Matthew Perry, which has started stronger than "New Girl" did on FOX last year.
So what is responsible for NBC's startling early season success? The Summer Olympics, which were the most watched games since 1996, provided incredible exposure to NBC's new programing, as they had exclusive coverage of the Olympics this year. The extra exposure, as well as moving "The Voice" to the Fall, has allowed for the new programming to be a success.
If the new shows are faring well though, why are NBC's old programs flopping? For the past couple years, NBC's most successful night has been Thursday, where it's stable lineup of comedies including "The Office" and "Parks and Recreation" have dominated. However, all their shows have fallen in their premiers. "Up All Night" lost 46% of viewers, "The Office" (entering it's final season now) lost 46% of viewers, and "Parks and Recreation" lost 19% of viewers. So while NBC is thriving unexpectedly early in the week, the night it once ruled is having the lowest viewer turnout. It will be interesting to see how NBC's flip floppy schedule turns out in the coming months.
Sources:
http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/08/olympics-final-ratings-most-watched-summer-games-since-1996.html
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/09/21/tv-ratings-thursday-the-office-parks-recreation-up-all-night-all-down-double-digits-the-x-factor-rises-glee-falls/149558/
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/09/18/monday-final-ratings-the-voice-adjusted-up-cma-music-festival-adjusted-down/149000/
As I previously discussed, "The Voice", NBC's singing competition show, has been beating FOX's "The X Factor", a feat which was not expected among industry analysts. Even curiouser, last week NBC debuted "Revolution", a new drama from J.J. Abrams, the man behind "Lost" and "Fringe". "Revoultion" became the most watched drama debut since "V" back in 2009, with over 11 million viewers. Additionally, NBC has found unexpected success with "Go On", a new sitcom with Matthew Perry, which has started stronger than "New Girl" did on FOX last year.
So what is responsible for NBC's startling early season success? The Summer Olympics, which were the most watched games since 1996, provided incredible exposure to NBC's new programing, as they had exclusive coverage of the Olympics this year. The extra exposure, as well as moving "The Voice" to the Fall, has allowed for the new programming to be a success.
If the new shows are faring well though, why are NBC's old programs flopping? For the past couple years, NBC's most successful night has been Thursday, where it's stable lineup of comedies including "The Office" and "Parks and Recreation" have dominated. However, all their shows have fallen in their premiers. "Up All Night" lost 46% of viewers, "The Office" (entering it's final season now) lost 46% of viewers, and "Parks and Recreation" lost 19% of viewers. So while NBC is thriving unexpectedly early in the week, the night it once ruled is having the lowest viewer turnout. It will be interesting to see how NBC's flip floppy schedule turns out in the coming months.
Sources:
http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/08/olympics-final-ratings-most-watched-summer-games-since-1996.html
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/09/21/tv-ratings-thursday-the-office-parks-recreation-up-all-night-all-down-double-digits-the-x-factor-rises-glee-falls/149558/
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/09/18/monday-final-ratings-the-voice-adjusted-up-cma-music-festival-adjusted-down/149000/
Thursday, September 20, 2012
The Highs and Lows of NBC
After half a decade of being steamrolled over by the other networks, NBC is finally ready to rebound. After being the leading broadcast network in the 1990s, they fell to the bottom of the rankings in recent years, to the point where second tier netoworks like The CW and Univision have more viewers than NBC. However, NBC's luck seems to be turning around this season.
As I previously discussed, "The Voice", NBC's singing competition show, has been beating FOX's "The X Factor", a feat which was not expected among industry analysts. Even curiouser, last week NBC debuted "Revolution", a new drama from J.J. Abrams, the man behind "Lost" and "Fringe". "Revoultion" became the most watched drama debut since "V" back in 2009, with over 11 million viewers. Additionally, NBC has found unexpected success with "Go On", a new sitcom with Matthew Perry, which has started stronger than "New Girl" did on FOX last year.
So what is responsible for NBC's startling early season success? The Summer Olympics, which were the most watched games since 1996, provided incredible exposure to NBC's new programing, as they had exclusive coverage of the Olympics this year. The extra exposure, as well as moving "The Voice" to the Fall, has allowed for the new programming to be a success.
If the new shows are faring well though, why are NBC's old programs flopping? For the past couple years, NBC's most successful night has been Thursday, where it's stable lineup of comedies including "The Office" and "Parks and Recreation" have dominated. However, all their shows have fallen in their premiers. "Up All Night" lost 46% of viewers, "The Office" (entering it's final season now) lost 46% of viewers, and "Parks and Recreation" lost 19% of viewers. So while NBC is thriving unexpectedly early in the week, the night it once ruled is having the lowest viewer turnout. It will be interesting to see how NBC's flip floppy schedule turns out in the coming months.
Sources:
http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/08/olympics-final-ratings-most-watched-summer-games-since-1996.html
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/09/21/tv-ratings-thursday-the-office-parks-recreation-up-all-night-all-down-double-digits-the-x-factor-rises-glee-falls/149558/
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/09/18/monday-final-ratings-the-voice-adjusted-up-cma-music-festival-adjusted-down/149000/
As I previously discussed, "The Voice", NBC's singing competition show, has been beating FOX's "The X Factor", a feat which was not expected among industry analysts. Even curiouser, last week NBC debuted "Revolution", a new drama from J.J. Abrams, the man behind "Lost" and "Fringe". "Revoultion" became the most watched drama debut since "V" back in 2009, with over 11 million viewers. Additionally, NBC has found unexpected success with "Go On", a new sitcom with Matthew Perry, which has started stronger than "New Girl" did on FOX last year.
So what is responsible for NBC's startling early season success? The Summer Olympics, which were the most watched games since 1996, provided incredible exposure to NBC's new programing, as they had exclusive coverage of the Olympics this year. The extra exposure, as well as moving "The Voice" to the Fall, has allowed for the new programming to be a success.
If the new shows are faring well though, why are NBC's old programs flopping? For the past couple years, NBC's most successful night has been Thursday, where it's stable lineup of comedies including "The Office" and "Parks and Recreation" have dominated. However, all their shows have fallen in their premiers. "Up All Night" lost 46% of viewers, "The Office" (entering it's final season now) lost 46% of viewers, and "Parks and Recreation" lost 19% of viewers. So while NBC is thriving unexpectedly early in the week, the night it once ruled is having the lowest viewer turnout. It will be interesting to see how NBC's flip floppy schedule turns out in the coming months.
Sources:
http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/08/olympics-final-ratings-most-watched-summer-games-since-1996.html
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/09/21/tv-ratings-thursday-the-office-parks-recreation-up-all-night-all-down-double-digits-the-x-factor-rises-glee-falls/149558/
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/09/18/monday-final-ratings-the-voice-adjusted-up-cma-music-festival-adjusted-down/149000/
Monday, September 17, 2012
The Voice vs The X Factor
Since it's debut a few years ago, The Voice has become the second most watched singing talent show on television, and has been a huge success for the struggling NBC. For the first time though, The Voice is airing a cycle in the fall, and is against The X Factor, with Simon Cowell. So which show did the viewers flock to?
Many industry analysts expected The Voice to flop, given that it was just on TV a few months ago. They also expected The X Factor to improve over it's lukewarm debut last year, thanks to the inclusion of Britney Spears, who signed a $15 million dollar contract to be a judge on The X Factor.
The Voice aired three times last week, on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. On Monday, 12.3 million viewers tuned in, and 11.4 million watched on Tuesday. Both of these numbers were in line with industry expectations. They are great numbers for NBC, but below the American Idol average.
On Wednesday, The Voice aired directly against The X Factor. Analysts expected The X Factor to beat The Voice, given that Factor now had Britney Spears to boost ratings, and Voice would be having fatigue of being aired for the third night in a row. So how did the ratings pan out?
The Voice won the head to head battle. It received 10.7 million viewers, compared to The X Factor's 8.5 million viewers. Additionally, The X Factor's premier was down 25% from the previous year. It seems Britney Spears turned viewers away from, and not towards the Factor. Needless to say, Simon Cowell can not be happy being beaten by NBC and recieving 1/3 of the viewership he had from American Idol.
Round 1 goes to NBC.
Many industry analysts expected The Voice to flop, given that it was just on TV a few months ago. They also expected The X Factor to improve over it's lukewarm debut last year, thanks to the inclusion of Britney Spears, who signed a $15 million dollar contract to be a judge on The X Factor.
The Voice aired three times last week, on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. On Monday, 12.3 million viewers tuned in, and 11.4 million watched on Tuesday. Both of these numbers were in line with industry expectations. They are great numbers for NBC, but below the American Idol average.
On Wednesday, The Voice aired directly against The X Factor. Analysts expected The X Factor to beat The Voice, given that Factor now had Britney Spears to boost ratings, and Voice would be having fatigue of being aired for the third night in a row. So how did the ratings pan out?
The Voice won the head to head battle. It received 10.7 million viewers, compared to The X Factor's 8.5 million viewers. Additionally, The X Factor's premier was down 25% from the previous year. It seems Britney Spears turned viewers away from, and not towards the Factor. Needless to say, Simon Cowell can not be happy being beaten by NBC and recieving 1/3 of the viewership he had from American Idol.
Round 1 goes to NBC.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Welcome To The Blog!
The focus on this blog would be to report and analyze the daily primetime television ratings among the major broadcast networks in America. Ratings determine a shows fate, and are the best indicator of if a show will be cancelled or renewed. The Fall TV season will debut dozens of new shows and will run parallel to the Fall 2012 semester, giving great timing for this blog.
This blog will cover television ratings to encompass all the networks, all days of the week. With new ratings being reported daily, I will be posting daily recaps and analysis, along with an end of the week recap, and any breaking news that has to do with show cancellations, including season extensions and cancellations. My predicted output is at least 6 blog posts a week.
As for me, I am an avid television watcher, and follow all sorts of TV shows. Comedy, drama, sci-fi, if it's on TV, I'm following it. I've been tracking ratings for years, and want to convey their importance in a way that's directed at other TV watchers like myself, instead of businessmen and executives.
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