Comments on: Ratings Friday, September 12: Fox Reality Rules

By: Bill Gorman

Bill Gorman — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:16:45 +0000

Christian, these fast affiliate overnight ratings simply measure the viewership for the network affiliates during those time periods on that night in their particular time zones.

So I believe the way it will work is that the LA viewers that in the overnights were attributed to the various shows during primetime will end up being removed from the final show numbers we see on a weekly basis on Tuesdays (but paying customers may see much earlier, so they can show up in the press earlier as well).

By: Christian

Christian — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 07:58:55 +0000

Here in L.A., ABC aired a breaking news coverage of the really horrible train collision. How would that affect the numbers in the finals?

By: Rhuw Morgan

Rhuw Morgan — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 06:56:31 +0000

@Em I think CBS are trying to get a bunch of new viewers to watch The Ex List as everything else they’ve tried doesnt work; The Sci-Fi/Fantasy viewers of Ghost Whisperer don’t continue watching similary themed shows like Moonlight or Threshold, similary the procedural viewers of Numb3rs also don’t watch a legal show like Close to Home there. The Ex-List does seem like an odd fit (not really aimed at a cult audience or a procedural viewer), and I doubt if it will succeed. I wouldn’t be surprised seeing either newcomer Harper’s Island or the remaining episodes of Flashpoint in this slot come mid-season.

By: xerxes

xerxes — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 03:36:51 +0000

Miss Swingtown. (

By: Holly

Holly — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 02:29:38 +0000

The numbers for Lyrics and 5th Grader are going to have to get better for them to be the big shows of the night. Their numbers right now aren’t beating repeats by much, even in the demo, and won’t beat what first run shows will get.

By: Wopa

Wopa — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 02:25:50 +0000

Fridays in the fall will be interesting

FOX has a powerful duo with their gameshows.
CBS with their usual dramas and the DOA Ex-List
NBC has Crusoe and DOND
ABC has Supernanny/Wifeswap who I think will challenge CBS for #1.

By: Em

Em — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 01:58:05 +0000

I find it hard to believe that a TV executive would think that the same audience that would watch a genre show like Moonlight would also find the Ex-List appealing. I realize part of the issue is that I’m not sure who the target is for the Ex-List. But if the contention is that Moonlight didn’t draw the coveted demo in high enough numbers to go for season two then wouldn’t they want new blood (sorry, pun intended) for the new show? At this point if they really wanted to keep the same Moonlight viewers for the Ex-List then they should have put that show on in another time slot / night. Why poke a stick into a bee hive? Or have I got this all wrong?

By: Bill Gorman

Bill Gorman — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 23:33:45 +0000

Fox, and ABC, NBC and CBS (Moonves protests notwithstanding), really care about adults 18-49 and profits. Viewers are more a bragging rights token than a programming objective.

If Fox can post competitive 18-49 results on Fridays with those two shows they’ll be very happy. They had to go somewhere and their slots on Thursday were taken by the much stronger Kitchen Nightmares and the (at one point stonger, but now questionable) Moment of Truth.

I think those shifts by Fox were a reasonable strategy for maximizing their weekly 18-49 audience which is what matters.

By: Paul

Paul — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 23:20:15 +0000

In a few weeks i think Fox will regret the move because if a rerun of Ghost Whisperer bet Don’t forget the lyrics in terms of viewers then i’m certain CBS will be the no 1 network on Fridays but NBC has a bit of a dark horse with Dateline, some weeks it has modest viewership and others it has really good viewership. I am curious to see if Moonlight fans boycott the CBS 9pm hour (Vacated by the Ex-list i think)