Despite True Blood's 9pm season two premiere averaging 3.7 million viewers, we almost didn't see the data in the weekly Nielsen cable top forty. Why? Because Nielsen sorts that list by household rating, not viewers, and with a 2.1 household rating, it was the 36th highest-rated cable show for the week. But, when it came to viewers, with 3.7 million it was the 18th most-watched cable airing of the week.
The lower household rating is not surprising in general for HBO. Because it's a premium subscription channel, it winds up being available in fewer than 1/3rd of the homes in the USA. The reason for its household ranking being 36th and its viewing ranking being 18th is simple. Relative to most other shows, there were more people per household watching it.
In fact, outside of WWE Raw with 1.55 viewers per household, True Blood had the highest viewers per household of any other show in the top forty with 1.51 viewers per household. For some comparisons, Royal Pains had 1.39 viewers per household. While The Closer with 1.33 viewers per household and In Plain Sight with 1.29 viewers per household, were more solitary pursuits.
Below is the weekly top 20 with some different information than we normally include, including the number of homes (HH Live+SD AA) household rating (Live+SD US AA%), and the average viewers per household. The Parent Trap (1.50) and Deadliest Catch (1.46) seemed comparatively more family-friendly.
| PROGRAMS | NET | DAY(S) | S TIME | HH Live+SD AA(000) | Live+SD US AA% | P2+ Live+SD AA(000) | Viewers per Household |
| CLOSER, THE | TNT | MONDAY | 9:00 PM | 5349 | 4.7 | 7139 | 1.33 |
| WWE Entertainment (WWE Raw) | USA | MONDAY | 10:00 PM | 3832 | 3.3 | 5935 | 1.55 |
| Royal Pains | USA | THURSDAY | 10:00 PM | 4022 | 3.5 | 5590 | 1.39 |
| NASCAR POST RACE SHOW | TNT | SUNDAY | 4:58 PM | 3950 | 3.4 | 5531 | 1.40 |
| Burn Notice | USA | THURSDAY | 9:00 PM | 3876 | 3.4 | 5242 | 1.35 |
| SPRINT CUP RACNG/MICHIGAN | TNT | SUNDAY | 1:59 PM | 3754 | 3.3 | 5118 | 1.36 |
| WWE Entertainment (WWE Raw) | USA | MONDAY | 9:00 PM | 3274 | 2.9 | 4873 | 1.49 |
| IN PLAIN SIGHT | USA | SUNDAY | 10:00 PM | 3312 | 2.9 | 4271 | 1.29 |
| JON & Kate Plus 8(S)-06/08/2009 | TLC | MONDAY | 9:00 PM | 3262 | 2.8 | 4252 | 1.30 |
| DEADLIEST CATCH | DISC | TUESDAY | 9:00 PM | 2878 | 2.5 | 4189 | 1.46 |
| LAW & ORDER: CI (ORIG) | USA | SUNDAY | 9:00 PM | 3187 | 2.8 | 4141 | 1.30 |
| PARENT TRAP, THE (1998) | DSNY | THURSDAY | 8:00 PM | 2740 | 2.4 | 4119 | 1.50 |
| NCIS | USA | WEDNESDAY | 9:00 PM | 2946 | 2.6 | 3812 | 1.29 |
| NCIS | USA | SATURDAY | 10:00 PM | 2988 | 2.6 | 3781 | 1.27 |
| AMC PREMIERE EVENT (LONESOME DOVE PT 3&4) | AMC | SUNDAY | 8:00 PM | 2680 | 2.3 | 3745 | 1.40 |
| NCIS | USA | SATURDAY | 9:00 PM | 2811 | 2.5 | 3723 | 1.32 |
| Army Wives | LIF | SUNDAY | 10:00 PM | 3079 | 2.7 | 3710 | 1.20 |
| True Blood | HBOM | SUNDAY | 9:00 PM | 2454 | 2.1 | 3700 | 1.51 |
| NCIS | USA | SATURDAY | 7:00 PM | 2752 | 2.4 | 3683 | 1.34 |
| NCIS | USA | SATURDAY | 8:00 PM | 2733 | 2.4 | 3669 | 1.34 |
| PROGRAMS | NET | DAY(S) | S TIME | HH Live+SD AA(000) | Live+SD US AA% | P2+ Live+SD AA(000) | Viewers per Household |
| CLOSER, THE | TNT | MONDAY | 9:00 PM | 5349 | 4.7 | 7139 | 1.33 |
| WWE Entertainment (WWE Raw) | USA | MONDAY | 10:00 PM | 3832 | 3.3 | 5935 | 1.55 |
| Royal Pains | USA | THURSDAY | 10:00 PM | 4022 | 3.5 | 5590 | 1.39 |
| NASCAR POST RACE SHOW | TNT | SUNDAY | 4:58 PM | 3950 | 3.4 | 5531 | 1.40 |
| Burn Notice | USA | THURSDAY | 9:00 PM | 3876 | 3.4 | 5242 | 1.35 |
| SPRINT CUP RACNG/MICHIGAN | TNT | SUNDAY | 1:59 PM | 3754 | 3.3 | 5118 | 1.36 |
| WWE Entertainment (WWE Raw) | USA | MONDAY | 9:00 PM | 3274 | 2.9 | 4873 | 1.49 |
| IN PLAIN SIGHT | USA | SUNDAY | 10:00 PM | 3312 | 2.9 | 4271 | 1.29 |
| JON & Kate Plus 8(S)-06/08/2009 | TLC | MONDAY | 9:00 PM | 3262 | 2.8 | 4252 | 1.30 |
| DEADLIEST CATCH | DISC | TUESDAY | 9:00 PM | 2878 | 2.5 | 4189 | 1.46 |
| LAW & ORDER: CI (ORIG) | USA | SUNDAY | 9:00 PM | 3187 | 2.8 | 4141 | 1.30 |
| PARENT TRAP, THE (1998) | DSNY | THURSDAY | 8:00 PM | 2740 | 2.4 | 4119 | 1.50 |
| NCIS | USA | WEDNESDAY | 9:00 PM | 2946 | 2.6 | 3812 | 1.29 |
| NCIS | USA | SATURDAY | 10:00 PM | 2988 | 2.6 | 3781 | 1.27 |
| AMC PREMIERE EVENT (LONESOME DOVE PT 3&4) | AMC | SUNDAY | 8:00 PM | 2680 | 2.3 | 3745 | 1.40 |
| NCIS | USA | SATURDAY | 9:00 PM | 2811 | 2.5 | 3723 | 1.32 |
| Army Wives | LIF | SUNDAY | 10:00 PM | 3079 | 2.7 | 3710 | 1.20 |
| True Blood | HBOM | SUNDAY | 9:00 PM | 2454 | 2.1 | 3700 | 1.51 |
| NCIS | USA | SATURDAY | 7:00 PM | 2752 | 2.4 | 3683 | 1.34 |
| NCIS | USA | SATURDAY | 8:00 PM | 2733 | 2.4 | 3669 | 1.34 |
good show for me and my kids, one 7 year old boy and 10 year old girl + 1 cat
Wait, isn’t the show filled with sex/nudity and gore/murder? I haven’t seen it, but that’s what I’ve heard…
Perhaps more accurately is that it is a more “couples friendly” show. The only thing I can say for sure is that relative to other shows, more people per household are watching. Based on anecdotal data of the comments there seems to some “there will be no play, unless you stay (and watch)” blackmail issues among some couples.
what was the show in the top 40 with the lowest viewers per household?
Cullen a Sunday 4pm airing of Law & Order: SVU with 1.19.
It better NOT be a family affair. A lot of the people I discuss it with watch with their spouses, so that’s probably why the average is high. Still, it being closer to two, wouldn’t that suggest more people are viewing it in couples than by themselves? That’s very surprising to me.
Considering there’s pretty much a naked Anna Paquin a week, i’d hope families aren’t watching True Blood together. Lol.
You’d be surprised how many parents really don’t care if their fifteen-year-old sees somebody naked. I mean, really, this IS the 21st Century, not the 19th.
Today, ten year olds know damn well what naked people do.
I’m reminded of the story about how Jodie Foster had to have a psychological evaluation before the State of California would allow her to play the prostitute in “Taxi Driver”. Her mother raised hell with the Labor Board and hired former CA governor Edmund Brown to represent her. Brown got the psych eval and the psychologist said Jodie was smart and mature and wouldn’t be harmed by the experience. Later, she said it was ridiculous since every girl her age (13 at the time) in the Valley knew what prostitutes did. But political correctness is more important than the reality of what teenagers and even pre-teens know.