Another broadcast primetime season has the networks looking at more declines in viewership, and the rosy stories in the middle of the first week by the TV media are looking even sillier now.
Through 2 weeks of the 2009-10 season (ending October 4), only Fox is ahead in the major adult demographic groups that pay the bills at the broadcast networks. Fox's demo gains range from 11-19% in the adult demos, as it finally seems to have programmed its Fall with more than a throw away mentality. Still, the baseball playoffs will make or break their fall comparisons with last season, and while the early matchups look good, long series matter a lot more to ratings than matchups. As Robert aptly points out, 7 games of the Rockies vs. Twins is better than 4 games of the Dodgers vs. Yankees for Fox's ratings.
CBS is up vs. last season in average viewership, but has now slipped negative in all the main adult demo groups by 3-5%. ABC behind last season across the board by 4-8%. NBC (down 9-15% in the adult demos) and the CW (down 7-18%) are both just getting crushed. And that's even with the CW's automatic boost to its seasonal ratings averages just by dumping Sunday nights.
No more MyNetworkTV in our network ratings averages, since they are now being rated as a "programming service" only. The data source I am using for the season to season comparison this week doesn't include Univision numbers as previously. I may be able to get them from another source, but for the time being, no Univision either.
Our chart shows broadcast network prime-time season to date average prime-time viewership for the 2009-10 season compared to the 2008-9 season.
Nielsen TV Ratings Data: ©2009 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
Thats sad because Fox has no good shows except for Glee and Family Guy
Quite impressing. Fox may lack the viewers, but they certainly do have the demos.
Robert & Bill-
Kinda off topic, but not really. The once informative tv.com (seriously, what the crap happened to that site?!) had you in one of their blurbs:
http://www.tv.com/news-briefs-greys-anatomy-himym-the-simpsons-and-bored-to-death/story/18681.html?tag=;
Very interesting how ABC and NBC’s overall rate of viewership declines are similar (-4% and -5% respectively), and yet NBC’s rate of demo declines are *double* what ABC’s are. That’s gotta be mostly Jay Leno related….
You know, that is a lovely, serene picture of the cliff the demos are tumbling over. Makes me want to sit and meditate on the zen of ratings demos in prime time…. ooooooooooohhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Well, can’t say I am surprised, though. Between cable channels offering original, quality programming, a writer’s strike in recent history that reminded folks there are other things to do than watch television in general, and expenses going up while ratings for the networks in general going down, my only question is when, not if, someone other than CBS, Fox, ABC, or NBC is going to be the #1 network for the year. That milestone is probably still down the road a bit, but maybe not as far as believed (although if the CW somehow manages that feat I’m buying a Powerball ticket on the way to the 4th game of the World Series to watch the Cubs sweep the Yankees.
I would be more interested in seeing the NBC numbers sans Leno. I think that would give a better comparison to last year since the goal of Leno was never ratings.
It seems to me that twentysomethings do not know how to change the channel considering the ratings FOX always gets in the 18-34 demo.
Wow – there have just been some spectacularily bad decisions combined with the splintering of viewership to make this a really ho-hum season. I don’t get what the problem is w/ ABC but NBC — well its just unbelievable. I’m surprised about CBS.
What happens to the numbers at CBS & ABC (and NBC, I guess to be fair) if you factor out 10 o’clock programming altogether? And just compare the 8-10 block?
There’s no excuse for the CW. I am deeply invested in them staying in business long enough for Supernatural to finish its run but wow — let the interns do the programming for college credit or something and call it a bold new format for nuturing the buisness workshop or something because then it would at least be less embarrassing.
Except for SN and, God help me, the Vampire Diaries, all my newest favorite shows are on cable — Burn Notice, Leverage, Psych(just caught up to that on DVD) Sons of Anarchy, True Blood. I still watch a lot of TV. Just not so much on the networks. And in a bit of irony — most of the shows on Network that I do like seem to be the ones that are always on the bubble, for example – Lie To Me, Chuck, Castle . . . .
thanks CBS for back 9 of NCIS LA and Good wife
Jim- I would say its the twentysomethings who watch CBS who can’t change the channel. I don’t get how CBS is #1 and I don’t watch ONE show on that network. And I watch a fair amount of television! All CBS offers is shows like CSI or NCIS and sitcoms. The problem with these shows is that the same thing happens in every episode! Watch an episode of CSI and tell me if it doesn’t fit this scenerio: They find dead body, they do DNA stuff, they interview suspects, they find out who really did it, and the killer makes an emotional confession, then cue the crappy music of the week. Am I wrong? I think not.
nothing wrong with that i am 26 and dont have an issue with CBS i actaully like Crime dramas and there sitcomes
“most of the shows on Network that I do like seem to be the ones that are always on the bubble, for example – Lie To Me, Chuck, Castle . . .”
Ain’t it the truth. I’m still in mourning for Eleventh Hour.
Don’t worry, the “consortium” the networks are setting up will soon report MUCH better numbers.
Just kidding, of course. The consortium is a joke.
Cbs is draged down by Sunday nights
Most of the shows I watch are on cable except for the doomed Dollhouse, Fringe, Vampire Diaries (which I’m finding to be mildly enjoyable and not the total joke I thought it might be, despite all the pathetic teen angst – at least Nina Dobrev’s character is half intelligent compared to her equivalent in the Twilight movie), and Eastwick (which is starting off rather slowly and chaotically – if it weren’t for Rebecca Romijn and Lindsay Price it would be a disaster).
Actually, looking at the list, broadcast network shows are at least half what I watch at all, and since most of the cable shows are off due to their “split season” nonsense, it’s mostly broadcast I’m watching at the moment. Which is why I’m glad Sanctuary is returning to SyFy on Friday.
@Mel, re “There’s no excuse for the CW… let the interns do the programming for college credit or something and call it a bold new format for nurturing the business workshop…”
That’s an inspired idea. Let the people in the demo program for the demo and see what happens. It could not be much worse than it is now for the Crushed Weekly (CW) network and, who knows, maybe this generation’s mega-showrunners could springboard from here? If nothing else, it would be an interesting experiment to watch innovation at work.
I don’t know, Fox has several that are significant ratings success. “House” is typically one of the largest draws in a week. “Glee” is off to a very good start, and there is potential in that show to do things few other shows have out there.. “Glee” is a marketers dream program. “Bones” while below the network average, is providing better support for Fox on Thursday night then they have had in years and help stabilize the night, and Fringe takes on one of the most competitive slots in network TV and also improves year over year.
Fox’s Sunday night programming, with their animation block is one of the most consistent performers year after year. While other networks have significant aging in their demos and falling ratings, Fox continues to have a solid lineup there.
Fox uses less reality programming then other networks, and what it does use finds solid demos across the board. And, because it isn’t using a ton of reality TV, or dragging it out, it is seems more “fresh”.
And a reality check, if Fox can bump it’s Friday nights by a very reasonable margin, Fox will be off to the races in locking up some of the most valuable ad space in the market, because it will offer significant value on every night of the week. That’s a position no other network can claim.
I think what’s surprising people is that Fox is still very active in the development end, and still looking at unique properties, despite a really packed schedule.
Let’s face it, as it sits right now, major talent wants to be in a good position with Fox or CBS. Both networks will simply offer them more eyeballs and because of their ratings positions are more interested in taking chances that they think may pay off. While everyone glows about “Glee” there is almost no way ABC or NBC would take a chance on a show that’s prospectus seems “risky”. NBC is far more likely to go after procedurals, filling holes with look-alike programming. ER goes away, Trauma comes in. Law & Order may be winding down, let’s hope Southland and another cop show coming up may hold favor. Heroes, despite falling ratings, is going nowhere because although it’s falling, it’s still near the top for NBC in hitting it’s demos, and to be frank, the cupboard is pretty bare at NBC, they don’t have mid-season replacements that score well enough to be rushed up. “Parenthood” can’t get casting done and will likely get pushed if it goes anywhere. “Persons Unknown” is now in creative limbo, “Celebrity Apprentice” will come back but isn’t a ratings blockbuster “Chuck” will need to find an audience, and it will likely fill in for a failed Monday spot as it looks now, “Friday Night Lights” will fill a spot and may be a ratings improvement. Honestly, if NBC realized they’d have to back out “Parenthood” and move around their schedule, I think they would have had serious second thoughts on letting go “Medium”.
It’s going to be interesting. What’s funny is Zucker proclaiming “year around programming” and yet, the only one putting on a fully original slate in the summer is Fox, with CBS planning to follow suit.
Unless you count “Kings”, and I don’t.
Chris, you have a good point. Fox is definitely the most creative out of the networks. I mean, they easily have the most variety. Sure, they have formulaic medical dramas like House and reality competition shows like So You Think You Can Dance, but they also have a lot of shows that the other networks wouldn’t touch, like Glee, Dollhouse, and the Sunday animated comedies. I mean, when’s the last time any other network aired any type of animated show? Yet, Fox consistently makes it work.
And it’s amazing that Dollhouse would have been cancelled if it were on any other network, yet Fox renewed it despite its low ratings and Fox still manages to come out on top. Maybe that’s the problem with the other networks. They don’t want to give anything a chance and are so determined to win the ratings game that they lose their creative spark.
Mike, Mel, these averages are calculated by Nielsen, not me. To calculate anything special like 8-10pm averages, or NBC sans Leno averages, over a multiple week period for two seasons (so that they could be compared) is way beyond what I’m interested in doing
John K, CBS is 4th among the most standard “youth” demo we see (adults 18-34) so far this season.
Looks like network tv is continuing the trend of slowly dying. Compared to the market power they had in the 80s and 90s, the big companies are in pretty sad shape. It’s only get worse each year.