In the ratings that actually determine how much the networks get paid, C3 commercial ratings that measure average commercial viewing within 3 days of airdate, Fox is the only broadcast network among the top 4 ahead vs. last season. And among the most important adults 18-49 demographic, CBS and ABC have lost the same % of their C3 ratings vs. last season, and NBC's been crushed.
Unfortunately, we don't see information on C3 commercial ratings regularly, and while in our experience the Live+SD program ratings for most shows are a very good substitute, actual C3 ratings would be even better.
Source: CBS presentation to UBS 37th Annual Global Media and Communications Conference
I’m curious as to why CBS would be using this slide in their presentation. “At least we’re doing better than NBC!”
Julia, the presentation was titled “Outlook For The Broadcast Networks,” and current actual results are a part of that outlook!
ABC is down based on Live + SD ratings in 18-49 more than CBS is correct? But if they are down the same in C3 does that mean that more people watch commercials on ABC shows compared to CBS?
Julia, and it was a 128 slide presentation, so this might have been on screen for just seconds
CSM, since this measures the change from last season to this season, its safe to say that the relative commercial watching tendencies of CBS viewers have fallen more than those for ABC viewers.
Thanks Bill – that’s what I thought but wasn’t sure if that was the right way to think about it. I wonder if ABC’s relative lower drop has to do with their experimenting with commercial break length and mixing it up. I had read an article someplace (can’t remember if it was here or not) that they were going to be shortening breaks while lengthening others and it wouldn’t be the same every week (same total overall of course). I have noticed it on the ABC shows I watch, I still fast forward thru them, but I guess some people might not.
This discussion in interesting with everyone debating between who is the worst of the heritage networks. The point is nothing is going to change it is going to continue to head downward for them. The 3 heritage networks feature warm milk toast programs and warm milk toast news. People want shows that stand for something, that have some value or opinion.
If you try to please everyone in the end you please few. People may not agree with Fox News Channel and Fox network programs but the are bold, challenging, and inventing for the most part, and people are watching them. It is a trend that will continue in my opinion. The Dale Carnegie mindset in TV programming and news is a dinosaur.
i think americans are starting to realize how little freedom they have left and how little time remains for them to get it back… maybe they no longer watch the legacy news programs because it doesn’t bring them anything of value – someone else said warm milk and cookies – whereas Fox brings the news that matters even if it’s uncomfortable. take the safe school czar for instance… you haven’t heard anything on the legacy news media but the white house appointed a homosexual activist that allowed statutory rape to continue in one instance and who’s group GSLEN handed out vulgar material to 14 yr olds and gave out Gay Bar guides to 17 year olds in Boston… seriously horrid stuff but not being covered….
legacy news – ignore what’s happening at your peril!!!
I’ve never understood the age demo breakpoints…
How can P2+’s be down by so little when the 18-49′s and 25-54′s are down by so much?
What age demo is not included in 18-25-49-54 that could pull the P2+ average up?
Are <18's and 54+'s watching that much bcast TV? All of a sudden?
Considering that Fox only programs 2 hours of primetime, how would their numbers looks if they had to program for 3 hours like the other 3 major nets?
AniMatsuri, Fox certainly gains some “average” advantage by not programming the 10pm hour. I ran some numbers in early 2008, but there was a lot of guesswork involved, as there would be with anything like that.
And if you’re a TV network, you stand to produce more revenue by getting good ratings in 22 hours of primetime vs. the same ratings in 15, so the 15 hours isn’t a positive for the business itself.
Of course, programming fewer hours doesn’t automatically equal success. The CW only programs 10.