| Scoreboard |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rating/Share: Adults 18-49 | 1.4/5 | 1.1/4 | 1.0/4 | 0.7/3 | 0.5/2 |
| Total Viewers (million) | 4.53 | 4.64 | 5.18 | 2.33 | 1.29 |
It says a lot about ABC's "serious" approach to this summer, when a repeat of Primetime: What Would You Do? did as well on Friday in the adults 18-49 ratings as Rookie Blue did on Thursday. Perhaps reality was the better summer alternative?
For those keeping score at home both the Primetime:WWYD repeat and Rookie Blue had 1.6 adults 18-49 ratings in the fast affiliate report, although Rookie Blue was later adjusted down to a 1.5 final rating.
No other surprises in original programming on Friday night as Wife Swap, Friday Night Lights, Flashpoint, Dateline and 20/20 did about as well (or badly, depending on your perspective) as they typically have done this summer.
via NBC press note:
In Late-Night Metered Markets Friday night:
- In Nielsen's 56 metered markets, household results were: "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," 3.2/7; CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman," 2.1/5 with an encore; and ABC's "Nightline," 2.9/6; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 1.4/4 with an encore.
- In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, adult 18-49 results were: “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” 1.0/4; "Late Show," 0.6/3 with an encore; "Nightline," 1.0/4; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 0.6/3 with an encore.
- At 12:35 a.m., "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" (1.4/4 in metered-market households with an encore) beat CBS's "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" (1.1/4 with an encore). In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Late Night" (0.6/3 in 18-49 with an encore) topped "Late Late Show" (0.4/2 with an encore).
- At 1:35 a.m., Last Call with Carson Daly" averaged a 0.9/3 in metered-market households with an encore and a 0.4/3 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.
| Time | Net | Show | 18-49 Rating | 18-49 Share | Viewers Live+SD (Millons) |
| 8:00 | ABC | Wife Swap | 1.1 | 4 | 3.52 |
| NBC | Friday Night Lights | 1.0 | 4 | 3.66 | |
| FOX | House (repeat) | 0.9 | 4 | 2.92 | |
| CBS | Medium (repeat) | 0.6 | 3 | 3.62 | |
| CW | Smallville (repeat) | 0.5 | 2 | 1.40 | |
| 9:00 | ABC | Primetime: What Would You Do? (repeat) | 1.6 | 6 | 4.72 |
| NBC | Dateline NBC (9-11p) | 1.2 | 4 | 5.13 | |
| CBS | Flashpoint | 1.1 | 4 | 5.81 | |
| FOX | The Good Guys (repeat) | 0.5 | 2 | 1.40 | |
| CW | Supernatural (repeat) | 0.4 | 2 | 1.18 | |
| 10:00 | ABC | 20/20 | 1.4 | 5 | 5.35 |
| CBS | Flashpoint | 1.2 | 4 | 6.10 |
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You can see TV ratings from other recent Overnight ratings reports here.
Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2010 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved. Source: Marc Berman/Mediaweek.
Definitions:
Fast Affiliate Ratings: These first national ratings, including demographics, are available at approximately 11 AM (ET) the day after telecast, and are released to subscribing customers daily. These data, from the National People Meter sample, are strictly time-period information, based on the normal broadcast network feed, and include all programming on the affiliated stations, sometimes including network programming, sometimes not. The figures may include stations that did not air the entire network feed, as well as local news breaks or cutaways for local coverage or other programming. Fast Affiliate ratings are not as useful for live programs and are likely to differ significantly from the final results, because the data reflect normal broadcast feed patterns. For example, with a World Series game, Fast Affiliate Ratings would include whatever aired from 8-11PM on affiliates in the Pacific Time Zone, following the live football game, but not game coverage that begins at 5PM PT. The same would be true of Presidential debates as well as live award shows and breaking news reports.
Rating: Estimated percentage of the universe of TV households (or other specified group) tuned to a program in the average minute. Ratings are expressed as a percent.
Share (of Audience): The percent of households (or persons) using television who are tuned to a specific program, station or network in a specific area at a specific time. (See also, Rating, which represents tuning or viewing as a percent of the entire population being measured.)
Time Shifted Viewing – Program ratings for national sources are produced in three streams of data – Live, Live+Same Day (Live+SD) and Live+7 Day. Time shifted figures account for incremental viewing that takes place with DVRs which are currently in approximately 24.4% of all U.S. TV households. Live+Same Day (Live+SD) include viewing during the same broadcast day as the original telecast, with a cut-off of 3:00AM local time when meters transmit daily viewing to Nielsen for processing. Live+7 Day ratings include incremental viewing that takes place during the 7 days following a telecast.
For more information see Numbers 101 and Numbers 102.
It was so great to see “Changing Channels” again on Supernatural. Amazing episode.
I wonder if Joe Biden gave the Tonight Show a bump on Friday.
Another abysmal Friday evening I see.
-It's kind of embarrassing that a repeat of a “newsertainment” show, (that I would imagine would have no repeat viewers given the nature of the show itself) would beat the “best of the worst”, of ABC's summer scripted offerings.
-I have not seen ABC showing Rooking Blue the same commercial love lately as they have for Scoundrels and The Gates. I would not get too attached to any of them, their expiration dates are clearly stamped on their cartons.
In defense of “Rookie Blue's” #s on Thursday, perhaps it bears mention that it was up against the LeBron program on ESPN that drew a 7.3 overnight rating, a huge number in the context of the summer 2010 viewing audience. It will be interesting to see if RB bounces back next week.
When it comes to the numbers for “Primetime: What Would You Do?” I think the relevant comparison is how weakly “Flashpoint” performed (at both 9 p.m. and 10 p.m., for that matter).
Larry, I believe you are the second in our comments to cover the “LeBron Decision hurt Rookie Blue” bingo card square that I anticipated on Thursday night.
http://twitter.com/TVbytheNumbers/status/180832…
The and the comparison was meant to be intra-ABC. Since they were “serious” in programming scripted shows. The best of which was tied this week by the repeat of an unscripted show.
Hahaha Smallville did extremely well.. This is a repeat high for the past few weeks, I believe?
Hey Larry, Bill kind of beat me to the punch here. I'll just add ABC was down for the night across the board from 8pm-11pm.
Were there people who watched the two previous episodes of Rookie Blue who instead tuned into the celebration of Lebron's ego? Yes. Did this happen en masse? No.
I would be willing to say Rookie Blue does see an increase of 3 or 4% next week (nothing like the 11+% it dropped) after all my DVR tells me “Andy goes undercover as a prostitute”. We all know what an original and underused police show premise that is.
-Your point about Flashpoint is very well taken and under discussed.
Have a nice weekend
I don't think it's ridiculous to think “SYTYCD appeals to women more then men” and therefore wonder if Rookie Blue got disproportionately hit versus SYTYCD, but unless Lebron appealed overwhelmingly to the “women 18-49 who like Cop shows but not dancing shows” demographic (sadly, an unmeasured demographic by Nielsen) there's no chance Rookie Blue can blame “The Decision”.
Indeed, SYTYCD skews heavily female, and it actually took a bigger hit with Men 18-49 week over week than Rookie Blue did. Most of Rookie Blue's drop came from women 18-49 bailing out.
Well let's all hate on ABC for trying to provide new programming during the summer. At least they tried. All of this mocking it is absurd. So it didn't work. At least give them credit for trying to give us something new to watch instead of just repeats. I don't see the other networks attempting it.
It's sad how crap like Wife Swap can beat a great show like Friday Night Lights.
Wife Swap is not crap, its entertaining!
Theres always hate for ABC on this site. They are always trying unlike NBC which should just give up.
CBS is starting to air the same Medium episodes for the 3rd time around. It's good to see the loyal fan base still shows up for the 3rd time.
Frankly, for all the technology is out there today, the ratings gathering MO has changed little since 1975, when Nielsen sent my mom and dad little booklet-style viewing diaries to fill out and send back.
“Wife Swap” entertaining for some that it may be, is truly “human train-wreck” television: putting people in “what if” situations, and letting them be the mice in the maze for our entertainment. The premise that “real” is “better, is not always the case, as there is much to be said for the beauty of a well-envisioned, flowing script and craftsmanship of its production.
Until set meters become SOP in ratings gathering, we will never get the largest possible sample for the most accurate of data. In other words, I don't believe “Wife Swap” beat “Friday Night Lights”. I think, like in so many other instances, the sample wasn't large enough (in numbers), broad enough (i.e. sub-demographic information) and the data not recorded accurately enough (ambivalent viewers).
No other industry bases so much on such antiquated methods.
Network television isn't pre-school, there are no rewards for “trying”.
Network television isn't pre-school. There are no rewards for “trying”.
And we note both success and failure, but somehow the fans of the failed don't see it quite that way.
Um, the ratings you see here are all based on set meters. Diaries are only used for local ratings, and the top 25 or so markets have all moved to set meters for local ratings as well.
What's on Cable that's so good that 82% of the viewing audience on a Saturday night at 9pm would be watching…?
Well, Bill, I sure am glad to see that someone's keeping score…
As for ABC and the scripted/unscripted comparison, one reason that the scripted shows aren't doing better than they are is that both types of shows that ABC is offering have the same end game in mind: Lightweight, voyeuristic, simplistic and unrealistic, whether scripted or not. “Rookie Blue,” for example, watchable primarily as a vehicle for Missy Peregrym, doesn't aim for realism — tune into “Southland” on TNT if that's what you want. The show's cast of “rookies” would be right at home on a fashion show runway, and you can by its cliches by the bushel. So, while ABC (and the LA Times arrticle you reference) might think that the network is getting “serious,” viewers know better.
uh no from your headlines to your stories, you love to be snarky and nasty and beat up fair journalists in the process. So no I don't see it that way. You cant even credit ABCs Friday win without a dig at the network. You don't say anything nice about the Friday win and WWYD, just that it did better than Rookie Blue so you can feel better at your nasty post from last week.
This week last year on ABC Thursday ABC got a .8. This year on Thursday it got a 1.7.
One year ago this Friday night ABC had .7, this Friday night it got a 1.4. Big increases over last year on both nights. This is all a network really wants in Summer in this TV climate – to be up nicely over last year. But I guess it's less of a sexy story thank being snarky is.