The Big Bang Theory, Grey's Anatomy and 30 Rock were each adjusted up a tenth among adults 18-49 versus the preliminary Thursday broadcast ratings.
| Time | Net | Show | 18-49 rating | 18-49 Share | Viewers Live+SD (million) |
| 8:00PM | CBS | The Big Bang Theory | 6.4 | 19 | 20.00 |
| NBC | 30 Rock | 1.5 | 4 | 3.79 | |
| FOX | Mobbed | 1.2 | 3 | 3.23 | |
| ABC | Last Resort | 1.2 | 3 | 5.81 | |
| CW | Critic's Choice Movie Awards | 0.6 | 2 | 1.88 | |
| tvbythenumbers.com | |||||
| 8:30PM | CBS | Two and a Half Men | 4.2 | 12 | 14.40 |
| NBC | 1600 Penn -R | 1.5 | 4 | 3.96 | |
| tvbythenumbers.com | |||||
| 9:00PM | CBS | Person Of Interest | 3.3 | 9 | 15.67 |
| ABC | Grey's Anatomy | 3.2 | 8 | 9.34 | |
| NBC | The Office | 2.2 | 6 | 4.54 | |
| FOX | Glee -R | 0.7 | 2 | 2.02 | |
| tvbythenumbers.com | |||||
| 9:30 PM | NBC | 1600 Penn | 1.6 | 4 | 3.86 |
| 10:00 PM | ABC | Scandal | 2.8 | 8 | 8.37 |
| CBS | Elementary | 2.4 | 7 | 11.48 | |
| NBC | Rock Center With Brian Williams | 1.1 | 3 | 3.77 | |
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Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2012 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
@rob60990
Thank you! What a handy chart.
So to continue the discussion from the other post, GA’s average in the demo for the 15 episodes of season 2 before the Super Bowl was 8.45. For the nine episodes that aired post-SB, the average is 10. Though the show dropped a whole 1.2 from the first post-SB week to the beginning of March, at which it stayed pretty consistent in the 9s, so if got any boost it looks like it dwindled by the end of Feb. Looking at the season 3 ratings (which were better for the show than s2 which had the SB ep), I would argue that was the show’s natural progression and I don’t think the SB gave it any longterm viewers. Even if you believe in it, that’s still not a massive ratings increase that suddenly turned the show around (as the SB boost is often claimed to do).
That site also has House’s demos. The episodes it aired in the 2007-08 season before the SB ep: average 6.7. After the SB: 6.3.
The Office season average pre-SB: 4.1. After the SB: 4.1. (I couldn’t find Glee’s demo data from that year on that site, so maybe someone can crunch those numbers for it and Criminal Minds). It’s also worth noting that, since 1999, Grey’s Anatomy is the only scripted show that aired post-SB that managed to retain more than 30% of the SB audience. Family Guy, The Practice, Malcolm in the Middle, Alias, The Simpsons, Criminal Minds, House, The Office and Glee all had retention rates below 30%, while all the reality shows aired after the SB had above 30% retention (Survivor had above 50% retention). Bolstering the fact that reality shows are the only thing that works and sees a benefit, post-SB.
@ Conor
So more viewers = worse show? By that logic, you must believe Seinfeld and Friends sucked.
if you read the first part i stated i was in sales for tv and radio. i did that after being a dj. we all laughed how nobody was really listening or watching but we got paid because of the ratings gimmic. i was in sales for 15 years!
Petar, just let me be one to let you know that I enjoy seeing your enthusiasm for POI. Keep watching it. And last night’s episode was the best yet. We still have to wait until January 31st for a new episode, but after the emotional roller coaster ride from last night’s episode, we probably need that time to regroup!
Don’t let the POI haters chase you away from here. Just ignore them.
@LisaNeedsBraces
Though the show dropped a whole 1.2 from the first post-SB week to the beginning of March, at which it stayed pretty consistent in the 9s, so if got any boost it looks like it dwindled by the end of Feb.
Two things: First of all, the show likely dropped the 1.2 points because the intriguing bomb story only lasted two episodes, and SB viewers likely tuned in for that. The boost did not “dwindle”; it was still getting high 9′s at the end of the season, far ahead of the 7′s and 8′s at the beginning of the season.
And now it’s even more clear how old NCIS skews! Averaging about the same total viewer numbers but a gazillion miles apart with TBBT in the A18-49 demo!
@ Networkman
Great comment. No one expects everyone to watch or like TBBT but people should be happy to have a scripted show once again the # 1 show on TV.
GO PERSON OF INTEREST!!! ROCK STEADY BABY!!!
^ and might I add….WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
@Kelly
I didn’t say that having more viewers made it a worse show. I assume you got your options on the wrong sides of the equals sign and meant to say that I claimed being a worse show got it more viewers. Which is also wrong.
What I said it, being a simpler and more ‘typical sitcom’ type of show got it more viewers. This also had the side effect of making it a less funny (and by extension, less enjoyable, but by no means terrible) show.
@Samunto
And now it’s even more clear how old NCIS skews! Averaging about the same total viewer numbers but a gazillion miles apart with TBBT in the A18-49 demo!
I cannot even express how old NCIS skews. To put it into perspective, TBBT actually skews very old! For 20m viewers, the demo could easily be in the high 8′s. The fact that NCIS gets only mid 3′s with 20m goes to show that this show is viewed mainly by old people.
@eridapo
That sound bad. But even litle boost is ok for me. The good things is that last 3-4 years are bad for dramas and POI is best one. TNT and USA have no choice not to offer ncis level offer. And i hope at least this time WB won’t be greedy and will take it. If that hapens when you see syndication reruns? After end of the season 2 is it possible? Or we must wait for 2014?
ps Hope you will stay this time. You miss a lot. 2-3 weeks was off.
@askmelast79
Thanks. I am youg with a lot of energy.
@ Marty….
Welcome to TV reality… Actually it is a little more complicated than that because Total viewers do not matter. What matters is the number of viewers between the ages of 18-49, and if we look at it this way the difference between most shows is statistically insignificant…
For example…. POI beat Greys by a tenth of a point in the 18-49 audience, but what does that mean in terms of viewers? In terms of the 18-49 audience, one ratings point is equal to 1.265 Million viewers. When you multiply that number by the ratings, you get;
1.265*3.3 (for POI) is equal 4.1745 Million people
1.265*3.2 (for Greys) is equal 4.048 Million people
1.265*2.8 (for Scandal) is equal to 3.542 Million people
1.265*2.4 (for Elementary) is equal to 3.036 Million people
1.265*6.4 (for TBBT) is equal to 8.096 Million people
The 18-49 television watching population in the US is roughly, according to Nielsen, 126.5 Million people.
When you look at the ratings above and you see a 3.0, the first thing you think of is great for the show. If you were a little more cynical, you would think that 97% of people watching television were watching something else. To put it in perspective… If you were to walk down the street and see 100 people between the ages of 18-49, the chances are pretty good that no one would know if you ask them what happen on Greys, Scandal, POI, or Elementary last night.
So yes…. To use the word “HIT” is relative…
Wow @ TBBT. If it can hold those numbers when Idol comes around, it’s the true hit of the decade.
I wouldn’t put too much weight on Scandal’s numbers right now. Once this buzzy arc has played out, we’ll see if it has gained new permanent viewers or not. Then, you can say all you want whether it is a hit or a flop.
Nice for POI. Here’s to hoping 3.3/3.4 is the new normal! That episode was the best episode of any show this season! Pure awesomeness.
SpottedRatings also has a handy chart comparing the average ratings of the 5 episodes before the SB with the 5 episodes immediately after to determine if shows actually saw an increase or decrease. Grey’s Anatomy is the only series that showed an audience increase in the five eps it aired after the game (21%). Every other scripted show lost a percentage of its audience after having the SB slot.
The Simpsons: -8.3% after the SB.
Criminal Minds: -7.7%.
House: -15%.
The Office: -4%.
Glee: -2.7%.
@Melissa
Well NCIS main lead is 63 years old. Do you think that if NCIS was on FOX, NBC or ABC will be with better demo? CBS really have a lot of old viewers. Wich is good but i guess not for advertisers.
@Petar Ivanov
If that hapens when you see syndication reruns? After end of the season 2 is it possible? Or we must wait for 2014?
A show needs 88 episodes in order to be sold into syndication, so no, POI will have to finish roughly four seasons before being able to negotiate a syndication deal. 2
@eridapo
wait, wait, wait…. so that means that most of the people in USA 97% never even hear for these shows? And never watch them? Is that right?
@ Samunto
It is relative. Of the 20 Million viewers only 8.096M are between the ages of 18-49. That means that nearly 12 Million are outside of that, and it is probably a safe bet to say that most of those 12 Million are older than 50.
In comparison of the 21.11 Million viewers for NCIS, 4.4275 Million were between the ages of 18-49. 16.68 Million viewers were outside the 18-49 demo and more likely to be in the older than 50 category….
Is CBS’s lineup on break until the 31st? If so, CBS made a good decision, because their shows won’t have to go up against American Idol in the opening of its season, when it is typically the strongest.