> The third week of a network season is a critical one.  Ratings erosion after a series or season premiere is expected and even acceptable, because it’s understood that not every viewer drawn by hype and marketing will be a satisfied customer.  But a continued fall in Week 3 can be a sign of trouble, […]

  RIZZOLI & ISLES has been one of TNT’s most reliable hits, and it launched Season 4 last night in very healthy fashion.  The show was up from its Season 3 premiere in all measurements, with 6.6M total viewers (an increase of more than 1M) and a 1.4 in 18-49s (up 0.2).  That’s quite old-skewing, […]

  OPENINGS:  Taking the spotlight from higher-profile arrivals, the anime title MY HERO ACADEMIA: WORLD HEROES’ MISSION (Funimation) was the weekend’s highest-grossing newcomer with $6.4M, better than the $5.9M opening for the last Academia movie, 2019’s Heroes Rising.  These films tend to be fairly front-loaded, but Mission should pass $15M in the US, and it […]

>Now that most new fall shows have premiered on the broadcast networks and viewing patterns are settling in, we will turn our attention from daily ratings analysis and focus on what the networks are promoting on their own air. What shows are being abandoned?  What shows are getting the on-air promo love?  Like we did […]

  It’s a best of times, worst of times kind of weekend for the newcomers. OPENINGS:  DESPICABLE ME 2 (Universal) is everything its makers could have wanted at the box office.  With a $30.2M Friday, it should have $140M in the US by Sunday (it won’t match the $97.9M Independence Day weekend of Transformers 3, but […]

The Thanksgiving holiday weekend will cause delays for daily national ratings (live+same day cable and broadcast) for several days.  This is how the ratings should roll out the next week or so. (All times Pacific.) Wed 11/24 nationals available Mon 11/29 by 2p Thu 11/25 nationals available Tue 11/30 by 8a Fri 11/26 nationals available Tue 11/30 […]

> A smiley face for one network and a frowny one for another, on the third night this week disrupted by postseason baseball. ABC:  Everything came up fairly rosy last night at the Alphabet.  SUBURGATORY should be inches away from a full season pick-up after its third consecutive strong outing, and even better, REVENGE went […]

WORLDWIDE STUDIO SCORECARD.  Here is an updated look at the 2018 film slates by studio. The studio totals also include 2018 dollars for films released in late 2017. YEAR TO DATE BOX OFFICE. Looking at North American box office, 2018 to date is now +9% above last year and still +11% above the average for this point […]