Even without The Voice as an excuse, most networks headed downward. FOX:  AMERICAN IDOL continued to plunge, down half a ratings point to 3.1, which happens to be just 0.1 ahead of X Factor’s average last fall. ABC:  Three of the night’s shows returned with their first fresh episodes in a month, and as is increasingly the case, the long […]

Baseball fans around the country were treated to some wonderful news yesterday: FOX Sports analyst Tim McCarver announced his retirement during a typically long-winded conference call filled with the false humility that is his trademark.  The insufferable buffoon, the unquestioned Master of the Obvious, the Nattering Nabob of the Non-Sequitur will retire after the 2013 World […]

The 13th weekend of 2013 looks like it will be even with the pace for the comparable weekend the past few years.  The top 12 films Friday-Sunday should total about $144 million. Opening at a very high 3,719 theaters Thursday, G.I. Joe: Retaliation from Paramount should average a solid $10,300 per theater for the weekend (for a […]

  There wasn’t much tumult expected in the CBS 2013-14 schedule, especially since The Eye will be this season’s #1 network, and today the most of its line-up was renewed (and a couple of others were omitted just temporarily, as financial negotiations continue for their new seasons).  Here’s the nightly rundown: MONDAY:  How I Met […]

The Voice continues to make NBC executives raise their voices in song. NBC:  In final numbers, the return of the Tuesday edition of THE VOICE was at the show’s fall Tuesday average  of 4.1,  tripling what the network has been doing in that timeslot since the fall run ended.  Thanks to its presence, GO ON (which also featured a much-promoted […]

2013 remains solidly on the same pace as the other second-tier years recently.   Through 11 weeks, 2013 totals $1.692 billion for wide-release films in North America (those playing at more than 400 screens).  2008 was $1.664 billion at this point, while 2011 was $1.634 billion. The top-shelf years were already at or near $2 […]

The Voice sings sweetly for NBC, NBC:  To the great relief of NBC, THE VOICE returned with a 4.7 rating, higher than the show’s fall average and just slightly below the highest rating of its fall cycle.  (It was, however, somewhat below the numbers for spring 2012.)   REVOLUTION may be more problematic.  Although its 2.7 rating was solid, […]

CBS and the other networks carrying March Madness had a very good round three Sunday (round two if you are a purist and don’t count the silly “play in” games as round one).  The CBS tripleheader games yesterday were up solid double-digits looking at the household ratings from the 56 metered markets (covering about 70% […]