NETWORK FINALS:  The reruns of SNL and ULTIMATE TAG gained 0.1 in final numbers.         Broadcast Official Nationals Program Ratings Chart     CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  An extremely low-rated cable day was led by Golf Channel’s PGA coverage at 0.20.  On HGTV, VACATION HOUSE RULES slipped 0.02 to 0.20.  […]

  NETWORK UPDATE:  The only football-related changes in final numbers were 0.1 decreases to ELEMENTARY and the 8PM rerun of BONES.  Ratings in key demos for the Top 25 original cable telecasts (plus a few other lower-rated but noteworthy programs): NFL Network’sTHURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL was in its customary place at the top of the Thursday […]

> There’s a principled discussion to be had about whether the Sundance Film Festival should be featuring movies that are essentially low-budget Hollywood entertainments made outside the studio system. But that discussion fades into irrelevance when the result is as hilarious and accomplished as FOR A GOOD TIME, CALL…, which premiered tonight. Directed by first-time […]

  Nothing could touch AMERICA’S GOT TALENT. DEMOGRAPHIC DETAIL: For each broadcast program (or hour segment), the chart below displays preliminary key advertiser demographics (adult 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 ratings), audience skews (women 18-49, men 18-49 and adults 50+ shares) and total viewership (thousands of people over the age of 2). Ratings analysis and comparisons follow […]

    HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER:  Thursday 10PM on ABC THE FACTS:  The new wing to the Shonda Rhimes Thursday that’s about to be a cornerstone of the ABC line-up.  In case that name wasn’t enough, try this one:  Viola Davis, starring as a brilliant, enigmatic criminal defense attorney who teaches a law […]

  Another NBC vs CBS showdown–but this one goes the other way. CBS:  Two-thirds of a remarkable night.  The back-to-back episodes of THE BIG BANG THEORY that served as its Season 7 premiere were spectacular at 5.3/5.8, not just the highest network scores of the week (barring football), but up from last year’s 5.0 for […]

  OPENINGS:  SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK (CBS/Lionsgate) dropped 21% on its 2nd day of release, which isn’t unusual for the horror genre (recently, The Curse of La Llorona fell 26% on its Day 2, and Child’s Play was down 25%), resulting in a $20.8M weekend, and a likely $40M US total.  Scary […]

  PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3:  Worth A Ticket – More Minimalist Bumps In the Dark   The PARANORMAL ACTIVITY franchise is a movie studio’s dream come true.  The concept itself demands a no-star cast, a very limited number of settings and a bare minimum of special effects (the third and latest entry in the series cost […]