Like the San Antonio Spurs, USA Network provided an example last night of aging veterans showing up some ultra-hyped newcomers.  BURN NOTICE, beginning its 7th and final season, held almost all of last season’s premiere audience in 18-49s and managed to increase its older-skewing total audience.  (Note:  last season’s premiere also aired against an […]

    The Season 2 finale for CW’s NIKITA was probably shot with the idea that it could well be the series finale–and logically it should have been, considering the show’s ratings.  In recent weeks, Nikita has had a 0.4 rating in 18-49s, making it what has to be one of the lowest-watched shows ever […]

> 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, […]

DEMOGRAPHIC DETAIL: For each broadcast program (or hour segment), the chart below displays preliminary live+same day 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). PREVIOUS SATURDAY NETWORK SCORECARDS (FAST NATIONALS) PREVIOUS SATURDAY CABLE & […]

        NETWORK FINALS:  EMPIRE, THE GOLDBERGS and SURVIVOR gained 0.1 in final numbers, while DESIGNATED SURVIVOR and LIFE SENTENCE lost the same.          Broadcast Official Nationals Program Ratings Chart     CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  ESPN’s NBA doubleheader topped Wednesday cable at 0.52/0.50.  On Bravo, the season premiere of REAL HOUSEWIVES […]

  BROADCAST FINALS:  A synergistic run of CBS/Paramount’s original TOP GUN in advance of the sequel was at 0.27.  NBC’s SNL dipped 0.02 to 0.81.  CW’s originals were at 0.05/0.04.   Broadcast Official Nationals Program Ratings Chart   CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  The NHL PLAYOFFS were at 0.58 on TNT and 0.52/0.39 on ESPN.  ESPN also had […]

> A lot can happen between the creation of a TV pilot in the spring and production of episodes for the regular season:  a writing/producing team is hired, audience focus groups weigh in, networks and studios (which may have had their own turnover in the off-season) give plenty of notes, both helpful and otherwise, and […]

  NOTE: Several networks had MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL preemptions in local markets, so there may be a variance in afternoon finals. DEMOGRAPHIC DETAIL: For each broadcast program (or hour segment), the chart below displays preliminary live+same day key advertiser demographics (adult 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 ratings), audience skews (women 18-49, men 18-49 and adults 50+ shares) […]