Typically when a network orders additional scripts for a series, it does so at the Writers Guild minimum, so it’s a very minimal investment compared to ordering additional episodes–thousands rather than millions of dollars.  Keeping scripts in process allows for “continuous production” when and if the network decides to actually issue a back-order, which […]

> At FOX, perhaps the most terrifying 7 words in the English language:  AMERICAN IDOL May Not Have Hit Bottom. FOX:  Despite no special competition on any other network, Idol‘s 5.1 was down a full ratings point from last week, and down a horrible 35% from last year’s parallel episode.  This is still, of course, […]

        NETWORK FINALS:  48 HOURS, 20/20 and the MAKING IT and DATELINE reruns lost 0.1 in final numbers.         Broadcast Official Nationals Program Ratings Chart   CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  A&E’s LIVE PD led Saturday cable, down 0.05 to 0.66, with the preceding clip show down 0.06 to 0.28.  Adult Swim’s […]

One week to go for the Summer Olympic Games in London, which end with the greatest anti-climax of all:  the Closing Ceremony Sunday night.  The ratings in the final week suffers from viewer fatigue and a dearth of marquee events.  Last night was a perfect example: a preliminary 8.1 Adult 18-49 rating in prime time […]

A mostly subdued night. 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). Ratings analysis and comparisons follow the […]

> Zooey Deschanel in FOX’s New Girl The second Tuesday of the new season was relatively surprise-free.  FOX’s New Girl established itself as the hit of the new season, and CBS turned in a reliable performance thanks to the NCIS pair, although Unforgettable looks shaky at best.  NBC and ABC are floundering thanks to aging […]

  FOX announced the bulk of its midseason premieres today (THE GOODWIN GAMES, widely expected to air in Ben and Kate‘s Tuesday 8:30PM slot, remains TBD). AMERICAN IDOL will make its seasonal arrival, complete with new judges Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban, on Wed January 16 at 8PM. THE FOLLOWING, as expected, will […]

Here are the full week sports ratings (such as they are) for Monday May 11 through Sunday May 17, 2020.  Eligible programs include sporting events on broadcast and cable networks (minimum audience size 300K P2+ live+same day).  Programs are grouped by sport and ranked within each sport by P2+ audience size. For comparison, here is […]