>March Madness, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, kicks off this week on CBS and a trio of cable networks (TNT, TBS and TruTV) with University of Kentucky, Michigan State, Syracuse and University of North Carolina the #1 seeds in the four regions.  The ratings impact in prime time is minimal the first week but builds […]

  Talent competition shows continued to dominate network television. NBC:  After THE VOICE‘s new Tuesday low 3.0 (down 0.2 from last week), AMERICA’S GOT TALENT premiered with a 3.1 rating from 9-11 pm (3.0, 3.1, 3.2 and 3.0 by half hour).  This was its lowest-ever premiere; last year the show debuted with a 3.7 rating, […]

  One trend of the early season seems to be networks willing to accept ratings from their newcomers that would have ensured cancellation just a few seasons ago.  Last week NBC gave a full-season order to The New Normal, which instantly rolled out a tepid 1.7 rating, and today it’s FOX’s turn.  THE MINDY PROJECT […]

  NETWORK UPDATE:  EXTANT, MASTERCHEF and LAST COMIC STANDING all found an extra 0.1 in final numbers. CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  A&E’s DUCK DYNASTY retained its hold on Wednesday cable, although it was down 0.14 from last week to 0.77.  Lead-out WAHLBURGERS slipped 0.02 to 0.48, then DONNY LOVES JENNY was steady at 0.35, and LACHEY’S BAR scored 0.26.  […]

  NETWORK UPDATE:  HAWAII 5-0 gained 0.1 in final numbers. Ratings in key demos for the Top 25 original cable telecasts (plus a few other lower-rated but noteworthy programs): 12 MONKEYS got off to an OK 0.43 start for Syfy.  Perhaps understandably for a show based on a 20-year old movie, it skewed quite old, […]

  Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Garth Brooks. CBS:  On an otherwise weak night, GARTH BROOKS: LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS towered over everything else at 1.8, better than anything CBS has run all fall in the 9-11PM Friday slot.  It was particularly impressive because the special got no lead-in at all from two rerun holiday specials, […]

Note: ABC, CBS and especially NBC numbers below will go down in the nationals this afternoon because of local pre-emptions for various NFL PRESEASON games. FOX should also go up about +15% when live west coast viewing is added this afternoon.  Given all the likely changes, we’ll hold our ratings analysis until final numbers are […]

      NETWORK FINALS:  AMERICA’S GOT TALENT and CASTAWAYS gained 0.1 in final numbers, while the PALEY CENTER SALUTES THIS IS US special and the NCIS: NEW ORLEANS rerun lost the same.  In addition, both CW reruns dropped 0.1, which might have been the result of a local sports preemption.          […]