For a determinedly noncontroversial guy, there may not have been a television figure in the last twenty-five years more scrutinized than Jay Leno.  He stood at the media epicenter in the 1990s, when he warred with David Letterman for Johnny Carson’s crown, then again when he was both predecessor of and inheritor to Conan […]

Last night’s Winter Olympic coverage on NBC in primetime averaged a 4.9 adult 18-49 rating from 8:00-11:00 pm, but that rating increases to a 5.2 if the 8:00-8:30 half hour is excluded for being free of national commercials.  Either way, it’s a disaster for a night containing the finals of Ladies’ Figure Skating, THE marquee […]

  AFTERNOON UPDATE:  There was no comfort for FOX in the final numbers, which left AMERICAN IDOL at 2.4, and even worse, left SURVIVOR at 2.5, giving the 14-year old reality show veteran its first win over IDOL.  SUBURGATORY, however, eased its own pain by rising 0.2 to 1.6, reversing most of the drop from […]

It was another night where preliminary ratings won’t necessarily mean very much.  The entire CBS schedule was pushed 18 minutes in most of the country because the PGA CHAMPIONSHIP ran late, and there were NFL preseason preemptions affecting NBC and FOX.  Final ratings tomorrow morning will be more accurate. DEMOGRAPHIC DETAIL: For each broadcast program (or […]

  AFTERNOON UPDATE:  Things actually got worse for AMERICAN IDOL in the adjusted numbers, falling 0.1 to 1.7, not just yet another new all-time low, but ignominiously keeping it in a tie with THE CRAZY ONES (which also fell 0.1), a show CBS may not even renew.  THE MILLERS and ELEMENTARY also lost 0.1 each.  […]

        NETWORK FINALS:  NBC’s primetime NFL PLAYOFFS game adjusted to 7.32.  In addition, FOR LIFE adjusted to the next tenth.         Broadcast Official Nationals Program Ratings Chart     CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  Although the ratings were lower than in recent days, CNN was again dominant on Saturday cable with 15 […]

The ratings below are household ratings from the 56 television markets with local Nielsen meters for Saturday April 26 and Sunday April 27, 2014. The 56 markets (out of 210 total) cover about 70% of the US television population.   NBA: Playoffs 2.3 rating TNT 2:00 pm Saturday Indiana Pacers at Atlanta Hawks Game 4 […]

  STATE OF AFFAIRS:  Monday 10PM on NBC (starting November 17) THE FACTS:  Katherine Heigl is the CIA agent in charge of putting together the President’s (Alfre Woodard) daily list of the nation’s Top 10 threats.  She’s also the quasi-widow of the President’s son, who was killed in an apparent terrorist attack overseas.  Except, guess […]