This was the first Wednesday in a while not to feature special circumstances (World Series games, the CMAs), and things returned pretty much to normal. ABC:  All the network’s shows were within 0.1 of their last regular airings.  THE MIDDLE rose 0.1 to 2.3, BACK IN THE GAME was similarly up to 1.8, MODERN […]

    NETWORK FINALS:  OLYMPICS coverage gained half a point to 6.8 in final numbers.  ABC’s finals were a mess, presumably because of local sports preemptions:  LAST MAN STANDING and DR KEN were each down 0.3 to 0.3/0.2, 20/20 fell 0.2 to 0.3, and BOSTON EMS was down 0.1 to 0.3.  In addition, FOX’s HOTEL […]

  NOTE:  the entire CBS line-up was pushed about 15 minutes by the afternoon national NFL game, so the numbers are likely to be adjusted, including the season premieres of NCIS: LA and NCIS: NEW ORLEANS.  ALSO:  Contrary to the chart below, ABC aired an Alex Trebek memorial special in the 10PM hour. DEMOGRAPHIC DETAIL: For […]

  Some shows said farewell to their seasons more effectively than others. ABC:  SCANDAL had its biggest season finale to date, up 0.4 from last week to 3.4 and (with Big Bang Theory in reruns) easily the highest-rated show of the night.  It towered over lead-in GREY’S ANATOMY, which fell 0.1 to 2.5 after an […]

  NETWORK UPDATE:  There were 0.1 increases for THE BIG BANG THEORY and the 2 1/2 MEN finale in final numbers.  THE ODD COUPLE stayed where it was, but it was very steady throughout its half-hour (up 0.1 at 8:45PM), which is a promising sign.  In addition, SCANDAL and HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER […]

        NETWORK FINALS:  CBS’s NCAA TOURNAMENT coverage adjusted to 1.9.  Elsewhere,DATELINE lost 0.2 in final numbers, and the SUPERSTORE and DECEPTION reruns were down 0.1.         Broadcast Official Nationals Program Ratings Chart     CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  Cable’s NCAA TOURNAMENT coverage again blanketed most of Saturday’s Top 8, led by […]

  A steep Night 12 drop brought the OLYMPICS to a new low. 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 […]

  BROADCAST FINALS:  Naturally the day and night were dominated by ABC’s NFL games (branded as “MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL” despite the calendar) at 2.65/3.19.  The other networks mostly featured reruns, although CW’s originals returned at 0.09/0.06.   Broadcast Official Nationals Program Ratings Chart   CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  On ESPN, the NFL games were at 1.98/1.81.  Hallmark’s […]