# 2012-13 Season Ratings - Spring



## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

For the next eight weeks, the networks will mix in reruns with new episodes and premiers of new shows. Each network will be evaluating which shows to continue next year using criteria which, contrary to the "bubble" watching pundits, aren't completely predictable.

Then in mid-May the networks will hold their annual "upfronts" to sell the Fall shows to advertisers. At times we have seen some shows not get their Fall pickup until the night before its network has scheduled its upfront. (Note that some cable channels are already holding their upfront presentations.)

And so it begins with the ratings for the first Thursday of Spring 2013:










*Fox* was the only network between 8-10 pm where one could turn to see no repeat last night. That was, of course, a 2 hour "American Idol" which allowed Fox to win the 8-10 pm race with a 3.8 million demo and 8.7 million 50+. That seems like a hollow victory because a 2 hour "Idol" last year pulled a 5.3 million demo and 13 million in the 50+ crowd.

*CBS* ran reruns of its regular programming at the regular times. It won the 8-11 pm race. A rerun of "The Big Bang Theory" actually beat "Idol" in the 50+ crowd which wasn't true last year. The rerun of "Person of Interest" actually scored slightly higher than last year in the demo. But the rerun of "Elementary" scored slightly lower than a rerun of the "The Mentalist" last year.

*ABC*'s new episode of "Zero Hour" actually scored lower than a rerun of "Missing" last year. The Kimmel rerun also scored lower than last year.

*NBC* is getting ready for next year.

*The CW*. No one can quite figure out what they are doing.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

I never thought I would see a Friday that CBS ran dead last in the demo in every hour (well, except for The CW and CBS is half owner of it):











*CBS* gave this Friday away, all reruns, though in truth the clear Friday win has been in the 50+ age group which they more or less won last night with reruns.

Next week they are bringing back the "Undercover Boss" series at 8:00 and offering the first showing of a "Golden Boy" episode at its regular day and time at 9:00, followed by a new episode of "Blue Bloods" which should give them a demo win in one or more hours.

But I would have to say that if it were NBC, I'd be saying they are taking a big risk letting last night go with reruns after the devastating failure of "The Job" at 8 pm. during February Sweeps.

*ABC* won the night in the demo with slilght jumps in the demo for the 8 pm hour two comedies, "Shark Tank" at 9 pm, and "20/20" at 10 pm. This will be their lineup next week which could be problematic.

*NBC* ran #3 but only because the 8-10 pm "Dateline" pulled stronger ratings in the 9 pm hour. Next week they will premier "Fashion Star" at 8 pm and bring back "Grimm" at 9 pm. And they will leave Brian Williams at 10 pm to battle with ABC's "20/20" over the leftovers from "Blue Bloods."

*Fox.* "Kitchen Nightmares" next week is a part 2 - this week part 1 didn't do very well. The last time this show ran against a new "Undercover Boss" it didn't do so well. How it will do against fellow reality shows "Undercover Boss" and "Fashion Star" next week will be interesting.

"Touch" makes "Fringe" look like it was a ratings winner. I suppose if they're paying the show runner Tim Kring and star Kiefer Sutherland a commission based on ratings instead of a salary they can afford not to replace it with reruns of "Bones", but....

*The CW.* I expect to see a day soon when The CW will drop Fridays just like they dropped Sunday.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the first Sunday of the Spring 2013 season:










*CBS* does have bragging rights to the averages in both the demo and 50+ crowd. In terms of the demo they won the first four half hours of the night. When you add in the 50+ crowd for total viewers they won all eight half hours. While many think "The Good Wife" is "on the bubble", you have to note that it brings back the 50+ crowd many of whom go elsewhere during "The Amazing Race." Yes, it is down slightly from last year but total viewers at 9 pm are way down from last year's 9.3 million demo and 20.2 million 50+ compared to this year's 6.5 million demo and 18.6 million 50+.

*ABC*'s "Once Upon a Time" last year on the comparable night of the season pulled a 3.4 million demo and 7.2 million 50+ compared to last night's 2.1 million demo and 5.1 million 50+. But I'm sure it is clear to anyone just outside the doors this morning that something is obviously wrong in the executive suites at ABC. The two hour "Red Widow" premiered to an overall 1.4 million demo and 5.3 million 50+. Last year "GBC" premiered at 10 pm to a 2.2 million demo and 5.4 million 50+, though one has to acknowledge that "Desperate Housewives" did give it a decent lead in.

*Fox*'s animated lineup, even with some reruns and schedule shuffling, does ok.

*NBC*. Bottom ranked as always, there's still something to be upset about in the NBC executive suite. "Celebrity Apprentice" premiered to an average of 1.6 million in the demo and 3.5 million 50+, compared to the show's ratings last year at 2.2 million and 4.3 million 50+.

As noted above, 9 pm saw a significant drop in ratings particularly in the demo and my guess is that AMC's "The Walking Dead" contributed to that. The cable ratings will be available later.


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## Church AV Guy (Jul 9, 2007)

phrelin said:


> ...I'm sure it is clear to anyone just outside the doors this morning that something is obviously wrong in the executive suites at ABC. The two hour "Red Widow" premiered to an overall 1.4 million demo and 5.3 million 50+. Last year "GBC" premiered at 10 pm to a 2.2 million demo and 5.4 million 50+, though one has to acknowledge that "Desperate Housewives" did give it a decent lead in.


The two hour series premiere of Red Widow earned a 1.4 adults 18-49 rating, down 33 percent from a 2.1 for the series premiere of 666 Park Avenue on September 30. 

That's very bad news for Red Widow. Is there any plausable, defensible reason for such poor ratings?

It is a toxic-feedback loop that the networks seem to have gotten into lately. They cancel shows like Zero Hour for lack of viewers, but they scare viewers off by cancelling shows after only three episodes. These cancellations drive away viewers, thus creating the poor ratings that justify the cancellations. Their decisions are causing their own downfall. Any one can see that, so are they just that oblivious?


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## Jaspear (May 16, 2004)

Church AV Guy said:


> That's very bad news for Red Widow. Is there any plausable, defensible reason for such poor ratings?


Maybe it had something to do with that religious themed program over on History that brought in almost 15 million viewers and 5 million in the demo over both airings Sunday night.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's evidence that a whole lot of folks weren't watching broadcast TV on Sunday:








I recognize that you can't literally look at the total. And many on the West Coast with satellite watch these shows at a time three hours earlier. But the fact remains that there are a lot of live viewers not watching broadcast TV.

This had to hurt the premier of "Red Widow".


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

Given the results of February sweeps, seems like Univision should be included and NBC excluded. 

I have said it before and I will say it again. NBC can trace all its problems to the 1990s when it paid so much money for two shows -- ER and Friends -- that it had no money to develop their successors. By 2004 the network had no leg to stand on and began a decline that has turned into a massive embarrassment. 

It may seem odd to those who have never seen a broadcast network dissolve (and most of us haven't) but I predict that the NBC broadcast network will stop full-time operation by January 1, 2016. They may continue to broadcast less than 32 hours per week but they will no longer be classified as full-time.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the first Monday of the Spring 2013 season:

















*CBS.* I've included the February Sweeps Monday averages because CBS ran reruns last night which is the same strategy they used last year. As you can see, the network dropped from having bragging rights to the demo win to 4th. This always seems risky, but it does save new episodes to run later. They did run a new "Rules of Engagement" at 8:30 which tied with "The Biggest Loser" for #2 in the demo and beat it in the 50+ crowd.

*ABC*'s "The Bachelor" won the demo in three of its four half hours. The "Castle" rerun won 10 pm.

*Fox*'s "The Following" won the demo in the 9 pm half hour and won the 50+ crowd the entire 9 pm hour. "Bones" did ok and certainly did better than the first hour of a two-hour "Alcatraz" last year.

*NBC*'s "The Biggest Loser" did beat CBS reruns for #2 in the demo. But "Deception" came in #3 at 10 pm against reruns on the other two networks.

*The CW* Monday lineup continues to perform badly even for The CW.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Stuart Sweet said:


> Given the results of February sweeps, seems like Univision should be included and NBC excluded.
> 
> I have said it before and I will say it again. NBC can trace all its problems to the 1990s when it paid so much money for two shows -- ER and Friends -- that it had no money to develop their successors. By 2004 the network had no leg to stand on and began a decline that has turned into a massive embarrassment.
> 
> It may seem odd to those who have never seen a broadcast network dissolve (and most of us haven't) but I predict that the NBC broadcast network will stop full-time operation by January 1, 2016. They may continue to broadcast less than 32 hours per week but they will no longer be classified as full-time.


I agree. Comcast is not going to continue to tolerate a money-losing cost center.

IMHO what NBC tried to do with Leno at 10 pm was "slip" into a 2 hour prime time like Fox and The CW. They have Fall Sunday's locked with Sunday Night Football. Their only problem with a Mon-Friday 2-hour prime time is with their affiliates whose complaints about the 10 pm Leno ratings hurting their 11 pm local news now look rather foolish.

"Chicago Fire" on Wednesday is NBC's only 10 pm scripted entry that isn't a total loser and it would do fine at 9 pm. Brian Willliams has the next highest ratings in the network's 10 pm time slot.

What the local affiliates have to do is decide to compete in the 10 pm local news slot - but that would mean finding 25 minutes more of filler or pretend like they could be important locally by hiring some reporters.

Frankly if NBC broadcast locals shut down or became independents and USA carried more new scripted programming, Bravo carried more new reality programming and MSNBC and/or CNBC carried an NBC nightly national news, we would not suffer. And the CBS and ABC locals could share a larger 11 pm local news audience.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

For the first Tuesday of Spring, I've added last week for a comparison:










*Fox* decided to run the this season's first live episode of American Idol on a Tuesday rather than the normal Wednesday/Thursday pattern. The reason I am showing last Tuesday with this Tuesday is because Fox's usual Tuesday is a comedy lineup. Looking at where "Idol's" viewers came from, it was ABC, NBC, and a bunch of folks that weren't watching broadcast network TV last week. I'm guessing that last night's "Idol" will see some DVR viewing also because of CBS Tuesday show loyalists who would have watched Wednesday and Thursday. "NCIS" actually led in the demo during first half hour and "Idol" tied in the second half hour only because it picked up some late arrival additional viewers. I'll also note that "Idol" was down from last Wednesday's two hour edition.

*CBS*. As you can see, the "NCIS" franchises did well against "Idol" scoring a huge lead in the 50+ crowd in the two hour period as well as winning the 8 pm hour in the demo. The second Tuesday showing of "Golden Boy" slipped scoring about the same in the demo as the regular in the 10 pm time slot, "Vegas", and lower in the 50+ crowd. That bodes ill for the CBS effort to score better than "CSI: NY" on Fridays at 9 pm. Overall, CBS got bragging rights for last night, "Idol" notwithstanding. Neither "Golden Boy" nor "Vegas" are doing as well as "Unforgettable" did last year in the Tuesday 10 pm slot.

*ABC*'s reality shows took a hit last night, particularly "Wife Swap" at 8 pm which had viewers to lose. "The Taste" has been doing badly anyway. "Body of Proof" clearly found its audience last year and held it this year, which is only enough for #2 at 10 pm.

*NBC* is performing like NBC. My guess is that Univision scored above NBC last night.

"Go On" and "The New Normal" titles work well for commenting on NBC's ratings - "Go on, _that's_ the new normal???"

Last year "Fashion Star" scored double the demo "Smash " is getting in the 10 pm slot. So did the frequently almost cancelled "Parenthood" in January 2013. "Smash" is a financial disaster for NBC and for its affiliates expecting a lead in to local news. We all remember the affiliates attacking NBC in the press for doing the Leno show. Here's some info from Wikipedia:


> As of November 1, 2009, The Jay Leno Show has averaged a 1.98 in the adults 18-49 ratings and 6.594 million viewers. During the week before Christmas, the ratings dropped to 1.4 during the week. Prior to the controversy regarding the move of the Jay Leno Show to 11:35 p.m., viewership bottomed out at 4.799 million viewers, although there was a slight bump as word of the controversy broke


Compared to "Smash" those numbers look awfully good. I can't quite figure out why the programming experts at the affiliates aren't screaming in the press about "Smash" and the rest of NBC's weeknight 10 pm lineup.:sure:

*The CW* is only offering one hour of new programming, "Hart of Dixie" which obviously has its audience. It occasionally shows up in the 7 day DVR ratings with a high percentage increase in the demo, likely gets a lot of streaming, and sells digital music.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here is the first Wednesday of Spring 2013. I've added last week for comparison:










*Fox.* While "American Idol" won the 8-10 pm competition, it was given a pass by the other networks running reruns. Still, it's ratings dropped from last week. And for the two hours, last year it pulled 5.6 million in the demo and 12.9 million in the 50+ crowd compared to this year with 3.7 million in the demo and 9.0 million in the 50+ crowd.

*CBS.* "Survivor", like "Idol", is slipping. Last year it pulled 3.2 million in the demo and 7.4 million in the 50+ crowd, compared to this year 2.5 - 6.9. Everything else was reruns.

*ABC* also ran mostly reruns. Regarding their comedy lineup, by running reruns of the two shows that start on the hour, it appears that might have hurt the new episodes of the two shows that start on the half hour.

*NBC* probably did worse than Univision with "Whitney" being its only new episode of the night.

*The CW* also ran reruns.


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## Church AV Guy (Jul 9, 2007)

It has been reported that CBS is leaving Golden Boy on Tuesdays, and moving Vegas to the Friday slot. I have no idea what their rationale is for this. How have the shows compared ratings-wise?


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Church AV Guy said:


> It has been reported that CBS is leaving Golden Boy on Tuesdays, and moving Vegas to the Friday slot. I have no idea what their rationale is for this. How have the shows compared ratings-wise?


 The rationale is that if "Vegas" keeps its current Tuesday ratings levels on Friday the show might survive because the standard for ratings on Friday at 9 pm is lower than a Tuesday.

And there is a little evidence that "Golden Boy" will pull a slightly higher demo in the Tuesday at 10 pm slot. I say "little" because there was a drop from the pilot to episode 2 which indicates it might continue to drop.

That's what the pundits are speculating. I would speculate that "Golden Boy" may be a less expensive show than "Vegas" and therefore might be more likely to get a second season order if it can keep a demo average over 1.6 million. I have to assume that the cast of "Vegas" is expensive.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Just in case you think you understand network scheduling, here's the second Thursday of Spring 2013:










*Fox* really loves to play "Where's Waldo" with their schedule - you know, the schedule that runs weeknights from 8:00 to 10:00. Last night they threw in a new wrinkle and ran a new episode of "Glee" from 9:30 to 10:30 after a 90 minute "American Idol."

Last year on the equivalent night they ran an hour "Idol" that pulled a 4.8 million demo and a 12.2 million 50+.and an hour "The Finder" which pulled a 2.3 million demo and 5.0 million 50+. For the two hours, they averaged a 3.6 million demo and 8.6 million 50+. This year for the two hours, they averaged a 3.4 million demo and 8.2 million 50+. The peculiarly scheduled hour of "Glee" did beat last year's "The Finder" and the last regularly scheduled new episode of "Glee", but the 1½ hour "Idol" slipped substantially from last year's one hour episode.

They also screwed up my spreadsheet grumble, grumble, grumble.

*CBS.* While Fox was experimenting CBS won bragging rights to the night even with a rerun at 10 pm. They won the demo in 4 out of the 6 half hours - 8:00, 8:30, 9:30 (tie) and 10:30. I'm not quite sure what Fox thought would happen....

*NBC* rebuilding so they lose to Univision.

*The CW* ran reruns.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the second Friday of Spring 2013:










*CBS.* We have been given an opportunity to see if CEO Les Moonves and his team can recover from a serious screwup. At this point CBS has completely lost its bragging rights to Friday.

The screwup began a few weeks ago when at 8:00 they offered a new show "The Job" which tanked in the ratings. Last night they aired a new episode "Undercover Boss." At it's last outing on February 1, it pulled a 1.9 million demo and 8.0 million 50+. This time it pulled 1.4 - 5.9.

Last night CBS execs pulled a Fox. Earlier this week they decided that "Golden Boy" intended for Fridays was doing so well at Tuesday that they'd let the scheduled Friday episode run but then continue it on Tuesday and move "Vegas" to Friday. So last night "Golden Boy" pulled a 1.0 million demo and 6.45 million 50+ compared to last Tuesday's 1.6 - 7.7. It ran behind "CSI: NY" February Sweeps performance. Playing _Where's Waldo_ with "Golden Boy" and "Vegas" was a dumb idea. The question is will someone at the network panic and do further damage to "Golden Boy"? If and how they save this situation will tell us if CBS is really better at scheduling damage control then the other networks or has CBS just been resting on its procedurals.

At 10 pm "Blue Bloods" did slightly below its February Sweeps average, so it appear that the earlier time slots scheduling problems did no damage to it.

*ABC* has bragging rights to last night winning all but the 8:30 half hour.

*NBC.* Despite the fact that the season return of "Grimm" ran #2 in the demo, "Fashion Star" and "Brian Williams Rock Center" did so poorly that NBC ran last in the 8:00 - 11:00 race. And Univision probably beat them.

*Fox* isn't doing very well on Fridays. "Touch" did beat "Cult' on The CW, but it isn't looking good.

*The CW * moved its new show "Cult" to Friday either to burn the episodes off or see if it can gain some life through streaming, I'm not sure which.


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## Church AV Guy (Jul 9, 2007)

Grimm did twice as good as Touch. I don't know itf that means anything except that the premier was eagerly anticipated by many Grimm fans.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Church AV Guy said:


> Grimm did twice as good as Touch. I don't know itf that means anything except that the premier was eagerly anticipated by many Grimm fans.


"Grimm" ran #2 beating "Golden Boy" which to me means it continues to be a strong scripted program for NBC - the network that took a big loss on "Smash" while burying "Grimm", a stronger program, on Friday.

"Smash" of course strongly appeals to the uptown New York City folks surrounding 30 Rock (the building not the show) who don't watch live television.

"Grimm" appeals to 30%± of the live age 18-49 demo which is the source of broadcast network profits. A significant portion of the live demo doesn't watch TV on Friday nights, so that's where NBC scheduled a show that would otherwise make them some money.

IMHO Comcast needs to move NBC's offices to Omaha and replace everyone who works in the executive suite.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the second Sunday of Spring 2013:











*CBS.* While CBS has bragging rights to Sunday night, they only won 4 out of the 8 half hours in the demo, though they won all 8 in the 50+ crowd. What advertisers on broadcast network TV are going to face is the question - how many 50+ viewers does it take to equal 100,000 demo viewers. I'm not sure the answer is going to be simple given this recent headline in the Wall Street Journal Young Adults Retreat From Piling Up Debt. The story tells us:


> A typical young U.S. household-defined as one led by someone under age 35-had $15,000 in total debt in 2010, down from $18,000 in 2001 and the lowest since 1995, according to a recent Pew Research Center report and government data. Total debt includes mortgage loans, credit cards, auto lending, student loans and other consumer borrowing.
> 
> In addition, fewer young adults carried credit-card balances and 22% didn't have any debt at all in 2010-the most since government tracking began in 1983.
> 
> ...If young people have a better handle on their other debts, they may more easily pay off student loans. On the other hand, less borrowing generally means less spending, which can weigh on the economy.


So at 9:00 pm last night the CBS show "The Good Wife" ranks #4 in the demo and #1 in the 50+ crowd. Compared to ABC's "Revenge" what are those 2.8 million more "The Good Wife" 50+ viewers worth compared to to the 0.5 million more "Revenge" demo viewers? If 0.2 million of the "Revenge" demo viewers are not spending on cars and smaller ticket items, what does that mean for advertisers looking at ratings?

*ABC* won only one half hour in the demo last night, 9:30 pm. Still, its shows are competitive except at 10:00 pm where "Red Widow" slipped from its premier ratings running well below the 2.3 million demo of the second episode of "GBC" last year.

*NBC* ran four hours of "Celebrity Apprentice", which resulted in the network in the demo scoring dead last for six half hours and first in the 10 pm two half hours. Since the 7-9 pm two hour rerun cost next to nothing and the 9-11 pm two hour new episode probably represents low per minute production costs, the network likely made money last night. Apparently the goal is to combine Fall "Sunday Night Football" with Spring low cost Sunday reality shows in order to overcome the big losses the rest of the week on shows like "Smash."


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the second Monday of Spring 2013:










*CBS.* I'm starting with CBS just to indicate what's going on with Mondays. Here's the averages for February Sweeps:








When you compare the Sweeps Averages to the first two Spring Mondays you get confirmation of the fact that by running reruns in every time slot but 8:30, CBS is giving the other three networks a "pass" for these two weeks. The reason for this will become evident starting next week when "Dancing with the Stars" returns to ABC and the following week when "The Voice" returns to NBC. The competition between the reality shows and the scripted shows will be hot and heavy.

*ABC*'s finale of "The Bachelor" dominated the night.

*Fox.* The "Bones" rerun ran 4th. "The Following" new episode ran #2.

*NBC*'s "The Biggest Loser" ran #3 in the demo and #4 in the 50+ crowd all four half hour slots from 8-10 pm. "Deception" is still running poorly.

*The CW.* Speaking of running poorly....


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the second Tuesday of 2013:










*CBS* won the night in the 50+ crowd as usual, even though the first two hours were reruns. In those two hours, the reruns placed #2 in the 18-49 crowd. "Golden Boy" won the 10 pm new episode competition but its ratings are not noticeably different from "Vegas." The question is whether it will build an audience like many CBS shows have over the years or slide in the ratings like "Vegas" did.

*Fox* won the 8-10 demo with a two hour premier of "Hell's Kitchen", but not by much against "NCIS" franchise reruns on CBS.

*ABC*'s two reality shows did poorly in the 8-10 pm two hours against "Hell's Kitchen."

*NBC* continues to outperform The CW.

*The CW*. It's worth noting that in the last available Live + 7 day DVR information which was for February 19, "Hart of Dixie" got a 80% boost in the demo from DVR watching.


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## jerry downing (Mar 7, 2004)

I think NBC is still paying for the Leno fiasco where they bumped five shows to run Jay Leno in prime time. This not only cost them the five shows but ultimately cost them Conan O'Brian as well.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

jerry downing said:


> I think NBC is still paying for the Leno fiasco where they bumped five shows to run Jay Leno in prime time. This not only cost them the five shows but ultimately cost them Conan O'Brian as well.


I think that is a good point. What I'm still wondering is if someone at that time intended to compete only with Fox and The CW with 8-10 pm programming and chose the Leno route to back into that. It appears there just aren't enough viewers at 10 pm to pay for three networks running scripted programming. I don't think anyone thought the affiliates would protest as much as they did.

Here's the second Wednesday of Spring 2013:










*Fox*'s "American Idol" which won the 8-10 pm race was competing against its ratings last year and it lost. Last year it scored 5.3/15 - 17.88 against this year's 3.6/11 - 13.08. That's a 32% drop in the demo.

*CBS.* "Survivor", the networks only new episode last night, ran #2 though it too was down 14% in the demo from last year's 2.9/9 - 10.03.

*ABC* seems to have hung "The Neighbors" out to dry last night as its only show with a new episode. We like the show, but it's obvious it will not get another season. The "CSI" rerun still attracted the 50+ group at 10 pm.

*NBC* should have ordered a couple of extra episodes of "Chicago Fire", not run reruns, and publicized the show to see if it could pick up some viewers. But then NBC should have, could have....

*The CW* also ran reruns.


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## renbutler (Oct 17, 2008)

phrelin said:


> *ABC* seems to have hung "The Neighbors" out to dry last night as its only show with a new episode. We like the show, but it's obvious it will not get another season.


Zap2It's Bubble Watch says it's certain/likely for renewal. They get some borderline predictions wrong, but I don't recall a prediction this strong being wrong.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

renbutler said:


> Zap2It's Bubble Watch says it's certain/likely for renewal. They get some borderline predictions wrong, but I don't recall a prediction this strong being wrong.


I hope I'm wrong. Right now ABC has 13 sitcoms that have been given a pilot order for 2013-14 which gives them flexibility.

Maybe when their full Wednesday lineup returns with new episodes "The Neighbors" situation will look better. Admittedly last year "Suburgatory" in this time slot did not do as well in rerun weeks and they picked it up. But I'm not as comfortable as Bubble Watch's Robert Seidman in looking back to last year's decision-making process for ABC, as well as NBC.

EDIT: Part of my thinking is based on the scheduling. "The Neighbors" season finale is March 27 at which point "Suburgatory" is supposed to be moved to the 8:30 slot and "How to Live With Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life)" with Sarah Chalke, Elizabeth Perkins, and Brad Garrett premiers in the 9:30 slot. (I really have no idea how to fit that title on my spreadsheet.)


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the third Thursday of Spring 2013:










*CBS* won five of the six half hours in the demo and 50+ crowd (and tied in the 8:30 half hour for #1 in the demo). Even "2⅓ Men" was competitive with "American Idol". Next week, however, March Madness NCAA Basketball will begin preempting the regular CBS shows.

*Fox*'s only ratings winner "American Idol" ran #2 in its hour slipping 33% in the demo from last year when it pulled 4.5/14 -15.52 compared to 3.0/10- 11.63. "Glee" did get a bump, perhaps from last week's odd scheduling finding a few new demo viewers.

*ABC*'s only new episode last night was "Grey's Anatomy" which ran low compared to February Sweeps. Next week the network will premier a new season of "Wife Swap" at 8 pm followed by new episodes of "Grey's" and "Scandal" while CBS is running basketball.

*NBC*'s new episode of "Community" ran #5 in the demo behind The CW's "Vampire Diaries." Again, NBC needs to move its executive offices to Omaha where the executive's won't be confused by the entertainment tastes of folks working in downtown New York City who don't watch live TV. "Parks & Rec" did run #3 ahead of the "Shark Tank' rerun on ABC. "The Office" did run #3 ahead of "Glee." Facing the prospect of no new season, the dud "1600 Penn" ran #4.

*The CW*'s "Vampire Diaries" gets decent ratings for the network.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the third Friday of Spring 2013:










The first thing someone following ratings has to notice about Fridays is the total number of viewers in any hour. A typical Tuesday when new episodes are running there are about 36 million total viewers at 8 pm, 35 million at 9 pm and 20 million at 10 pm. On Friday a third of those viewers just don't show up between 8-10 pm. What's more surprising is that the missing viewers are nearly the same in all age groups. What's more troubling is that it appears that there has been a drop of around 20% compared to last year.

*ABC* in the demo won the 8:00, 9:00, and 9:30 half hours. That gave them the win in the 8-10 race even though "Shark Tank" was a rerun.

*CBS* ran reruns at 8 pm and 9 pm. That still gave them #2 in the demo and #1 in the 50+ crowd for the 8-10 pm race. And "Blue Bloods" at 10 pm wins handily.

*NBC*'s "Grimm" tied for #1 in the demo for the 9:00 half hour and ran #2 in the 9:30 half hour, leaving it #2 for the hour behind a rerun of "Shark Tank." "Fashion Star" seems to be out of fashion. And Brian Williams is slipping down the slope.

*Fox*. The new episode of "Kitchen Nightmares" ran about the same as its reruns did last Spring. Speaking of nightmares, "Touch" must be disturbing the sleep of the network execs because it isn't disturbing the sleep of many viewers.

*The CW*. "Nikita" gets a 67% boost from demo DVR viewers which may be an indication of how it's doing in streaming. That still doesn't give it an impressive total but it's probably good enough for a fourth season. "Cult", on the other hand has a pretty small cult following, not enough for another season.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the results for the third Sunday of Spring 2013:










*CBS* won the first four half hours. "The Good Wife" ran #4 in the demo in the 9:00 hour but won the 50+ viewers. This will be an interesting dilemma. "The Mentalist" at 10 pm ran #2 in the demo but because of its draw with the 50+ group it pulled 49.2% of the total viewers. While "Celebrity Apprentice" pulled in 400,000 more demo viewers, "The Mentalist" pulled in 3,400,000 more 50+ viewers. I keep wondering how much more stuff those 400,000 18-49 viewers would buy than the 3,400,000 50+ viewers.

*ABC*'s new episodes of "Once Upon a Time" and "Revenge" pulled adequate ratings. "Red Widow" continued its slow fall into ABC's pile of one season dramas.

*NBC*'s two hour "Celebrity Apprentice" seems to draw the demo. Combined with a two hour "Dateline" last night, the network offered comparatively low cost programming which should have given it a profit. The plan for the remainder of Spring is to run or rerun "The Voice" episodes during the first part of the night and finish the night with new episodes of "Celebrity Apprentice". It should make Sunday's profitable - not very creative, but profitable.

*Fox*'s animated lineup continues to perform well. "Family Guy" won its half hour in the demo.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the third Monday of Spring 2013 with about ten million more live viewers showing up than the past two weeks:










*ABC*'s "Dancing with the Stars" premier was the big winner bringing in 7-8 million more viewers than the prior two weeks most of them in the age 50+ population. It was down from last year's 3.4/9 - 17.88. With "Castle" winning the 10 pm slot it was essentially a clean sweep for the network, although....

*CBS*'s "How I Met Your Mother" tied for #1 in the demo in the 8 pm half hour. Otherwise, the CBS comedy lineup ran #3 in the demo and #2 among the 50+ folks.

*NBC*'s "The Biggest Loser" finale gave the network a #2 in the demo though #4 in the 50+ group. The finale of "Deception" lost at 10 pm.

*Fox*'s little engines that could did pretty well, all things considered. "Bones" got respectable ratings against the "DWTS" premier, a new "HIMYM", and the finale of "Biggest Loser." "The Following" actually grew from "Bones."

*The CW.* (When there's nothing to say, it's better to say nothing.)

For the rest of the Spring 2013 Monday's will be competitive.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the third Tuesday of Spring 2013:










*CBS* continues to control Tuesday night winning all six half hours in both the demo and the 50+ group. "NCIS" is down slightly from last year but "NCIS: LA" is up slightly from last year. "Golden Boy" may be starting to gain an audience, though it's still a bit behind its premier. It is running better than "Vegas" in the demo but behind in the 50+. It is 20% down from "Unforgettable", the show that turned out to be a good lesson on 10 pm time slots. After crunching numbers, CBS ordered "Unforgettable" episodes to bring it back for Summer 2013.

*ABC* ran #2 in all six half hours, though it did tie with Fox in the demo at 9 pm. "Splash" premiered with ratings adequate for the time slot given that it's a reality show with low costs, as did the "Dancing with the Stars" episode. "Body of Proof" gained, probably from a stronger lead-in.

*Fox*'s lineup is pulling an adequate demo, except perhaps "The Mindy Project." "New Girl" tied for #2 in the demo in its half hour.

*The CW* at 8 pm offered "The iHeartRadio Album Release Party With Justin Timberlake" which found fewer hearts than the last original episode of "Hart of Dixie."


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

I'm a day behind as life sometimes gets in the way. Here's the third Wednesday of Spring 2013:










*Fox* won the first two hours with "American Idol" which was down from last week in the 9:00 hour and down from last year's 4.9/14 - 16.56 compared to this year's 3.5/10 - 12.67. A 29% drop in the demo year-year-over-year has to put a frown or two on faces at the Fox executive suite.

*CBS* shows ran #2 in the first four half hours and #1 in the last two half hours of the night.

*ABC.* The new episode of "Suburgatory" ran #4 last night preceded by a rerun of "Modern Family" that ran #3. That, along with the fact I like the show, doesn't bode well for "Suburgatory".

*NBC.* After two weeks of reruns, a new episode of the promising "Chicago Fire" slipped in the ratings. It had been pulling a consistent 1.9/5 in the demo but dropped to 1.7/5.

*The CW.* "The Arrow" and "Supernatural" continue to do well for The CW shows.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the fourth Thursday of Spring 2013:


*If you need larger print you can click on the image above.*








*CBS*, which usually wins the night, ran the normal for this time of year March Madness NCAA Basketball Tournament second round game last night giving it the #2 position between 8-9 pm in both the demo and 50+, #3 between 9-10, and #2 in the demo and #3 in the 50+ crowd between 10;11 pm. The problem is that this was live and so appeared in earlier time slots as one moves west across time zones which gives the other networks a better chance in competition against locals showing reruns.

*Fox*. "American Idol" is down 30% in the demo, dropping from last year's 4.0/13 - 15.01 to this year's 2.8/9 -11.65.

*ABC* premiered "Wife Swap" and ran new episodes of "Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal" which gave the network a win in the 8-11 pm race. However, "Wife Swap" ran #3 in the 8:00 hour. But at least it's cheaper to produce than the losers like "Zero Hour" that ran in this slot previously this year.

*NBC.* "Community" at 8:00 and a "1600 Penn" at 8:30 both ran #5 in the demo behind The CW's "Vampire Diaries." Actually, they probably ran #6 if you factor in Univision. There is not much else one can say about NBC for the night other than to again suggest moving all their executives from 30 Rockefeller Center to Omaha, Nebraska, so they can get in touch with people who watch live TV.

*The CW.* "Vampire Diaries" beat the NBC offering ... oh, I already mentioned that. :sure:


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

In passing, the ratings finals for CBS Thursday NCAA basket ball were 1.8/6 - 5.47, which IMHO means CBS is giving away money.

Here's the fourth Friday of Spring 2013:


*If you need larger print you can click on the image above.*








*Univision* Friday ran ahead of everyone but ABC in the demo. What can I say....:sure:

*ABC* seems to have taken control of Fridays, even ignoring the fact that CBS ran basketball live EDT forcing affiliates in other time zones to run reruns.

*CBS. * By running March Madness, CBS gave away its big lead in the 50+ crowd.

*NBC*'s "Grimm" was enough to give the network a tie for #2 position with CBS in the demo ahead of Fox and #2 in the 50+ crowd ahead of CBS and Fox.

*Fox* continues to run ahead of The CW on Fridays.

*The CW* ran just behind Telemundo for the night.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

To be fair, there were 3 other March Madness games on TNT, TBS, & TruTV... So, viewers were likely bouncing around the 4 channels.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

sigma1914 said:


> To be fair, there were 3 other March Madness games on TNT, TBS, & TruTV... So, viewers were likely bouncing around the 4 channels.


That's true, but CBS is still giving away ratings.


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## Church AV Guy (Jul 9, 2007)

I assume you forgot or missed the lower case "b" in Thursday's listing for "Person of Interest". When I saw it at first, I wondered what had happened to have it drop more than 50% from what it had been running. 

Then I saw the "b" in all the other CBS shows for the evening, so I assume it was simply omitted.


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## renbutler (Oct 17, 2008)

phrelin said:


> That's true, but CBS is still giving away ratings.


Would CBS repeats have beaten basketball? Or do you think that CBS should air originals 52 weeks a year?


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

renbutler said:


> Would CBS repeats have beaten basketball? Or do you think that CBS should air originals 52 weeks a year?


Good question about the repeats. Thursday maybe, Friday definitely not. Now whether basketball is more profitable than repeats, I don't know.

For those looking for Sunday, let me quote TV-by-the-Numbers:


> Due to overruns, CBS ratings are scrambled and essentially worthless until we get the finals tomorrow.


Because the numbers we have are misleading, I'll wait until tomorrow to post Sunday.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here is the 4th Sunday of Spring 2013 with final ratings and showing CBS shows as they appeared in their regular time on the West Coast:


*If you need larger print you can click on the image above.*








*CBS* regular shows appeared to have been given a bump by the 45 minute overrun of the NCAA Basketball Tournament lead in which pulled 4.0/14 - 11.24, at least until folks in the East didn't want to stay up very late to watch "The Mentalist."

*NBC*'s "Celebrity Apprentice" took a hit.

*ABC* shows appear to have been stable with "Red Widow" perhpas gaining slightly from "The Mentalist" being off its regular time.

*Fox*'s animated lineup continues to perform adequately.

And here's the fourth Monday of Spring 2013:


*If you need larger print you can click on the image above.*








*NBC.* With the season premier of "The Voice" and the season return of "Revolution", NBC took control of Monday night in the demo.

*ABC* remained in control of the 50+ crowd with "Dancing with the Stars" and "Castle".

*CBS*, which won February Sweeps, is not going to do well this Spring against the reality show 8-10 pm lineup. And "Hawaii Five-0" already was finding "Castle" to be real competition, but with "Revolution" the show ends up fading to #3 in the demo and #2 with the older crowd.

*Fox.* "Bones" and "The Following" are sliding.

*The CW.* ...


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the fourth Tuesday of Spring 2013:


*If you need larger print you can click on the image above.*








*CBS.* As noted in another thread, CBS is apparently decided to buy into a cable channel to compete with NBCU's USA and Bravo. I have a feeling last night's ratings are a hint about why.

A new episode of the always-highest-rated-scripted-show-on-broadcast-TV "NCIS" did not win its hour in the demo. In recent history reruns of the show frequently won the hour. But the second premier night of NBC's "The Voice" won. In the second half hour in the demo "The Voice" pulled 4.3/12 compared to "NCIS" with 3.1/9. What is more telling for CBS is that the total 50+ crowd in that hour jumped 1 million and "NCIS" is down 1 million and they all went to "The Voice".

So it's clear to CEO Les Moonves that a broadcast channel, even a winner like CBS, needs a sister cable channel in the coming years as another profit center and probably one is enough.

"NCIS:LA" was hurt by the first "DWTS" elimination show and by the NBC sitcom shows which benefited by the lead in "The Voice" gave them. "Golden Boy" lost out to ABC's "Body of Proof" which I don't understand.

*NBC*'s "The Voice" gave the network bragging rights in the 8-10 pm competition for the second night in a row. That's a dramatic turnaround for the peac0ck network, giving owner Comcast a boost. Part of the benefit is the lead-in doubled the demo for the two sitcoms following "The Voice". Maybe this will help "Go On" when they move it to Thursday in April.

*ABC*'s "Splash" at 8 pm made a big splash in its premier last week. But last night the second dive ended in a belly flop leaving it #4. That didn't seem to keep "DWTS" first elimination show of the season from being #2. But compared to last year's demo of 3.0/8, this year's 2.3/6 looks anemic. "Body of Proof" won the 10 pm slot.

*Fox* saw a little bit of a slip for the night with all the new opposition from competition reality shows.

*The CW* gave us a rerun of "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" at 8 pm. :grin:


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

I noticed that _Criminal Minds_ and _Golden Boy_ aren't (yet) among the 18 primetime shows CBS just announced will return next season.

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/...son-237411/20130327cbs02/#VmRe066jVlFRBgFf.99


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Steve said:


> I noticed that _Criminal Minds_ and _Golden Boy_ aren't (yet) among the 18 primetime shows CBS just announced will return next season.
> 
> http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/...son-237411/20130327cbs02/#VmRe066jVlFRBgFf.99


The cast of _Criminal Minds_ are in the middle of negotiations. During February Sweeps the show ran behind "American Idol" for the hour and behind "Modern Family" in the first half hour. And during last Fall it ran #3 behind "The Voice" and "Modern Family." Nonetheless, its ratings are decent given that competition if costs don't run too high (that's a hint to the cast).

The midseason newby "Golden Boy" looked like it might do ok until last night when it lost to "Body of Proof" for the first time.

Also, the other newby "Vegas", which got a full season order this year, is in trouble and unless it sees some kind of miracle in its new slot, Friday at 9 pm, it may not see a new order.

EDIT: The surprise for me was "Hawaii Five-0" which pulled an average rating during February Sweeps of 1.8 losing to "Castle". I'm expecting it to be on another night next year.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the Fourth Wednesday of Spring 2013:


*If you need larger print you can click on the image above.*








*Fox*'s juggernaut "American Idol" slipped again from last week. Compared to last year's 5.0/14 - 17.15, this year's 3.1/9 - 12.03, a 38% drop in the demo, has to have the network looking over their shoulders.

*ABC* may have contributed to "Idol's" problem this year. Last year on the comparable night, ABC ran reruns of its popular comedy lineup. This year original episodes averaged 40% higher in the demo and 60% higher in the 50+ crowd.

*NBC* executives even had something to smile about this morning as "Chicago" fire edged up in the demo towards its February Sweeps number winning the 10 pm hour. While CBS running reruns may have contributed to that, it's still a positive.

*CBS* ran reruns last night.

*The CW*'s "Arrow" slipped slightly last night while "Supernatural" gained slightly. I have no idea what that means.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

The reasons for "live + same-day-DVR" viewer ratings is that advertisers want to know who is viewing their ads in a timely fashion. The ratings are important to the networks because traditionally they derived income from the advertisers, not the viewers. The only reason we viewers care about ratings is that if one's favorite show isn't pulling decent ratings, particularly in the "age 18-49 demo", it won't be continued on the network schedule.

So, what is important is not how "The Oscars" or "The Super Bowl" fared in the ratings, but rather how the new episodes of the regularly scheduled shows are doing. This has become more and more difficult to figure out looking at a night each week as the networks are airing shows off schedule and well as airing reruns. And then there's the fact that new shows or new seasons have premiered or will premier during the Spring schedule. So....

Here's the 5th Thursday of Spring compared to the new episodes of regularly scheduled show average ratings (although I'm still unsure about what NBC is doing):


*If you wish to see the entire Spring, click on the image above.*








*Fox*'s Thursday edition of "American Idol" hit a series low last night. Compared to last year it was down 36% in the demo and 27% in total viewers.

*ABC*'s "Grey's Anatomy" at 9 pm and "Scandal" at 10 pm gave it bragging rights for the night even though "Wife Swap" just edged out "Vampire Diaries" for #3 in the demo at 8 pm.

*CBS* continues with the March Madness NCAA Tournament which airs live, meaning that the ratings reflect total confusion. There was a game before, in, and after prime time for those on EDT. For those of us on PDT, it was well before and up to 10 pm, after which we had our 7 pm syndicated shows. With that said, CBS and ABC on average basically tied for #1 for the night.

*The CW.* The combination of "Vampire Diaries" and "Beauty and the Beast" allowed the network a win in the 8-10 pm demo over NBC.

*NBC*'s night overall looked like a good night if it was The CW. Next week they'll air their new regular schedule for Spring for the first time, I think.:sure:

Basically we've got slightly more than a month of episodes before _Upfronts_ where the networks will give advertisers and the rest of us their full Fall lineup.


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## Church AV Guy (Jul 9, 2007)

> ...Here's the 5th Thursday of Spring compared to the new episodes of regularly scheduled show average ratings (although *I'm still unsure about what NBC is doing*):


I'm convinced that NBC is clueless about what THEY are doing. If someone had TRIED to sabotage their schedule, I doubt that they could have done a better job.


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## renbutler (Oct 17, 2008)

I think that NBC is going after a certain kind of niche that isn't as large as they believe it is.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the Fifth Friday of Spring compared to the Spring averages for new episodes of the regularly scheduled show:


*If you wish to see the entire Spring, click on the image above.*








*CBS* continues with the March Madness NCAA Tournament which airs live, meaning that the ratings reflect total confusion. There was a game before, in, and after prime time for those on EDT. For those of us on PDT, it was well before and up to 10 pm, after which we had our 7 pm syndicated shows. With that said, CBS won the night. In the averages, there are no numbers for "Vegas" which premiers in the Friday 9 pm slot next week.

*ABC*. I'm not sure whether they decided to schedule the remaining episodes of "Happy Endings" during the 8 pm hour to thoroughly kill the show or to check to see whether they were getting about the best ratings possible in those time slots with "Last Man Standing" and "Malibu Country" and should renew them. For comparison "Last Man Standing" had a an average Spring demo rating of 1.5 and a total of 7.05 million viewers and "Malibu Country" 1.3 and 6.13, ratings that look phenomenal compared to "Happy Endings."

*NBC*, despite generally poor ratings, still placed #3 ahead of Fox. When "Vegas" runs in the 9 pm time slot next week we'll see if it affects "Grimm". In theory, there are 5 million viewers this week that could be available to watch a show in that slot.

*Fox*'s "Touch" at 9 pm ran lower than a rerun of its lead-in "Kitchen Nightmares" which is downright sad.

*The CW*'s "Cult" is struggling to find a respectable-size cult following by The CW standards.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Sunday's are a tough night to find any meaning in the ratings other than for a show you may be concerned about, but here's the *FINAL RESULTS* of the Fifth Sunday of Spring compared to the Spring averages for new episodes of the regularly scheduled show:


*If you wish to see the entire Spring, click on the image above.*








*CBS* regular show ratings were affected by a 41 minute overrun of the NCAA Basketball Tournament lead [strike]so what I'm showing here are approximate will need to be changed[/strike]. It doesn't matter because all the Sunday shows have been renewed for next year. The NCAA Basketball Tournament did pull strong ratings, but we won't have any final numbers until tomorrow.

*NBC* has abandoned the first two hours of the night to regularly scheduled reruns which screws up the averaging system. However, the only new episode last night was an "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice" which did poorly, but it's cheap to produce so it doesn't matter.

*ABC* ran a rerun of "It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown" at 7 pm and a rerun of " Once Upon A Time" at 8 pm. "Revenge" and "Red Widow" both slipped from lasts week.

*Fox* ran reruns of its animated lineup last night.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

_Mentalist _was a re-run last night, no? If so, those are decent numbers, IMO.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Steve said:


> _Mentalist _was a re-run last night, no? If so, those are decent numbers, IMO.


Yes it was a rerun. If the final numbers are anywhere near close to the preliminary numbers, with most of the show in the East airing after 11 pm they would be remarkable. But I won't know until tomorrow.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the Fifth Monday of Spring compared to the Spring averages for new episodes of the regularly scheduled show:


*If you wish to see the entire Spring, click on the image above.*








*CBS* ran reruns which should have given other networks a boost. But....

*NBC*'s "The Voice" from 8-10 pm won the demo slipping only slightly from its premier last week. On the other hand, at 10 pm "Revolution" dropped 15% in the demo from its premier last week even though over at CBS "Hawaii Five-0" was a rerun.

*ABC*'s "Dancing with the Stars" from 8-10 pm handily won the 50+ crowd as usual but slipped 11% in the demo over last week. What's interesting is that "Castle" not only gained 12% among the oldsters but gained slightly in the demo against a rerun of "Hawaii Five-0."

*Fox.* "Bones" at 8 pm seems to be stable while tying "DWTS" for #2 in the demo. "The Following", on the other hand, continues to slip in the demo each week.

*The CW*'s "Carrie Diaries" seems to have stabilized, albeit at low ratings.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

phrelin said:


> Steve said:
> 
> 
> > _Mentalist _was a re-run last night, no? If so, those are decent numbers, IMO.
> ...


I have changed Sunday with the final results for the night for CBS and the ratings for "The Mentalist" rerun mostly after 11 pm are more like one would expect 0.9/3 -5.80.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

phrelin said:


> I have changed Sunday with the final results for the night for CBS and the ratings for "The Mentalist" rerun mostly after 11 pm are more like one would expect 0.9/3 -5.80.


Thanks for following up on that! I know _The Mentalist_ is an entertaining show, but I was mildly surprised a re-run would draw that well, especially airing so late, due to the game.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the Fifth Tuesday of Spring compared to the Spring averages for new episodes of the regularly scheduled show:


*If you wish to see the entire Spring, click on the image above.*








*CBS*, which has been controlling Tuesday ratings, ran reruns from 8-10 which didn't help "Golden Boy's" chances for a second season pickup.

*NBC*'s "The Voice" climbed in its second week without a new "NCIS" running against it. Last night NBC ran two episodes of "The New Normal" for its finale which raised its averages. "Smash" was smashed long ago.

*ABC*'s "Splash" continues its dive towards a belly flop. "Dancing with the Stars" elimination show ran about normal. Meanwhile "Body of Proof" still has a hold on the 10 pm competition.

*Fox*'s "Hell's Kitchen" ran #2 in the demo in the absence of a new episode of "NCIS". They ran a rerun of "New Girl" which greased the continued slide of "Mindy Project".

*The CW* ran reruns.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the Fifth Wednesday of Spring compared to the Spring averages for new episodes of the regularly scheduled show:


*If you wish to see the entire Spring, click on the image above.*








*Fox*'s "American Idol" continues its slide downward. Last year it pulled a 4.7/12 - 16.66 compared to last night's 3.0/9 - 11.48.

*ABC*'s comedy lineup ran well considering the competition. "Modern Family" was #1 in the demo at 9 pm followed by the premier of "How To Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)" which ran #2. "Nashville" is not running well IMHO considering the lead-in it had.

*CBS.* "Survivor" continues to run #2 in the demo and 50+ crowd behind "Idol." "Criminal Minds", however, ran #3 in the demo behind ABC's sitcoms though it was #2 in the 50+ crowd. "CSI' was #1 at 10 pm.

*NBC*'s "Chicago Fire" continues to be competitive at 10 pm.

*The CW*'s best night is Wednesday's, anchored by "Arrow".


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the sixth Thursday of Spring 2013 compared to the Spring 2013 averages for new episodes of the regularly scheduled show:


*If you wish to see the entire Spring, click on the image above.*








*CBS* ran new episodes of its entire Thursday lineup which has been picked up for next year, except for "Two and a Half Men" which is still awaiting some negotiations though CBS reportedly wants the show back. The reason for the pickups is clear from last night - the network won every half hour of the entire three hours in total viewers and every half hour of the 8-10 pm competition in the demo.

*Fox*'s "American Idol" tied its series low last night. Last year it ran 3.8/12 -13.79 compared to this year's 2.8/9 -11.28, a drop of 26% in the demo worshiped by Fox. For whatever reason, Fox chose to run during the 9 pm hour new episodes of "New Girl" and "Mindy Project" instead of a new episode of "Glee" (they ran lower than "Glee"). I combined them to get a comparison with the average for "Glee." But "New Girl" ran 2.0/6 - 4.87 and "Mindy Project 1.4/4 - 3.52.

*ABC*'s latest Thursday 8 pm throwaway "Wife Swap" is running about as badly as "Zero Hour", but it is much cheaper to produce. "Grey's Anatomy" appears to have stabilized at roughly the same ratings as last year. "Scandal" has actually grown an audience running 29% higher in the demo than its premier on the comparable night last year.

*NBC*. It certainly is a distant memory back to the era of Must See TV Thursdays. "Hannibal" did premier higher than it's predecessor "Do No Harm". I really can't see "Hannibal" growing ratings before May upfronts which why I'm recording it, but will probably never watch it.

*The CW* ran reruns.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the sixth Friday of Spring 2013 compared to the Spring 2013 averages for new episodes of the regularly scheduled show:


*If you wish to see Fridays during the entire Spring, click on the image above.*








*CBS* won all six half hours in total viewers. It won only the 8:00 and the 8:30 half hours in the demo. In its new day and time "Vegas" managed to find 77% of the 50+ viewers and 60% of its demo viewers who watched it on Tuesday nights. It pulled only 67% of the demo and 80% of the 50+ group compared to "CSI: NY" ratings during February Sweeps. "Blue Bloods" has already been picked up for next year.

*ABC* won the demo in the four half hours from 9:00-11:00 with cheap programming. A few more demo fans found "Happy Endings" in its new day and times compared to last week.

*NBC*'s "Fashion Star" continues to beat "Nikita" on The CW, but ran behind a rerun of Fox's "Kitchen Nightmares" in the demo. "Grimm" continues to perform well considering it's relegated to Friday. "Brian Williams" can't find an audience.

*Fox*'s commitment to "Touch" is ...touching... considering it makes shows the network relegated to Friday in prior years look like winners. Last year at this time "Fringe" scored a 1.0/3 -3.08 compared to "Touch" at 0.6//2 - 2.40. Unless some advertiser love the show so much it's subsidizing it, "Touch" is a money loser, though nowhere nearly as bad as NBC's "Smash.":nono:

*The CW*'s "Nikita" and "Supernatural" continue....:sure:


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

While the conventional wisdom in "the biz" is that the Live Plus 7 Days DVR watching ratings has no impact, it interesting to look at some shows that get the greatest boost from DVR watching in the demo and total viewers. The following is for the period of March 11-17:


*Click on the table to view a larger version.*​
The table is sorted by the number of additional total viewers, highest to lowest. What one learns is that "The Big Bang Theory" gains the most demo and most total viewers.

If you're wondering why CBS renewed "The Mentalist" early, what you get from these numbers is that it gained a million demo viewers from DVR watching. Considering it's on Sunday at 10 pm against "Red Widow" which is also on the chart but gaining fewer demo viewers, CBS pretty much had to consider it a keeper.

When you look at NBC, "Grimm" gained 1.2 million demo viewers which kicks its total up to keeper level. While "Smash" gained 0.8 million demo viewers, that wasn't enough to save it.

What isn't on this list are some are some mixed indicators related to CBS renewals. "The Good Wife" gained 1.6 million total viewers that week. "Rules of Engagement" gained 0.6 million demo viewers which gets it into the respectable range.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Though it's not very useful for seeing how well your favorite show is doing, here's the sixth Sunday of Spring 2013 compared to the Spring 2013 averages for new episodes of the regularly scheduled show:


*If you wish to see Sundays during the entire Spring, click on the image above.*








*CBS* won the night with "60 Minutes" and "The 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards", the latter causing the other networks to run reruns, except for...

*NBC* did run a new episode of "Celebrity Apprentice" at 10 pm which did ok all things considered.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Because of the NCAA Championship Game live on CBS, i waited for some final numbers. As with yesterday, this sixth Monday of Spring 2013 compared to the Spring 2013 averages for new episodes of the regularly scheduled show isn't going to tell us much:


*If you wish to see Mondays during the entire Spring, click on the image above.*








*CBS* ran reruns during the first hour, the NCAA Basketball Championship Game pre-game show from 9-9:30 followed by the game. As the averages indicate this gave them a win for the three hour competition, but they still lost the demo to NBC and the 50+ crowd to ABC.

*NBC* ran new episodes of "The Voice" and "Revolution" in the face of the March Madness culmination. That gave them #1 in the demo for the first three half hours and a strong #2 in the 9:30-10:00 half hour which indicates how strong "The Voice" is.

*ABC* ran a new "	Dancing with the Stars" which ran below average but still held the 50+ crowd.

*Fox* ran a rerun of "Bones" but gambled with "The Following" which ran below average though it held it's live viewers through the second half hour against the game.

*The CW*'s "The Carrie Diaries" finale finished decently, all things considered.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the sixth Tuesday of Spring 2013 compared to the Spring 2013 averages for new episodes of the regularly scheduled show:


*If you wish to see Tuesdays during the entire Spring, click on the image above.*








*CBS* won the 8 pm hour with the 50+ crowd, won the demo and the 50+ crowd in the 9 pm hour and won the demo in the 10 pm hour, the latter returning "Golden Boy" to the demo lead.

*NBC*'s "The Voice" won the demo in the 8 pm hour and is running stronger in this hour than it did at 9 pm last year. The curious premier of "Ready for Love' in the half-hour demo went like this:

9:00 2.1/ 6
9:30 1.6/ 4
10:00 1.3/ 4
10:30 1.2/ 4
It's probably not a keeper unless one considers it a Summer Season show. Since I don't understand NBC, I have to assume it is possible that for those who closet themselves in a 30 Rock, Summer began last night.

*ABC*'s lineup performed much as one might expect. But one has to note that "DWTS" is slipping compared to last year.

*Fox*'s lineup ran about average for new episodes of the Spring so far.

*The CW*'s "Hart of Dixie" also ran about average.


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## Church AV Guy (Jul 9, 2007)

Just in case anyone cares...

'Cult' Canceled by CW and Replaced by 'Oh Sit' and 'The Carrie Diaries' Reruns

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/20...-oh-sit-and-the-carrie-diaries-reruns/177335/

Unfortunate, but not at all surprising. The show-within-a-show ideas was just too complex I guess. 

Maybe it just wasn't entertaining.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the sixth Wednesday of Spring 2013 compared to the Spring 2013 averages for new episodes of the regularly scheduled show:


*If you wish to see Wednesdays during the entire Spring, click on the image above.*








*Fox*'s "American Idol" saw an increase last night, though the two hour ratings of 3.2/9 - 11.98 were still well below last year's 5.0/14 - 16.81.

*CBS* shows continued to give the network the #2 slot for the night, with the venerable "CSI" running #1 at 10 pm. As usual, "Criminal Minds" ran #3 in the demo for the 9:00 half hour behind "Idol" and "Modern Family", returning to #2 at 9:30.

*ABC*'s comedy lineup performed as expected. "How to Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)" at 9:30 slipped from its premier last week but is performing stronger than "Suburgatory."

*NBC* ran reruns except for "Dateline" at 8 pm.

*The CW* ran reruns.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the seventh Thursday of Spring 2013 compared to the Spring 2013 averages for new episodes of the regularly scheduled show:


*If you wish to see Thursdays during the entire Spring, click on the image above.*








*CBS* gave everyone else a pass by running reruns. So reruns of the network's shows ranked by the half hour as follows:

8:00 #1 in the demo, #2 in total viewers
8:30 #2 in the demo, #2 in total viewers
9:00 #3 in the demo, #1 in total viewers
9:30 #2 in the demo, #1 in total viewers
10:00 #2 in the demo, #1 in total viewers
10:30 #2 in the demo, #1 in total viewers

Any way you look at it, that's a strong lineup.

*Fox*'s "American Idol" lost in the demo in the 8 pm half hour to a rerun of "Big Bang Theory." Last year for the hour it pulled 4.2/13 - 15.35 compared to this year's 3.1/10 - 12.75. "Glee" ran slightly higher than average, but that was against a rerun of both "Grey's Anatomy" and "Person of Interest".

*ABC*'s new episode of "Wife Swap" and reruns of "Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal" weren't very popular.

*NBC*'s second episode of "Hannibal" scored essentially the same ratings as the premier but that wasn't a good sign as last night it was against two reruns. The "Go On" season finale ran below its average ratings on Tuesday and lost viewers from "The Office." I presume NBC is trying to save the show so they can use it next year to destroy their ratings on one night or another.

*The CW* ran reruns.


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## HinterXGames (Dec 20, 2012)

Is there a thread that tracks ratings for the premium channels? Just curious, as I think GoT (Game of Thrones) has a legitamate shot at dethroning (*snickers*) True Blood on HBO as #1 this year.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

HinterXGames said:


> Is there a thread that tracks ratings for the premium channels? Just curious, as I think GoT (Game of Thrones) has a legitamate shot at dethroning (*snickers*) True Blood on HBO as #1 this year.


The short answer is no. Cable ratings do include premium channel shows. But they aren't real useful even for bragging rights.

For instance, TV-by-the-Numbers offers lists like this which has "Game of Thrones" at #5 for the week well behind A&E's "Duck Dynasty" and just ahead of the History Channel's "Swamp People." Also, shows are repeated multiple times each week which is not reflected in the ratings.

While the premiums do look at ratings to see what their customers watch, decisions about shows tend to be made for a variety of reasons. HBO, for instance, can air shows that appeal niche audiences among their subscribers. Advertisers don't get to set the agenda. I like that economic model.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

I'm running a bit late with this one and I'm still waiting for finals on Sunday because of the CBS overrun on the Masters. Here's the seventh Friday of Spring 2013 compared to the Spring 2013 averages for new episodes of the regularly scheduled show:

​​*If you wish to see Thursdays during the entire Spring, click on the image above.*​​





​Truthfully, there's not much to talk about here. ABC's "Happy Endings" is headed towards its unhappy ending, The same appears to be true for CBS' "Vegas".


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## dennispap (Feb 1, 2007)

Just sat down to watch the mentalist and of course I get a scroll saying it will be starting 56 mins late. Why not just let it air next week instead of having east coast and central time zone DVRs miss it? Of course I didn't pad my timer like in football season, but if CBS doesn't allot the correct times for their sports, they should just show a movie on those nights.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

dennispap said:


> Just sat down to watch the mentalist and of course I get a scroll saying it will be starting 56 mins late. Why not just let it air next week instead of having east coast and central time zone DVRs miss it? Of course I didn't pad my timer like in football season, but if CBS doesn't allot the correct times for their sports, they should just show a movie on those nights.


Yes, it isn't really fair to fans of a show to run a show late. But then again, CBS would probably prefer to get a DVR viewer to watch it streaming from their web site as they apparently get credit of ad views.

Here's the seventh Friday of Spring 2013 compared to the Spring 2013 averages for new episodes of the regularly scheduled show:
​​*If you wish to see Sundays during the entire Spring, click on the image above.*​​






*CBS*, as noted previously, had a 57 minute overrun of The Masters Tournament. This affected the regular viewing time for all shows in the Eastern and Central time zones, with "The Mentalist" essentially running in the 11:00 pm hour. In the tables above, the shows are listed in their regular times like those of us further west saw them. All things considered, however, those shows didn't do badly and they all will be back next year anyway.

*Fox*'s Sunday animated lineup performed decently in the demo as it has been.

*ABC* basically ran reruns.

*NBC* essentially has a two hour Sunday - "Celebrity Apprentice" from 9-11 pm. It's cheap programming and performs adequately.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the seventh Monday of Spring 2013 compared to the Spring 2013 averages for new episodes of the regularly scheduled show:

​*If you wish to see Mondays during the entire Spring, click on the image above.*​​






*NBC* won the night with "The Voice" doing very well and at 10 pm with a news special on the Boston Marathon Bombing. There are pros and cons about doing the news special. The cons are that local affiliates end up running a repeat of the most important news story of the day and regular "Revolution" live viewers end up feeling like they don't matter. But who cares about affiliates and the loyal viewers of one of the network's few shows with decent ratings? Certainly not Comcast/NBC.

*ABC* in a close race beat CBS for #2 in the demo for the night because "Castle" outperforms "Hawaii Five-0". ABC edged out NBC in the 50+ crowd because of "Castle" and clobbered CBS in that age group which CBS wins on most nights.

*CBS*. "How I Met Your Mother" ran #2 in the demo and "Two Broke Girls" tied for #2 in the demo. Spring Mondays are turning out to be the weakest night for CBS against two popular reality competition shows.

*Fox*'s "Bones" had two strong weeks this Spring. Then ABC premiered "DWTS" and the following week NBC premiered "The Voice." Short of running "American Idol" on Mondays, there just isn't much they can do. The same thing can be said about "The Following."

*The CW* premiered "Oh Sit!" last night. I left the averages for The Carrie Diaries so we could see that essentially the premier of "Oh Sit!" pulled about the same audience. They are now burrning of the rest of the final season of "90210" at 9 pm.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Well, had a tooth pulled and the novocaine is still working. So maybe I'll do this right.

Here's the seventh Tuesday of Spring 2013 compared to the Spring 2013 averages for new episodes of the regularly scheduled show:

​*If you wish to see Tuesdays during the entire Spring, click on the image above.*​​






*CBS* ran reruns of "NCIS" and "NCIS:LA" but flipped their time slots. I assume this gives them some information. "Golden Boy" seems to have found its audience.

*NBC* continues to do well with its hour and one minute of "The Voice." However, "Ready for Love" ran like this:

9:00: 1.8/ 5 - 4.76
9:30: 1.2/ 3 - 3.14
10:00: 1.2/ 3 - 2.92
10:30: 1.0/ 3 - 2.68

That's not very promising for the future.

*ABC*'s "Splash" is losing its struggle not to drown. "Dancing with the Stars: Results Show" did about average. "Body of Proof" also has found its audience, apparently slightly fewer demo viewer than "Golden Boy", but slightly more 50+ viewers.

*Fox*'s "Hell's Kitchen" performed about average in the demo. They ran reruns in the 9 pm hour.

*The CW*'s "Hart of Dixie" met expectations.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the seventh Wednesday of Spring 2013 compared to the Spring 2013 averages for new episodes of the regularly scheduled show:

​*If you wish to see Wednesdays during the entire Spring, click on the image above.*​​





​
*Fox*'s "American Idol" ran 4.7/13 - 16.47 last year compared to 3.3/9 - 12.45 this year. It was still good for bragging rights to the 8-10 pm race winning all four half hours in the demo and 50+ crowd, but against many reruns.

*CBS*. "Survivor" at 8 pm ran #2 in both the demo and 50+ crowd in both half hours. The "Criminal Minds" rerun at 9 pm ran #3 in the demo and #2 in the 50+ crowd in both half hours. And the "Elementary" rerun at 10 pm ran #1 in the demo and 50+ crowd. That combination gave CBS the 8--11 pm bragging rights.

*ABC* ran two new episodes of "Suburgatory" during the 8 pm hour, including the season finale. Given how this show was scheduled and rescheduled its average ratings aren't bad so I would guess it will be renewed - I'm just unsure how ABC will schedule next year. "How to Live with Your Parents" continues to edge downward towards the norm for the time slot. ABC ran reruns the rest of the night which still gave it an edge over...

*NBC*. "Dateline" continues to run #4 at 8 pm as did the rerun of "L&O:SVU" at 9 pm. The rerun of "Chicago Fire" edged out "Nashville" for #2 in all age groups.

*The CW* ran reruns.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the eighth Thursday of Spring 2013, the last before May Sweeps starts, compared to the Spring 2013 averages for new episodes of the regularly scheduled show:


​*If you wish to see Fridays during the entire Spring, click on the image above.*​​






*CBS*. This was a strange Thursday. In the demo, the reruns of "Big Bang Theory" at 8 pm and 9 pm won their half hours as did the rerun of "2 Broke Girls" at 9:30. The rerun of "Two and a Half Men" came in second. And the rerun of "Person of Interest" won the 10 pm hour.

*Fox*'s "American Idol" came in #2 in the demo in the 8 pm half hour against a rerun on CBS and a new "Glee" finished #2 in both its half hours against reruns on CBS.

*ABC*'s "Wife Swap" ran #3 in both its half hours, while a rerun of "Grey's Anatomy" ran #4 ahead of The CW and a "Scandal" rerun finished last in its hour.

*NBC*'s _Where's Waldo Schedule_ running two new "Parks and Recreation" episodes at 9:00 and 9:30 actually increased that show's new episode average ratings for the Spring. The new episode of "Hannibal" at 10 pm lost to a rerun on CBS.

*The CW* Thursday lineup ran around average in the demo.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

While I just posted Thursday (above) today, Friday will have no ratings.

Because of what is now being called the "Boston Bomber" live news coverage preempting the regular schedule, Friday ratings are not available. Reports indicate NBC News coverage did beat the others.


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## seern (Jan 13, 2007)

The news on NBC seems to be their one bright spot with them winning the evening news most of the time.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Seems like I've gotten a bit behind here. Life sometimes gets in the way of DBSTalk posting.

Here's the eighth Sunday of Spring 2013, the last before May Sweeps starts, compared to the Spring 2013 averages for new episodes of the regularly scheduled show:

​*If you wish to see Sundays during the entire Spring, click on the image above.*​​






*CBS* won the 50+ crowd in every half hour, won the demo in the first two hours, tied for #1 in the demo in the 10 pm hour and was #3 in the demo in the 9 pm hour. "The Good Wife" just can't seem to get demo viewers. I'm not sure whether that's because if you ignore the Florick kids, the average age of the cast is over 40, and many are well over 40. Or whether the combination of subject matter - marriage, politics, and law firms - are passé.

*ABC*'s "Once Upon A Time" seems to keep slipping.

*Fox* ran a mix of new episodes and reruns of its animated lineup and the ratings seemed adequate.

*NBC*'s new Sunday oddball 9-11 pm two hour schedule offering only "Celebrity Apprentice" with new episodes sort of works as the costs for the night are cheap. And while "Celebrity Apprentice" doesn't do well in the 50+ crowd, it tied "The Mentalist" for demo bragging rights.

Here's the eighth Monday of Spring 2013, the last before May Sweeps starts, compared to the Spring 2013 averages for new episodes of the regularly scheduled show:

​*If you wish to see Mondays during the entire Spring, click on the image above.*​​






*NBC* has clawed its way back to one decent night as "The Voice" gives it a definite demo win and "Revolution" is #2 at 10 pm.

*ABC* clearly has the 50+ crowd in all three hours and the demo win at 10 pm.

*Fox*. While "Bones" has decent ratings all things considered, it was #3 for the night. "The Following" edged out "Dancing with the Stars" for #2. What will happen during the May Sweeps when CBS runs new episodes is unclear.

*CBS* ran reruns.

*The CW*. What can one say?

Here's the eighth Tuesday of Spring 2013, the last before May Sweeps starts, compared to the Spring 2013 averages for new episodes of the regularly scheduled show:
​





*If you wish to see Tuesdays during the entire Spring, click on the image above.*​​






*CBS*. While CBS won the night overall, "Golden Boy" is weak, now losing to "Body of Proof." That doesn't bode well for a renewal.

*NBC*'s "the Voice" continues to perform.

*ABC*'s "Body of Proof" continues to surprise.

*Fox* continues to rely on "Hells Kitchen" for decent, not great, ratings at 8 pm. The two 9 pm hour comedies were reruns.

*The CW*'s "Hart of Dixie" hangs in there.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Here's the eighth Wednesday of Spring 2013, the last night before May Sweeps starts, compared to the Spring 2013 averages for new episodes of the regularly scheduled show:

​*If you wish to see Wednesdays during the entire Spring, click on the image above.*​​






Looking at this last Wednesday of the Spring 2013 season with May Sweeps to start tonight, there is little about the ratings to focus on.

"American Idol" last year pulled 4.6/13 - 16.48 compared to this year's 3.2/ 9 - 12.18, so it was down about 30%. On the other hand "Survivor" was up since last year it pulled 2.6/8 - 9.53 compared to this year's 2.7/8 - 9.83. While CBS seems to have a reliable audience, Fox needs to worry about appealing to an audience that is limited by what I call the "squirrel" factor:

[youtubehd]xrAIGLkSMls[/youtubehd]​
The only other rating of note is ABC's "How To Live With Your Parents" which in its fourth week is down to half its premier demo.


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