Looks like the competition's getting stiffer on Thursdays:
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/newsletters/proginsider/index.jsp
Primetime Thursday Ratings:
CBS Wins; Solid Start for ABC’s Dancing With the Stars
Thursday 1/05/06
Metered Market Ratings
Note: The following overnight results exclude the Miami, Sacramento, Hartford, West Palm Beach, Providence and Greenville markets.
Household Rating/Share
CBS: 13.9/21, ABC: 10.7/16, NBC: 8.1/12, Fox: 3.4/ 5, WB: 2.1/ 3, UPN: 2.0/ 3
-Percent Change From the Comparable Year-Ago Evening (Thursday 1/06/05):
ABC: +128, NBC: - 1, WB: - 5, CBS: - 3, Fox: -23, UPN: -49
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Fast National Ratings
(Note: Fast Nationals are now based on Live + Same Day data).
-Total Viewers:
CBS: 21.02 million, ABC: 14.54, NBC: 10.80, Fox: 5.13, WB: 2.23, UPN: 1.96
-Adults 18-49:
CBS: 6.8/18, NBC: 5.0/13, ABC: 4.1/11, Fox: 2.2/ 6, WB: 1.0/ 3, UPN: 0.8/ 2
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-Yesterday’s Winners:
Dancing With the Stars (ABC), CSI (CBS), Without A Trace (CBS)
-Also Worth Positively Noting:
Four Kings (NBC), My Name Is Earl (NBC)
-Yesterday’s Losers:
Movie – The Hot Chick (Fox), Primetime Live (ABC)
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Welcome Back, Dancing With the Stars:
Although I can’t help but root for troubled Tatum O’Neal, who rocked on the dance floor last night, my biggest concern is what will come out of her mouth when she opens it. Also off to a solid start were Drew Lachey, Giselle Fernandez, Stacy Keibler and Jerry Rice, who proves that just because you are an athlete does not mean you have two left feet. Bottom of the barrel: Kenny Mayne and rapper Master P, who should not have signed up for the competition if he didn’t want to participate.
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-Ratings Breakdown:
While nothing can stop the CSI juggernaut, the return of Dancing With the Stars was a major Thursday success for ABC. NBC, meanwhile, got off to a respectable start with its revamped Thursday line-up. CBS maintained the No. 1 spot on Thursday, with a first-place finish in the overnights, total viewers and adults 18-49, while ABC was a competitive, and vastly improved, second in the overnights and total viewers. NBC came in second among adults 18-49, and third elsewhere.
The two-hour second-season premiere of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars (minus CBS’ Survivor in the competitive mix) lifted the network to an overall second-place 12.8/19 in the overnights, 17.33 million viewers and a 4.7/12 among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m. As a benchmark for comparison, year-ago occupants life as we know it and Extreme Makeover averaged a mere 3.7/ 5 in the overnights, 5.04 million viewers and a 1.7/ 5 among adults 18-49 on Jan. 6, 2005. Comparatively, Dancing With the Stars was an improvement of a whopping 246 percent in the overnights, 12.29 million viewers and 176 percent among adults 18-49. Dancing With the Stars also built from its summer premiere (Viewers: 13.48 million; A18-49: 4.3/12 on Wednesday, June 1, 2005) by 3.85 million viewers and 9 percent among adults 18-49. And it was ABC’s best delivery in the Thursday 8-10 p.m. block with regularly scheduled programming in viewers since Nov. 16, 2000 and highest among adults 18-49 since March 22, 2001.
Keep in mind, of course, that results among total viewers and adults 18-49 from last night are based on the fast nationals, while the year-ago and summer averages were based on the final nationals.
Dancing With the Stars led into a report on the coal miner’s tragedy on Primetime Thursday, which dipped to a typically last-place 6.6/10 in the overnights, 8.94 million viewers and a 2.9/ 8 among adults 18-49 at 10 p.m.
Although a repeat of CBS’ CSI opened second to Dancing With the Stars, at a 9.7/14 in the overnights, 15.10 million viewers and a 4.5/12 among adults 18-49 at 8 p.m., the regularly scheduled 9 p.m. telecast perked up to a dominant 18.0/26 in the overnights, 27.36 million viewers and an 8.0/20 among adults 18-49 at 9 p.m. That led into Without A Trace at an also first-place 14.1/22 in the overnights, 20.60 million viewers and a 6.7/17 among adults 18-49 at 10 p.m.
Despite the heavier than usual competition, the return of NBC’s traditional two-hour sitcom block netted positive results. The relocated Will & Grace opened with a third-place 6.8/10 in the overnights, 7.98 million viewers and a 3.5/10 among adults 18-49 at 8 p.m. Comparatively, that was a slight improvement over former occupant Joey. That led into the series-premiere of Four Kings at an also third-place 7.0/10 in the overnights, 8.84 million viewers and a 4.2/11 among adults 18-49 at 8:30 p.m. Comparatively, that was also an improvement over former occupant Will & Grace. The positive news for Four Kings was growth out of lead-in Will & Grace of 3 percent in the overnights, 860,000 viewers and 20 percent among adults 18-49.
While no one expected NBC’s relocated My Name Is Earl to perform a miracle at 9 p.m., debuting in the half-hour with a 7.7/11 in the overnights (#3), 11.20 million viewers (#3) and a 5.2/13 among adults 18-49 (#2) is a solid start. My Name Is Earl led into also relocated The Office at a third-place 6.4/ 9 in the overnights, 8.83 million viewers and a 4.5/11 among adults 18-49 at 9:30 p.m. With a weaker lead-in, veteran ER sunk to a below average (and second-place) 10.4/16 in the overnights, 13.98 million viewers and a 6.2/16 among adults 18-49 at 10 p.m.
Elsewhere, and there wasn’t much left, movie The Hot Chick on Fox was not so hot at a fourth-place 3.4/ 5 in the overnights, 5.13 million viewers and a 2.2/ 6 among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m.
A repeat of the WB’s Smallville (Overnights: #5, 2.5/ 4; Viewers: #5, 2.80 million; A18-49: #5, 1.3/ 3) led into a repeat of the ongoing season one Beauty and the Geek marathon at 9 p.m. (Overnights: #5t, 1.6/ 2; Viewers: #5, 1.66 million; A18-49: #5, 0.8/ 2).
On an also all repeat night, UPN anchor Everybody Hates Chris remained the standout, with a 3.0/ 5 in the overnights (#5), 3.18 million viewers (#5) and a 1.3/ 4 among adults 18-49 (#5t) at 8 p.m. Encore telecasts of Love, Inc. (Overnights: #6, 1.8/ 3; Viewers: #6, 1.64 million; A18-49: #6, 0.6/ 2), Eve (Overnights: #6, 1.6/ 2; Viewers: #6, 1.51 million; A18-49: #6, 0.6/ 1) and Cuts (Overnights: #6, 1.5/ 2; Viewers: #6, 1.52 million; A18-49: #6, 0.6/ 1) were at typical non-original levels from 8:30-10 p.m.
Source: Nielsen Media Research data