TV ratings: ABC, 'Grey's Anatomy' trump CBS reruns Thursday
By Rick Porter

October 23, 2009 8:54 AM

Fast National ratings for Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009

CBS got its best "Survivor" ratings of the season Thursday night, but since its crime dramas were in repeats, ABC rallied to take the evening's top spot thanks to "Grey's Anatomy."

ABC ended the night with 11.5 million viewers and a 7.5 rating/12 share in households, beating out the 11.4 million and 7.1/12 for CBS. FOX (10.3 million, 6.7/11) came in third with its baseball playoff coverage. NBC was a distant fourth with 5.9 million viewers and a 3.7/6, and The CW (2.1 million, 1.4/2) trailed.

ABC also led the adults 18-49 demographic with a 4.0 rating. FOX came in second with a 3.3, while CBS was third at 3.0. NBC averaged 2.4 and The CW 0.8.

Thursday hour by hour:

8 p.m.

CBS: "Survivor: Samoa" (12.9 million viewers, 7.7/12 households)
FOX: American League Championship Series Game 5 - Yankees at Angels (10.3 million, 6.5/10)
ABC: "FlashForward" (9.8 million, 6.2/10)
NBC: "Community" (5.2 million, 3.3/5)/"Parks and Recreation" (5 million, 3.2/5)
The CW: "The Vampire Diaries" rerun (2.3 million, 1.5/2)

18-49 leader: "Survivor: Samoa" (4.0)

9 p.m.

ABC: "Grey's Anatomy" (14.7 million, 9.6/15)
CBS: "CSI" rerun (10 million, 6.4/10)
FOX: ALCS Game 5 (9.6 million, 6.3/10)
NBC: "The Office" (8.5 million, 5.0/8)/"30 Rock" (6.7 million, 4.0/6)
The CW: "Supernatural" rerun (1.9 million, 1.3/2)

18-49 leader: "Grey's Anatomy" (5.2)

10 p.m.

CBS: "The Mentalist" rerun (11.3 million, 7.3/12)
FOX: ALCS Game 5 (11.2 million, 7.2/12)
ABC: "Private Practice" (10 million, 6.7/11)
NBC: "The Jay Leno Show" (5 million, 3.3/5)

18-49 leader: ALCS Game 5 (3.8)

Ratings information includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change, especially in the case of live telecasts.

8 p.m.

CBS: "Ghost Whisperer" (8.5 million viewers, 5.3/10 households)
NBC: "Law & Order" (7.2 million, 4.7/8)
ABC: "Supernanny" season premiere (4.7 million, 3.3/6)
The CW: "Smallville" (2.5 million, 1.6/3)
FOX: "Brothers" (2.4 million, 1.4/3)/"'Til Death" (2 million, 1.2/3)

18-49 leader: "Ghost Whisperer" (2.1)

9 p.m.

CBS: "Medium" (8.4 million, 5.1/9)
NBC: "Dateline" (7.9 million, 5.2/9)
ABC: "Ugly Betty" (4.5 million, 3.1/5)
FOX: "Dollhouse" (2.1 million, 1.3/2)
The CW: "America's Next Top Model" rerun (1.1 million, 0.8/1)

18-49 leader: "Medium" (2.2)

10 p.m.

CBS: "Numb3rs" (8.1 million, 5.1/9)
NBC: "The Jay Leno Show" (6.1 million, 4.1/7)
ABC: "20/20" (5.6 million, 3.8/7)

18-49 leader: "Numb3rs" (1.8)

Ratings information includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.

The deciding game of baseball's American League Championship Series, along with the end of late-afternoon NFL games, propelled FOX to a ratings victory Sunday night.

FOX drew 15.8 million viewers and a 9.4 rating/15 share in households for the night (which will change a bit in final nationals because of the live sports broadcasts but won't budge the network from the top spot). NBC (11 million, 6.7/11) edged ABC (10.7 million, 6.7/11) for second place. CBS found itself in the rare position of fourth place with just under 10 million viewers and a 6.3/10.

FOX also led the adults 18-49 demographic by a healthy margin, with its 5.6 rating topping NBC's 4.2. ABC came in third at 3.3, followed by CBS at 2.2.

Sunday night hour by hour:

7 p.m.

FOX: NFL overrun (21 million viewers, 12.1/20 households)
CBS: "60 Minutes" (12.2 million, 7.9/13)
ABC: "America's Funniest Home Videos" (8.4 million, 4.9/8)
NBC: "Football Night in America" (5.5 million, 3.5/6)

18-49 leader: NFL overrun (7.8)

8 p.m.

FOX: American League Championship Series Game 6 - Angels at Yankees (15.8 million, 9.3/14)
NBC: "Sunday Night Football" - Cardinals at Giants (12 million, 7.2/11)
CBS: "The Amazing Race" (11 million, 6.4/10)
ABC: "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (10.6 million, 6.4/10)

18-49 leader: ALCS Game 6 (5.3)

9 p.m.

NBC: "Sunday Night Football" (14.1 million, 8.4/13)
FOX: ALCS Game 6 (13.84 million, 8.5/13)
ABC: "Desperate Housewives" (13.81 million, 8.8/13)
CBS: "Three Rivers" (7.9 million, 5.0/8)

18-49 leader: "Sunday Night Football" (5.5)

10 p.m.

FOX: ALCS Game 6 (12.4 million, 7.7/13)
NBC: "Sunday Night Football" (12.2 million, 7.7/13)
ABC: "Brothers & Sisters" (10 million, 6.7/11)
CBS: "Cold Case" (8.8 million, 5.8/10)

Against a repeat lineup on CBS, ABC took the night, though impressively CBS managed second place both in overall viewers and adults 18-49.

NBC is now famously on record that it thought The Jay Leno Show would fare better against repeats. I was on record early saying that repeats of CSI: Miami would still best Jay, even in repeats. But I’m not sure I expected the beat down to be so bad.

Last night at 10pm a rerun of CSI: Miami averaged a 3.1 rating with adults 18-49, while The Jay Leno Show averaged a 1.3 rating. Castle averaged a 2.8 rating, though that might get adjusted down a touch in the final numbers due to Dancing With the Stars overrun (also, in the Philadelphia market, Monday Night Football aired on the ABC affiliate and is counted in the numbers below, and that might have been the case in the Washington, D.C. market as well — that will be adjusted out in the finals).

The real story to me though isn’t Leno’s ratings, it’s how great CBS Monday lineup does in repeats. This isn’t a new trend, but it still impresses me.

Aided perhaps by CBS repeats, Dancing With the Stars had stronger legs and turned in a much better performance than last week.

An out of normal time slot So You Think You Can Dance won the 8pm hour with adults 18-34.

Heroes seems to have stabilized and the good news for NBC is that Trauma was up a tick versus last week. The bad news is that only got it to a 1.9 adults 18-49 rating.

The collective gasp on the net seems to be “OMG! Nathan Fillion tried on a Browncoat costume (before rejecting it!) on Castle! Firefly lives on! OMG!”

The Internets can be so silly sometimes. Even sillier perhaps, ABC didn’t have a picture available with Fillion in his Firefly costume. You can find grainy pictures with circles and arrows on the Internet, or just watch the video, but you’ll have to live with Fillion as Edgar Allan Poe above. Blame ABC!

8:00 ABC Dancing With the Stars 3.4/9 17.03
CBS How I Met Your Mother (R) 2.6/7 7.09
FOX So You Think You Can Dance 2.6/7 5.78
NBC Heroes 2.5/6 5.86
CW One Tree Hill 1.3/3 2.69

8:30 CBS Accidentally on Purpose (R) 2.1/5 6.05

9:00 ABC Dancing With the Stars 4.0/10 18.44
CBS Two and a Half Men (R) 3.4/8 11.25
FOX Lie To Me 2.5/6 6.28
NBC Trauma 1.9/5 5.77
CW Gossip Girl 1.2/3 2.21

9:30 CBS The Big Bang Theory (R) 3.6/9 10.58

10:00 CBS CSI: Miami (R) 3.1/8 11.22
ABC Castle 2.8/7 11.09
NBC The Jay Leno Show 1.3/4 4.62

TV ratings: Tuesday viewers love 'NCIS,' even in reruns
By Rick Porter

October 28, 2009 8:46 AM

Fast National ratings for Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009

Even though it was a repeat, "NCIS" still drew Tuesday's biggest audience and led CBS to a ratings victory. "The Biggest Loser," meanwhile, scored a demographic win for NBC.

CBS' night of reruns still drew 12.1 million viewers and a 7.8 rating/12 share in households for the night, beating second-place ABC's 10.7 million and 6.6/11. NBC (8.4 million, 5.2/8) came in third. FOX (6.5 million, 4.0/6) was fourth, and The CW was way back with 1.1 million viewers and a 0.8/1.

NBC led the adults 18-49 demographic with a 3.1 rating. ABC finished second with a 2.6, just ahead of FOX, 2.5, and CBS, 2.4. The CW managed only a 0.5.

Tuesday night hour by hour:

8 p.m.

CBS: "NCIS" rerun (16.1 million viewers, 10.0/16 households)
NBC: "The Biggest Loser" (9.3 million, 5.7/9)
ABC: "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" special (8.9 million, 5.0/8)
FOX: "So You Think You Can Dance" (6.8 million, 4.3/7)
The CW: "90210" rerun (1.4 million, 1.0/1)

18-49 leader: "The Biggest Loser" (3.4)

9 p.m.

ABC: "Dancing with the Stars" results (14.7 million, 9.3/14)
CBS: "NCIS: Los Angeles" rerun (11.1 million, 7.2/11)
NBC: "The Biggest Loser" (10.2 million, 6.0/9)
FOX: "So You Think You Can Dance" (6.2 million, 3.8/6)
The CW: "Melrose Place" rerun (844,000, 0.6/1)

18-49 leader: "The Biggest Loser" (4.0)

10 p.m.

CBS: "The Good Wife" rerun (9.3 million, 6.3/11)
ABC: "The Forgotten" (8.6 million, 5.7/10)
NBC: "The Jay Leno Show" (5.9 million, 3.8/6)

18-49 leader: "The Forgotten" (2.0)

Ratings information includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.

TV ratings: World Series scores for FOX Wednesday
By Rick Porter

October 29, 2009 8:51 AM

Fast National ratings for Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009

The World Series brought a big audience to FOX Wednesday night -- no surprise for a matchup of teams from two of the 10 biggest TV markets in the country.

Game 1 of the Philadelphia Phillies-New York Yankees series drew 17.8 million viewers and a 10.9 rating/17 share in households for FOX. CBS (8.5 million, 5.6/9) finished a distant second with a night of reruns. ABC (6.6 million, 4.1/7) came in third, followed by NBC's 6.4 million and 3.9/6. The CW trailed with 2.5 million viewers and a 1.6/3.

In the adults 18-49 demographic, FOX's 5.8 rating was more than double the average for its closest competitor, ABC (2.5). CBS and NBC tied for third at 2.1, and The CW brought up the rear with a 1.2.

Wednesday's hourly numbers:

8 p.m.

FOX: World Series Game 1 - Phillies at Yankees (17.95 million viewers, 10.9/17 households)
CBS: "Old Christine" rerun (6.6 million, 4.3/7)/"Gary Unmarried" rerun (6.4 million, 4.2/7)
ABC: "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" rerun (6.3 million, 3.7/6)/"The Middle" (6.6 million, 3.9/6)
NBC: Special - "Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space" (6.3 million, 3.3/5)
The CW: "America's Next Top Model" (3.5 million, 2.3/4)

18-49 leader: World Series Game 1 (5.7)

9 p.m.

FOX: World Series Game 1 (17.6 million, 10.7/16)
CBS: "Criminal Minds" rerun (9.7 million, 6.3/10)
ABC: "Modern Family" (9.2 million, 5.5/8)/"Cougar Town" (7.5 million, 4.8/7)
NBC: "Law & Order: SVU" (8 million, 5.1/8)
The CW: "The Vampire Diaries" rerun (1.4 million, 1.0/2)

18-49 leader: World Series Game 1 (5.8)

10 p.m.

FOX: World Series Game 1 (17.9 million, 11.1/18)
CBS: "CSI: NY" rerun (9.2 million, 6.2/10)
ABC: "Eastwick" (5.1 million, 3.3/6)
NBC: "The Jay Leno Show" (5 million, 3.3/6)

18-49 leader: World Series Game 1 (5.9)

Ratings information includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change, especially in the case of live telecasts.

List of top 15 cable programs in the Nielsen ratings for Oct. 19-25

On 12:07 pm EDT, Thursday October 29, 2009

Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by the Nielsen Co. for the week of Oct. 19-25. Day and start time (EDT) are in parentheses:

1. NFL Football: Denver vs. San Diego (Monday, 8:30 p.m.), ESPN, 9.53 million homes, 13.47 million viewers.

2. National League Championship Series: L.A. Dodgers vs. Philadelphia, Game 5 (Wednesday, 8 p.m.), TBS, 5.71 million homes, 7.97 million viewers.

3. "White Collar" (Friday, 10 p.m.), USA, 4.03 million homes, 5.4 million viewers.

4. National League Championship Series: L.A. Dodgers vs. Philadelphia, Game 4 (Monday, 8 p.m.), TBS, 3.94 million homes, 5.64 million viewers.

5. "NCIS" (Wednesday, 8 p.m.), USA, 3.939 million homes, 5.14 million viewers.

6. College Football: Mississippi St. vs. Florida (Saturday, 7:27 p.m.), ESPN, 3.930 million homes, 5.66 million viewers.

7. "Monk" (Friday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.81 million homes, 5.41 million viewers.

8. "Penguins of Madagascar" (Saturday, 10:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.62 million homes, 5.14 million viewers.

9. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Saturday, 10 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.61 million homes, 4.94 million viewers.

10. "The Jeff Dunham Show" (Thursday, 9 p.m.), Comedy Central, 3.5 million homes, 5.34 million viewers.

11. "NCIS" (Wednesday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.49 million homes, 5.43 million viewers.

12. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.45 million homes, 4.85 million viewers.

13. "Suite Life on Deck" (Friday, 8:30 p.m.), Disney, 3.41 million homes, 5.18 million viewers.

14. "NCIS" (Wednesday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.27 million homes, 4.04 million viewers.

15. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Sunday, 10 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.22 million homes, 4.32 million viewers.

ESPN and The Disney Channel are owned by the Walt Disney Co. Nickelodeon is owned by Viacom Inc. USA is owned by General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal. Comedy Central is owned by Viacom Inc. TBS is owned by Time Warner Inc.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press.

TV ratings: World Series puts FOX on top Thursday
By Rick Porter

October 30, 2009 8:52 AM

Fast National ratings for Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009

Game 2 of the World Series took a bite out of ABC and CBS Thursday and propelled FOX to the top of the ratings on the first night of the November sweeps period.

FOX drew 17.1 million viewers and a 10.7 rating/17 share in households in primetime. Its World Series coverage beat second-place CBS (14.1 million, 8.5/13) by 3 million viewers. ABC (10.5 million, 6.8/11) came in third. NBC took fourth for the night with 5.6 million viewers and a 3.5/6. The CW (3.5 million, 2.1/3) came in fifth.

FOX also won the adults 18-49 demographic with a 5.3 rating. ABC took second in the demo at 3.8, a little ahead of CBS' 3.5. NBC averaged 2.4 and The CW 1.7.

Thursday hour by hour:

8 p.m.

FOX: World Series Game 2 - Phillies at Yankees (17.3 million viewers, 10.6/17 households)
CBS: "Survivor: Samoa" (12.5 million, 7.1/11)
ABC: "FlashForward" (9 million, 5.7/9)
NBC: "Community" (5.5 million, 3.6/6)/"Parks and Recreation" (5 million, 3.2/5)
The CW: "The Vampire Diaries" (4.2 million, 2.6/4)

18-49 leader: World Series Game 2 (5.0)

9 p.m.

FOX: World Series Game 2 (17.1 million, 10.5/16)
CBS: "CSI" (14.9 million, 9.0/14)
ABC: "Grey's Anatomy" (13.4 million, 8.6/13)
NBC: "The Office" (8.1 million, 4.8/7)/"30 Rock" (6 million, 3.7/6)
The CW: "Supernatural" (2.9 million, 1.7/3)

18-49 leader: World Series Game 2 (5.2)

10 p.m.

FOX: World Series Game 2 (17 million, 10.9/18)
CBS: "The Mentalist" (14.9 million, 9.4/15)
ABC: "Private Practice" (9.2 million, 6.2/10)
NBC: "The Jay Leno Show" (4.4 million, 2.9/5)

18-49 leader: World Series Game 2 (5.8)

Ratings information includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change, especially in the case of live telecasts.

TV ratings: World Series, NFL rule Sunday for FOX
By Rick Porter

November 2, 2009 8:58 AM

Fast National ratings for Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009

The NFL bled into primetime Sunday and helped push Game 4 of World Series to its biggest audience so far this year.

The full night of live sports gave FOX an audience of 21.1 million viewers and a 12.5 rating/20 share in households. That was more than double the viewers for second-place ABC (10.4 million, 6.5/10). CBS (9.9 million, 6.3/10) came in third. With "Sunday Night Football" taking the night off, NBC was way off its typical Sunday, mustering only 4.1 million viewers and a 2.5/4.

FOX also rolled to a win among adults 18-49 with a 7.4 rating. ABC finished second in the advertisers' favorite demo with a 3.4, followed by CBS at 2.2. NBC came in at 1.4.

Sunday's hourly results:

7 p.m.

FOX: NFL overrun/World Series pregame (24.4 million viewers, 13.9/22 households)
CBS: "60 Minutes" (12.3 million, 8.0/13)
ABC: "America's Funniest Home Videos" (7.8 million, 4.7/7)
NBC: "Football Night in America" (2.6 million, 1.6/3)

18-49 leader: NFL/World Series pregame (8.8)

8 p.m.

FOX: World Series Game 4 - Yankees at Phillies (22.2 million, 13.1/20)
CBS: "The Amazing Race" (11.1 million, 6.5/10)
ABC: "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (10.8 million, 6.5/10)
NBC: Movie - "National Treasure" (4.1 million, 2.4/4)

18-49 leader: World Series Game 4 (7.4)

9 p.m.

FOX: World Series Game 4 (19.75 million, 11.8/19)
ABC: "Desperate Housewives" (13.8 million, 8.7/13)
CBS: "Three Rivers" (7.7 million, 5.0/8)
NBC: "National Treasure" (5.1 million, 3.4/5)

18-49 leader: World Series Game 4 (6.8)

10 p.m.

FOX: World Series Game 4 (18.1 million, 11.1/19)
ABC: "Brothers & Sisters" (9.4 million, 6.2/10)
CBS: "Cold Case" (8.6 million, 5.6/9)
NBC: "National Treasure" (4.6 million, 2.8/5)

18-49 leader: World Series Game 4 (6.6)

Ratings information includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change, especially in the case of live telecasts.

TV ratings: 'Dancing,' Phillies lead the way Monday
By Rick Porter

November 3, 2009 8:49 AM

Fast National ratings for Monday, Nov. 2, 2009

"Dancing with the Stars" beat Game 5 of the World Series head-to-head Monday, but the game's strength at 10 p.m. helped FOX score an overall ratings win for the night.

FOX drew 15.3 million viewers and a 9.5 rating/15 share in households for the night, beating out ABC's 14 million and 9.3/14. CBS (11.5 million, 7.2/11) came in third. NBC (5.6 million, 3.5/5) took fourth -- although both "Heroes" and "Trauma" were up slightly -- and The CW averaged 2.2 million viewers and a 1.5/2.

FOX also won the 18-49 race with a 4.8 rating. CBS finished second in the demographic with a 3.9, ahead of ABC's 3.0. NBC scored a 2.0 and The CW a 1.0.

Monday hour by hour:

8 p.m.

FOX: World Series Game 5 - Yankees at Phillies (16.2 million viewers, 9.9/15 households)
ABC: "Dancing with the Stars" (16 million, 10.5/16)
CBS: "How I Met Your Mother" (9.05 million, 5.6/8)/"Accidentally on Purpose" (8.5 million, 5.3/8)
NBC: "Heroes" (6.2 million, 3.8/6)
The CW: "One Tree Hill" (2.4 million, 1.6/2)

18-49 leader: World Series Game 5 (4.9)

9 p.m.

ABC: "Dancing with the Stars" (16.4 million, 10.8/16)
FOX: World Series Game 5 (14.9 million, 9.2/14)
CBS: "Two and a Half Men" (13.6 million, 8.4/12)/"The Big Bang Theory" (12.7 million, 7.7/12)
NBC: "Heroes" (6.2 million, 3.9/6)
The CW: "Gossip Girl" (1.9 million, 1.3/2)

18-49 leader: World Series Game 5 (4.7)

10 p.m.

FOX: World Series Game 5 (14.9 million, 9.5/16)
CBS: "CSI: Miami" (12.5 million, 8.0/13)
ABC: "Castle" (9.7 million, 6.5/11)
NBC: "The Jay Leno Show" (4.3 million, 2.8/5)

18-49 leader: World Series Game 5 (4.9)

Ratings information includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change, especially in the case of live telecasts.

TV ratings: 'V' starts strong Tuesday
By Rick Porter

November 4, 2009 8:49 AM

Fast National ratings for Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009

The premiere of "V" on ABC Tuesday drew very solid ratings, taking a bite out of Tuesday juggernaut "NCIS'" usual numbers and beating the CBS show in the adults 18-49 demographic.

That said, "NCIS" still led "V" head-to-head in viewers, and CBS' greater depth won the night with 15.55 million viewers and a 9.8 rating/16 share in households. ABC came in second with just over 12 million viewers and a 7.6/12. NBC (8 million, 5.0/8) took third, ahead of FOX (6.1 million, 3.8/6). The CW scored 1.8 million viewers and a 1.3/2.

CBS led the adults 18-49 demo as well with a 3.4 rating, just beating ABC's 3.3. NBC was not far behind at 3.0. FOX averaged 2.4 in the demo and The CW 0.9.

Tuesday hour by hour:

8 p.m.

CBS: "NCIS" (19.4 million viewers, 11.7/18 households)
ABC: "V" series premiere (13.9 million, 8.5/13)
NBC: "The Biggest Loser" (8.5 million, 5.3/8)
FOX: "So You Think You Can Dance" (6.4 million, 4.0/6)
The CW: "90210" (2.1 million, 1.5/2)

18-49 leader: "V" (5.0)

9 p.m.

CBS: "NCIS: Los Angeles" (15 million, 9.5/15)
ABC: "Dancing with the Stars" (14.5 million, 9.3/14)
NBC: "The Biggest Loser" (9.5 million, 5.8/9)
FOX: "So You Think You Can Dance" (5.8 million, 3.6/5)
The CW: "Melrose Place" (1.5 million, 1.1/2)

18-49 leader: "The Biggest Loser" (3.8)

10 p.m.

CBS: "The Good Wife" (12.2 million, 8.3/14)
ABC: "The Forgotten" (7.6 million, 4.9/9)
NBC: "The Jay Leno Show" (5.9 million, 3.9/7)

18-49 leader: "The Good Wife" (2.7)

Ratings information includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.