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Nielsen Ratings Thur, Apr 17: The Office IS A Hit (Duh!)

Posted on 18 April 2008 by Robert Seidman

Scoreboard for Thurs. April 17, 2008 CBS FOX NBC ABC CW
Total Viewers (million) 10.75 9.36 7.64 4.79 2.79
Rating/Share: Adults 18-49 3.0/9 2.8/8 3.4/10 1.5/4 1.1/3

CBS won the night in terms of total viewers with Survivor: Micronesia and repeats of CSI and Without a Trace and FOX was in second overall with its game shows, Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader and Don’t Forget the Lyrics.  But FOX finished second overall and third in the 18-49 demo.  CBS finished second in the demo and the peacocks at NBC cans puff their feathers way, way out there today with a convincing win in the 18-49 demo (albeit against no real competition on CBS other than Survivor, and none on ABC at all).

I’m going to absolutely ignore any comments in this post today, but it is time for Marc Berman to get a clue —  at least a little bit of a clue and then go back to enjoying Big Brother.  Berman notes a couple of things:  one that 30 Rock will never be a breakout hit.   That’s probably true, actually, but where else can you get lines along the lines of “Save it for your iVillage blog, Lemon!”

Of course Berman said something very similar breakout hit wise just a couple of weeks ago about The Office. OK, he said the exact.same.thing about The Office.

Now if the standard is American Idol, sure The Office is never going to be a breakout hit.  But if the standard is about as many viewers as Deal or No Deal and having more than twice as many viewers in the 18-49 demo – then I’d call it a straight-up hit.   The Office, with more than 9.8 million viewers and a 4.9/13 in the 18-49  demographic led NBC to a nightly win in the demo.  In terms of the demo it is a breakout hit.

I have no problem at all for Marc’s bias to not like The Office and explain why.  That’s fair.  But to not judge a show based on its numbers is folly.  And a 4.9 in the demo *is* a breakout hit.  The Office was certainly at an advantage last night because there was still no new Grey’s Anatomy, and CSI was a repeat. Its demo performance will erode when Grey’s comes back, but whether you love The Office or hate it, you have to love, love, love those numbers.

That said, I am sort of with Berman when it comes to Eli Stone, which Marc thinks we’ve seen the last of.  Repeats of LOST probably wasn’t the best lead-in, but no matter.  The real problem for Eli is that without its live plus seven days of DVR usage numbers, it stinks it up in the 18-49 demo.  I won’t be surprised if ABC cancels it, nor will I be surprised if they keep it and give it another try.  The show is cute, the ratings are not.  It’s certainly on the bubble, the only question is whether the bubble has burst.   We won’t have to wait much longer to find out.

With no real competition to speak of, NBC’s (soon to be ABC’s?) Scrubs also had a very solid performance in the 18-49 demographic with a 3.7/10 in the demo at 9:30pm. 

See Thursday night’s full details:

Time Network Show Viewers (Millons) 18-49 Rating/Share HH Rating
8:00 CBS Survivor: Micronesia 12.09 3.8/12 7.2
  FOX Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader 9.19 2.5/8 5.6
  ABC LOST (Repeat) 3.74 1.1/3 2.9
  NBC My Name is Earl 6.77 2.6/9 4.5
  CW Smallville 3.49 1.4/4 2.7
           
8:30 NBC 30 Rock 6.42 2.8/8 4.5
           
9:00 CBS CSI (Repeat) 10.69 2.8/7 7.8
  FOX Don't Forget the Lyrics 9.53 3.2/9 6.1
  ABC LOST (Repeat) 4.49 1.5/4 3.5
  NBC The Office 9.81 4.9/13 5.7
  CW Supernatural (Repeat) 2.1 0.8/2 1.7
           
9:30 NBC Scrubs 7.31 3.7/10 4.8
           
10:00 CBS Without a Trace (Repeat) 9.47 2.4/7 7.1
  ABC Eli Stone 6.13 2.0/6 4.6
  NBC ER 7.75 3.1/9 5.9

Nielsen Ratings Source: Nielsen Media Research. Full night’s results available via Marc Berman/Mediaweek.

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58 Responses to “Nielsen Ratings Thur, Apr 17: The Office IS A Hit (Duh!)”

  1. Jack says:

    Awesome 18-49 numbers for The Office. I love Liz Lemon and 30 Rock, it’s a great show.

    ABC is back next week. Betty, Grey’s and LOST.

  2. Jack says:

    Awesome 18-49 numbers for The Office. I love Liz Lemon and 30 Rock, it's a great show.

    ABC is back next week. Betty, Grey's and LOST.

  3. Andrea says:

    Robert,

    How much do you think that execs are putting into Live+7 numbers? By your charts it seems about 1/2 of viewers for individual shows are time-shifting these days, and the number, I expect, will continue to increase.

  4. Andrea says:

    Robert,

    How much do you think that execs are putting into Live+7 numbers? By your charts it seems about 1/2 of viewers for individual shows are time-shifting these days, and the number, I expect, will continue to increase.

  5. Andrea, it’s nowhere near half but some shows it’s around 1/3 sometimes. Of last week’s top 20 most DVRd (absolute numbers) the range was like 30%-13%.

    I expect that the executives do look at these numbers a bit, but not so much for renew or cancel decisions…

    it’s probably more an indicator for how much urgency they put into concocting massive PR that will be necessary to make the advertisers believe that DVR viewers are worth paying for.

    If they can actually construct such a case, I think the numbers get more and more important.

  6. Andrea, it's nowhere near half but some shows it's around 1/3 sometimes. Of last week's top 20 most DVRd (absolute numbers) the range was like 30%-13%.

    I expect that the executives do look at these numbers a bit, but not so much for renew or cancel decisions…

    it's probably more an indicator for how much urgency they put into concocting massive PR that will be necessary to make the advertisers believe that DVR viewers are worth paying for.

    If they can actually construct such a case, I think the numbers get more and more important.

  7. Andrea, it's nowhere near half but some shows it's around 1/3 sometimes. Of last week's top 20 most DVRd (absolute numbers) the range was like 30%-13%.

    I expect that the executives do look at these numbers a bit, but not so much for renew or cancel decisions…

    it's probably more an indicator for how much urgency they put into concocting massive PR that will be necessary to make the advertisers believe that DVR viewers are worth paying for.

    If they can actually construct such a case, I think the numbers get more and more important.

  8. TheTruthHurts says:

    Eli Stone..pure garbage…bombed in its season finale…no big surprise…ABC Studios/Touchstone…produced this winner..Julia Franz who ran that ship into the ground with Carpoolers, Caveman, Cane, Miss Guided, Reaper, etc just came back from “maternity” leave and her contract which expires in June is not being renewed…of course she gets to leave with dignity by claiming she wants to pursue other things…what? like producing another loser slate for some other successful production house?…tv has been turned over to women..and this is what you get…tina fey’s words not mine…and look at how far down ratings overall are year to year…the masses would rather surf the net and watch video on youtube.com then watch the steady stream of slop development has churned out these past few years…as for mark berman he hailed “eli stone” as a “potential blockbuster” only to call it last nights “loser” without any further commentary…bermans a “tv insider” like dick cheney cares about your childrens future…as for julia franz she’ll end up with another big paying gig somewhere..guaranteed.

  9. TheTruthHurts says:

    Eli Stone..pure garbage…bombed in its season finale…no big surprise…ABC Studios/Touchstone…produced this winner..Julia Franz who ran that ship into the ground with Carpoolers, Caveman, Cane, Miss Guided, Reaper, etc just came back from “maternity” leave and her contract which expires in June is not being renewed…of course she gets to leave with dignity by claiming she wants to pursue other things…what? like producing another loser slate for some other successful production house?…tv has been turned over to women..and this is what you get…tina fey's words not mine…and look at how far down ratings overall are year to year…the masses would rather surf the net and watch video on youtube.com then watch the steady stream of slop development has churned out these past few years…as for mark berman he hailed “eli stone” as a “potential blockbuster” only to call it last nights “loser” without any further commentary…bermans a “tv insider” like dick cheney cares about your childrens future…as for julia franz she'll end up with another big paying gig somewhere..guaranteed.

  10. TheTruthHurts says:

    Eli Stone..pure garbage…bombed in its season finale…no big surprise…ABC Studios/Touchstone…produced this winner..Julia Franz who ran that ship into the ground with Carpoolers, Caveman, Cane, Miss Guided, Reaper, etc just came back from “maternity” leave and her contract which expires in June is not being renewed…of course she gets to leave with dignity by claiming she wants to pursue other things…what? like producing another loser slate for some other successful production house?…tv has been turned over to women..and this is what you get…tina fey's words not mine…and look at how far down ratings overall are year to year…the masses would rather surf the net and watch video on youtube.com then watch the steady stream of slop development has churned out these past few years…as for mark berman he hailed “eli stone” as a “potential blockbuster” only to call it last nights “loser” without any further commentary…bermans a “tv insider” like dick cheney cares about your childrens future…as for julia franz she'll end up with another big paying gig somewhere..guaranteed.

  11. Andrea says:

    “I expect that the executives do look at these numbers a bit, but not so much for renew or cancel decisions…”

    Although NBC seems to have done just that for Lipstick Jungle–for the life of me, I can’t see any other reason this show was renewed.

  12. Andrea says:

    “I expect that the executives do look at these numbers a bit, but not so much for renew or cancel decisions…”

    Although NBC seems to have done just that for Lipstick Jungle–for the life of me, I can't see any other reason this show was renewed.

  13. Andrea says:

    “I expect that the executives do look at these numbers a bit, but not so much for renew or cancel decisions…”

    Although NBC seems to have done just that for Lipstick Jungle–for the life of me, I can't see any other reason this show was renewed.

  14. Zucker and Silverman have a crush on Brooke Shields? I also think they think (rightly or wrongly) if they give this show some time it will appeal to the Sex in the City crowd.

    And As Bill always says, in its current form, NBC is more of a beggar than a chooser.

  15. Zucker and Silverman have a crush on Brooke Shields? I also think they think (rightly or wrongly) if they give this show some time it will appeal to the Sex in the City crowd.

    And As Bill always says, in its current form, NBC is more of a beggar than a chooser.

  16. Zucker and Silverman have a crush on Brooke Shields? I also think they think (rightly or wrongly) if they give this show some time it will appeal to the Sex in the City crowd.

    And As Bill always says, in its current form, NBC is more of a beggar than a chooser.

  17. Bill Gorman says:

    Not just the begging aspect by NBC, but I think many shows will be back from all the networks because they didn’t have as many new options to choose from because of the strike, at least for Fall 2008.

    With the pilots/shows flowing again though, I’d expect some really short leashes come this Fall on those shows, and I’d expect a bigger turnover between Fall and early 2009 than usual.

  18. Bill Gorman says:

    Not just the begging aspect by NBC, but I think many shows will be back from all the networks because they didn't have as many new options to choose from because of the strike, at least for Fall 2008.

    With the pilots/shows flowing again though, I'd expect some really short leashes come this Fall on those shows, and I'd expect a bigger turnover between Fall and early 2009 than usual.

  19. Bill Gorman says:

    Not just the begging aspect by NBC, but I think many shows will be back from all the networks because they didn't have as many new options to choose from because of the strike, at least for Fall 2008.

    With the pilots/shows flowing again though, I'd expect some really short leashes come this Fall on those shows, and I'd expect a bigger turnover between Fall and early 2009 than usual.

  20. TheTruthHurts says:

    mr. seidman..”ba ba booey” berman says “the office” has “no likeable characters” thats why its not a break out hit..he should know a thing or two about unlikeable characters…he was that fat, obnoxious kid they used to beat the sh*t out of in the school yard back in junior high. egg foo berman loves new/old christine and hates the office and 30 rock. figures he love the julia louis-dryfuss show..what else would you expect from berman the george costanza clone.

  21. TheTruthHurts says:

    mr. seidman..”ba ba booey” berman says “the office” has “no likeable characters” thats why its not a break out hit..he should know a thing or two about unlikeable characters…he was that fat, obnoxious kid they used to beat the sh*t out of in the school yard back in junior high. egg foo berman loves new/old christine and hates the office and 30 rock. figures he love the julia louis-dryfuss show..what else would you expect from berman the george costanza clone.

  22. TheTruthHurts says:

    mr. seidman..”ba ba booey” berman says “the office” has “no likeable characters” thats why its not a break out hit..he should know a thing or two about unlikeable characters…he was that fat, obnoxious kid they used to beat the sh*t out of in the school yard back in junior high. egg foo berman loves new/old christine and hates the office and 30 rock. figures he love the julia louis-dryfuss show..what else would you expect from berman the george costanza clone.

  23. Sam says:

    That’s a bit depressing about Eli Stone. But I still think it has at least a fair chance of being renewed. Better than New Amsterdam’s chances at least.

  24. Sam says:

    That's a bit depressing about Eli Stone. But I still think it has at least a fair chance of being renewed. Better than New Amsterdam's chances at least.

  25. Sam says:

    That's a bit depressing about Eli Stone. But I still think it has at least a fair chance of being renewed. Better than New Amsterdam's chances at least.

  26. Jake says:

    I am surprised the Earl numbers look down, especially compared to the Office. But I think that’s about as good as the office is going to get in the overnight ratings.

  27. Jake says:

    I am surprised the Earl numbers look down, especially compared to the Office. But I think that's about as good as the office is going to get in the overnight ratings.

  28. Jake says:

    I am surprised the Earl numbers look down, especially compared to the Office. But I think that's about as good as the office is going to get in the overnight ratings.

  29. Jim says:

    Are we never going to see any more daytime ratings?

  30. Jim says:

    Are we never going to see any more daytime ratings?

  31. Jim says:

    Are we never going to see any more daytime ratings?

  32. Perhaps someday. In the meanwhile you can see April 7-11 data from the ABC press release here.

  33. Perhaps someday. In the meanwhile you can see April 7-11 data from the ABC press release here.

  34. Perhaps someday. In the meanwhile you can see April 7-11 data from the ABC press release here.

  35. Jake, i agree that’s probably as good as it gets for The Office, but that’s plenty good. Last week only 11 primetime shows had a 4.0 rating in the 18-49 demo and 3 of them were American Idol and one of them was the NCAA BBall final. it’s elite company to be in these days.

  36. Jake, i agree that's probably as good as it gets for The Office, but that's plenty good. Last week only 11 primetime shows had a 4.0 rating in the 18-49 demo and 3 of them were American Idol and one of them was the NCAA BBall final. it's elite company to be in these days.

  37. Jake, i agree that's probably as good as it gets for The Office, but that's plenty good. Last week only 11 primetime shows had a 4.0 rating in the 18-49 demo and 3 of them were American Idol and one of them was the NCAA BBall final. it's elite company to be in these days.

  38. kathy says:

    I’m very heartbroken seeing Eli Stone’s ratings. I really love that show, the first scripted show I have ever watched on TV. I really hope ABC renews it, I would be so disappointed if it were cancelled.

  39. kathy says:

    I'm very heartbroken seeing Eli Stone's ratings. I really love that show, the first scripted show I have ever watched on TV. I really hope ABC renews it, I would be so disappointed if it were cancelled.

  40. kathy says:

    I'm very heartbroken seeing Eli Stone's ratings. I really love that show, the first scripted show I have ever watched on TV. I really hope ABC renews it, I would be so disappointed if it were cancelled.

  41. Marissa says:

    I agree that next THURSDAY going to be crazy! With the office, lost, Grey’s anatomy, and ugly Betty which I ALL watch…Thankfully, I have a PVR!!!!

    However, I am MOST excited about Gossip Girl’s return this MONDAY at 8PM on CW! Can’t wait!

    Suck that Eli Stone did bad. Cute show…but didn’t like the finale. It was really picking up in teh last few episodes too!

  42. Marissa says:

    I agree that next THURSDAY going to be crazy! With the office, lost, Grey's anatomy, and ugly Betty which I ALL watch…Thankfully, I have a PVR!!!!

    However, I am MOST excited about Gossip Girl's return this MONDAY at 8PM on CW! Can't wait!

    Suck that Eli Stone did bad. Cute show…but didn't like the finale. It was really picking up in teh last few episodes too!

  43. Marissa says:

    I agree that next THURSDAY going to be crazy! With the office, lost, Grey's anatomy, and ugly Betty which I ALL watch…Thankfully, I have a PVR!!!!

    However, I am MOST excited about Gossip Girl's return this MONDAY at 8PM on CW! Can't wait!

    Suck that Eli Stone did bad. Cute show…but didn't like the finale. It was really picking up in teh last few episodes too!

  44. Jon V says:

    Office has excellent number, but I do agree that it is lacking in likeable characters.

    Earl fans have been complaining that the current direction of the show is not what they tune in for – but since the coma story has to play out, they’re stuck waiting for the ‘old’ Earl to return.

    Eli consistently gets among the highest tv.com ratings and has a very loyal following:

    http://www.tv.com/eli-stone/soul-free/episode/1189315/summary.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=episodessh&tag=episodes;title;0

    I predicted 6.5 mil/view in against a new ER (which did terribly, I thought – is this the last year?) and a good rerun of WOT.

    30 Rock is my favorite of the four NBC sitcoms, but I wonder if it is ‘too’ to be following Earl (two completely different viewer demos).

    Eli was kind of obligated to have the season finale a cliffhanger because of its status. Regular viewers knew what to expect, at least if you read the forum posts for the show.

    A non-scientific poll open to all tv.commers did not show a single person who thought the show should be canceled.

    http://www.tv.com/eli-stone/show/68652/do-you-want-this-series-renewed-poll-then-vote…/topic/83547-1043399/msgs.html?tag=board_topics;title;15

    But remember to come right back to TV by the Numbers when you’re done looking.

  45. Jon V says:

    Office has excellent number, but I do agree that it is lacking in likeable characters.

    Earl fans have been complaining that the current direction of the show is not what they tune in for – but since the coma story has to play out, they're stuck waiting for the 'old' Earl to return.

    Eli consistently gets among the highest tv.com ratings and has a very loyal following:

    http://www.tv.com/eli-stone/soul-free/episode/1...

    I predicted 6.5 mil/view in against a new ER (which did terribly, I thought – is this the last year?) and a good rerun of WOT.

    30 Rock is my favorite of the four NBC sitcoms, but I wonder if it is 'too' to be following Earl (two completely different viewer demos).

    Eli was kind of obligated to have the season finale a cliffhanger because of its status. Regular viewers knew what to expect, at least if you read the forum posts for the show.

    A non-scientific poll open to all tv.commers did not show a single person who thought the show should be canceled.

    http://www.tv.com/eli-stone/show/68652/do-you-w...

    But remember to come right back to TV by the Numbers when you're done looking.

  46. Jon V says:

    Office has excellent number, but I do agree that it is lacking in likeable characters.

    Earl fans have been complaining that the current direction of the show is not what they tune in for – but since the coma story has to play out, they're stuck waiting for the 'old' Earl to return.

    Eli consistently gets among the highest tv.com ratings and has a very loyal following:

    http://www.tv.com/eli-stone/soul-free/episode/1...

    I predicted 6.5 mil/view in against a new ER (which did terribly, I thought – is this the last year?) and a good rerun of WOT.

    30 Rock is my favorite of the four NBC sitcoms, but I wonder if it is 'too' to be following Earl (two completely different viewer demos).

    Eli was kind of obligated to have the season finale a cliffhanger because of its status. Regular viewers knew what to expect, at least if you read the forum posts for the show.

    A non-scientific poll open to all tv.commers did not show a single person who thought the show should be canceled.

    http://www.tv.com/eli-stone/show/68652/do-you-w...

    But remember to come right back to TV by the Numbers when you're done looking.

  47. Bill Gorman says:

    Jon, no problem with the content of the links, but remember if comments contain more than one link, they automatically get trapped by our spam filter :)

  48. Bill Gorman says:

    Jon, no problem with the content of the links, but remember if comments contain more than one link, they automatically get trapped by our spam filter :)

  49. Bill Gorman says:

    Jon, no problem with the content of the links, but remember if comments contain more than one link, they automatically get trapped by our spam filter :)

  50. I think you not liking The Office likely has more relevance than any non-scientific interweb polling. Otherwise, Jericho would be the #1 show in the country, followed closely by Battlestar Galactica, Moonlight and Big Brother. ;)

    ER will be back next year, but according to NBC it will be its final season.

  51. I think you not liking The Office likely has more relevance than any non-scientific interweb polling. Otherwise, Jericho would be the #1 show in the country, followed closely by Battlestar Galactica, Moonlight and Big Brother. ;)

    ER will be back next year, but according to NBC it will be its final season.

  52. I think you not liking The Office likely has more relevance than any non-scientific interweb polling. Otherwise, Jericho would be the #1 show in the country, followed closely by Battlestar Galactica, Moonlight and Big Brother. ;)

    ER will be back next year, but according to NBC it will be its final season.

  53. Jon V says:

    Thanx guys…

    Eli does find itself in a Jericho position – but with ‘just enough’ more viewers to get renewed – I think.

    also… the 30 Rock blurb should have read:

    30 Rock is my favorite of the four NBC sitcoms, but I wonder if it is ‘too’ smart to be following Earl (two completely different viewer demos).

  54. Jon V says:

    Thanx guys…

    Eli does find itself in a Jericho position – but with 'just enough' more viewers to get renewed – I think.

    also… the 30 Rock blurb should have read:

    30 Rock is my favorite of the four NBC sitcoms, but I wonder if it is ‘too’ smart to be following Earl (two completely different viewer demos).

  55. Jon V says:

    Thanx guys…

    Eli does find itself in a Jericho position – but with 'just enough' more viewers to get renewed – I think.

    also… the 30 Rock blurb should have read:

    30 Rock is my favorite of the four NBC sitcoms, but I wonder if it is ‘too’ smart to be following Earl (two completely different viewer demos).

  56. Steve says:

    For those of you who say The Office doesn’t have any likeable characters, you must not watch the show. You must be as stupid as Marc Berman.

  57. Steve says:

    For those of you who say The Office doesn't have any likeable characters, you must not watch the show. You must be as stupid as Marc Berman.

  58. Steve says:

    For those of you who say The Office doesn't have any likeable characters, you must not watch the show. You must be as stupid as Marc Berman.


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