| Scoreboard |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Viewers (million) | 7.90 | 6.48 | 5.25 | 3.26 | 2.50 |
| Rating/Share: Adults 18-49 | 2.2/6 | 2.6/7 | 1.6/4 | 1.6/4 | 0.7/2 |
| Rating/Share: Adults 18-34 | 1.5/4 | 2.6/7 | 1.0/3 | 2.3/7 | 0.5/1 |
2nd Update: Our demo adults 18-34 data for Monday arrived and I have updated all the tables. The CW looks a lot better taking the 18-34 data into account where they were second for the night to Fox.
Update: The press release from CW with a lot of data (and a fair bit of spin, but still, lots of actual data) is here.
The Fall Season hasn’t started yet, but the CW and Fox started with a few new shows last night to prime the pump.
I teed up the Gossip Girl season premiere yesterday, and it did better than I expected, but the cloud of misinformation to the contrary, it did worse than it’s premiere last season in the viewership numbers we currently have access to (which do not include the 18-34 demo) and the same for demo adults 18-49 . Here are the best current comparisons with the data we have:
Gossip Girl Fast Affiliate Numbers Comparison (as apples to apples as we can get at this point):
9/1/08: 3.38 million viewers, adults 18-49: 1.7 rating / 5 share
9/19/07: 3.65 million viewers, adults 18-49: 1.7 rating / 4 share
(note that the comparisons Berman, incorrectly, uses in his post today are for the weekly final GG results from 9/19/07 of 3.5 million viewers and a 2.3/4, that’s apples to oranges.)
Prison Break’s results from last night, 6.48 million viewers and an adults 18-49 demo 2.6 rating / 7 share were well down from it’s 2007 premiere (9/17/07) (overnight 7.41 million, 18-49 adults 3.2/9), but since Fox didn’t cover Hurricane Gustav that 2.6 demo rating was enough to win the demo title for the night.
The season premiere of One Tree Hill delivered 3.14 million viewers and a 1.6/4 in the demo. Reports are that was nearly identical to last year’s premiere. I will link the overnight data as soon as I find it.
Aside from all the new show hub bub, the overall viewership title was taken by NBC as Deal or No Deal’s first million dollar winner (as advertised!) delivered 10.89 million viewers and lifted NBC to an average of 7.90 million for the night. ABC can’t wait for High School Musical: Get in the Picture to end.
Full details:
| Time | Net | Show | Viewers Live+SD (Millons) | 18-49 Rating/ Share | 18-34 Rating/ Share |
| 8:00 | NBC | Deal or No Deal | 10.89 | 2.6/7 | 1.7/5 |
| FOX | Prison Break (8-10p) | 6.48 | 2.6/7 | 2.6/7 | |
| CBS | The Big Bang Theory (repeat) | 4.73 | 1.5/4 | 1.1/3 | |
| CW | Gossip Girl | 3.38 | 1.7/5 | 2.3/7 | |
| ABC | High School Musical: Get in the Picture | 2.15 | 0.7/2 | 0.5/1 | |
| 8:30 | CBS | How I Met Your Mother (repeat) | 4.72 | 1.7/5 | 1.2/3 |
| 9:00 | CBS | Two And A Half Men (repeat) | 7.86 | 2.5/6 | 1.2/3 |
| NBC | America’s Toughest Jobs | 7.33 | 2.4/6 | 1.6/4 | |
| CW | One Tree Hill | 3.14 | 1.6/4 | 2.4/6 | |
| ABC | Samantha Who? X2 (repeat) | 2.15 | 0.7/2 | 0.5/1 | |
| 9:30 | CBS | New Adventures of Old Christine (repeat) | 6.00 | 0.7/2 | 1.0/3 |
| 10:00 | NBC | Hurricane Gustav (was Republican Conv.) | 5.47 | 1.6/4 | 1.1/3 |
| CBS | Hurricane Gustav (was Republican Conv.) | 4.09 | 1.2/3 | 0.7/2 | |
| ABC | Hurricane Gustav (was Republican Conv.) | 3.20 | 0.9/2 | 0.6/2 |
Shows are sorted by viewers in each time slot.
Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2008 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved. Source Marc Berman/Mediaweek.
Definitions:
Overnights: Local metered-market ratings service of Nielsen Station Index (NSI) in which household ratings and shares are provided to clients the morning following the day or evening of telecast.
Rating: Estimated percentage of the universe of TV households (or other specified group) tuned to a program in the average minute. Ratings are expressed as a percent.
Share (of Audience): The percent of households (or persons) using television who are tuned to a specific program, station or network in a specific area at a specific time. (See also, Rating, which represents tuning or viewing as a percent of the entire population being measured.)
LIVE+SD: The number that watched a program either while it was broadcast OR watched via DVR on the same day [through 3AM the next day] the program was broadcast.
For more information see Numbers 101.
The CW targets females 18-34. Last night’s premieres set records in that demographic and various others. We are pleased.
Paul McGuire
The CW
Paul, I gathered from the press release that the CW is quite pleased. I posted a copy of the numbers you released here.
Congrats to you Paul and to CW for finding something that doesn’t spectacularly fail on Monday nights. Of course, breaking your Monday night records wasn’t all that difficult considering the past two seasons.
I just hope to see a press relase from the CW praising Smallville (or Supernatural) for its great ratings…cause for the CW at least Smallville’s ratings ARE MINDBLOWING
Gabriela, perhaps, but perhaps not. If the CW is making most of it’s money among 18-34 year old women, we’re not sure where Smallville and Supernatural play into that. While I’m sure many women watch both shows, from an overall perspective, to paraphrase Steve Sternberg of Magna, Supernatural and Smallville are still on the schedule for CW’s token male audience.
Congrats Robert and Bill, you have network people checking out your blog!
Thanks Holly. We’ve had network people reading our blog for quite a while probably, but it is still cool to see them comment here.
I think this is the first time GG beats one tree hill in 18-40demo and viewers, i´m not very pleased about that, because I think OTH is far better than GG. By the way from now on you´re gonna report the 18-34 demo or it´s just a one time thing. Sorry for bad english.
tool, We will report 18-34 data regularly, likely most weekdays, with the caveat that we don’t get data every day.
I don’t think it will sustain these numbers throughout the season.
And like last year, we’ll see CW’s underpomoted shows trump Gossip Girl yet again. Such a smart network.
Prison Break’s numbers were really low. I don’t think it ever went below a 3.0 in the demo last year. I wonder how much of that drop is because it premiered so early and on a holiday and how much is because of the show itself (probably would have been better to end after the first season).
Well, considering that Prison Break has been a complete shitfest for two seasons, I, for one, am not gonna miss it if/when it finally gets canceled.
I don’t even want to comment on Gossip Girls ‘mindblowingly, fantastic numbers’ because it’s a lie, and everybody knows it. Yes, even Dawn and The CW.
This should be Prison Breaks final season. It was never all that good after Season 1 any way – it was ok, just not great. Everyone should die in the final episode in a big shootout in a warehouse – with 1 person walking away, blowing smoke from the end of their gun, and driving off into the sunset with a huge bag of cash in the passenger seat.
I hope Gossip Girl lasts a long time. The writing is so schemishly twisted and well tied together, and the characters are so enticing in many ways. You have a great show on ur hands, and i hope the “girly/shallow stigmas” of the show are over come. U got me watching and promoting it. I’m a true fan!!