The full overnight post is now up.
The vice presidential debates scored a strong 28.0/40 (household rating, share) just on the broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC) between 9p-10:30p. As predicted by our readers, last night’s debate seems poised to out-rate the presidential debate from last Friday. Though the cable news numbers aren’t included here, we should have them up on the site hopefully around 3pm PDT and imagine that Nielsen will also publish complete ratings for the event later in the day. We’ll have viewer numbers up once we have seen the fast affiliates.
Due to the debates there wasn’t a ton of new programming, but Survivor: Gabon won the 8pm hour with a 7.5/12. Ugly Betty had a 6.0/9 and NBC’s My Name Is Earl, which languished with a 4.7/7. The only good news for Earl was that the bloom is all the way off the rose for Fox’s Hole in the Wall which scored a pitiful 2.7/4.
CW’s Smallville netted a 2.7/4 and Sam and Dean of Supernatural faced off against Sarah Palin and still managed a 2.6/5 — slightly better then last week’s 2.5/4 in the metered market numbers when it faced off against The Office and Grey’s Anatomy (which didn’t air last night due to the debates).
In the early metered market numbers NBC won the after-debate analysis on the broadcast networks, edging out ABC. NBC had a 7.8/12, ABC a 7.6/11. CBS was last with a 5.5/8.
We’ll have the full overnight report up with viewer numbers and demographic information hopefully sometime before 9:30am PDT.
P.S. Sorry Cubs fans 
Does anyone have any idea what smallville had last week in early metered market numbers?
Thanks:)
Paul,
These were the metered market numbers last week:
CW’s Smallville (#5: 2.8/ 4) and Supernatural (#5: 2.5/ 4)
Ooh, Smallville could cross 4 million again. Bill, since Supernatural ended with a /5, does that mean it too could be over 4 million?
>P.S. Sorry Cubs fans
TBS feels your pain too! It might be 3 and out for the best ratings matchup in the Division Series.
Thanks Bill
I don’t understand this numbers…
can anyone explain it to me?
Supernatural has 2.6/5… what means 2.6 and wath means 5?
Charles, the “/5″ which is the share of metered market households watching TV that were tuned into that show really isn’t a direct indicator of the number of viewers. The rating “2.6/” which is the percentage of all TV households watching the show is proportional to the number of viewers. So it’s a reasonable assumption that an increase from 2.5 to 2.6 is likely to show a similar level of increase in the number of viewers.
Charles i doubt it, a 2.5 in overnights would be about 3.60 – 3.80 i think:)
2.6 means 2.6 percent of the households with televisions in the markets measured were watching. The 5 means five percent of the households with their TVs actually turned on were watching.
Note to Bill — I’ll add the boilerplate explanations when I resume these sometime ~ 10/13!
FYI, in the fast affiliates Smallville had a 2.6/4 and 3.95 million. Supernatural a 2.5/3 and 3.57 million…
Ahh. Okay, well thanks for the clarification. *patiently waits for fast nationals*
What site do you get you fast affiliates from?:)
Almost everything on CW this week has shown gains.
That better not mean Dawn is allowed to keep her job…
To be honest Dawn is ok, Smallville & Supernatural could be long gone, as the network is now targeting young women and said shows pull in good male numbers. But some of her methods make me cringe, why would the Robin pilot (The Graysons) be targetted at women more than men? Have designer clothes + girly music? LOL
One Tree Hill is still really good, Mondays episode was like a horror film :O:)
If someone new was appointed to take over the network from Dawn they will probably maul the schedule and restart with brand new shows, would CW’s audience decline greatly if it went to cable? i don’t think so.
Paul, on the weekends we usually get them from Berman. During the week we’re not usually getting them via the Web.