| Scoreboard |  |
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Viewers (million) | 10.88 | 6.61 | 5.13 | 3.08 |
| Rating/Share: Adults 18-49 | 3.8/12 | 1.4/4 | 1.7/5 | 1.0/3 |
It’s fairly rare for people to have much interest in the broadcast network’s Saturday night ratings – myself included. But I was interested in these results. Like millions (10.88 million on average) of others I wound up watching the upstart Texas Tech Red Raiders defeat the Texas Longhorns in ABC’s Saturday Night Football college game of the week.
I was rooting for Texas Tech, not so much because I was rooting against the Longhorns but because I am rooting for Joe Paterno to have one last title game. Explaining the BCS is more complicated than explaining our Renew/Cancel Index, but suffice it to say, fewer higher ranked undefeated teams ahead of Penn State is better for JoePa’s shot at the title game. Now I’m torn though. The Red Raiders are hard not to like and that turned into what may wind up being the most exciting college football game of the year. It’s the most drama I’ve seen in football game since the dramatic finish of the last Super Bowl.
Texas Tech jumped ahead by 19 points but somehow despite being totally dominated, Texas came roaring back to take the lead 33-32 with just under a minute and half to play. But that left Graham Harrell the quarterback of the Red Raiders time enough to lead his team into the end zone in a great touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree, scoring with only one second left on the clock. I’d love to see some outcome where Penn State and Texas Tech got to play in the national title game, but such a confluence of events need to fall into place for that outcome that it seems unlikely. But thanks to Texas and Texas Tech for one heck of an entertaining game.
What’s up with my love of JoePa? Literally, the guy has been coaching at Penn State since years before I was born, and has been the head coach of the team for all but three or four years of my life. He’s an institution at a time when few institutions seem to remain. It’s been a remarkable career and I’d like to see him get one last shot at a national title.
There are weeks where Cops and America’s Most Wanted outdraw the game of the week. While I knew this wouldn’t be one of those weeks, it was good to see that if you put out an entertaining product, even on a Saturday night, even on broadcast TV, that people will watch it.
Full details:
| Time | Network | Show | Viewers (Millons) | 18-49 Rating/Share |
| 8:00 | ABC | Saturday Night Football Texas vs. Texas Tech(8p-11p) | 10.88 | 3.8/12 |
| CBS | CSI: Miami (R) | 5.1 | 0.9/3 | |
| FOX | Cops | 4.71 | 1.5/5 | |
| NBC | Knight Rider (R) | 2.90 | 0.8/3 | |
| 9:00 | CBS | CSI (R) | 7.18 | 1.4/4 |
| FOX | America’s Most Wanted | 5.54 | 1.8/5 | |
| NBC | The Office (R) | 2.07 | 0.8/2 | |
| 10:00 | CBS | 48 Hours Mystery | 7.54 | 1.7/5 |
| NBC | SNL Special (R) | 3.54 | 1.3/4 |
Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2008 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved. Source Marc Berman/Mediaweek.
Definitions:
Fast Affiliate Ratings: These first national ratings, including demographics, are available at approximately 11 AM (ET) the day after telecast, and are released to subscribing customers daily. These data, from the National People Meter sample, are strictly time-period information, based on the normal broadcast network feed, and include all programming on the affiliated stations, sometimes including network programming, sometimes not. The figures may include stations that did not air the entire network feed, as well as local news breaks or cutaways for local coverage or other programming. Fast Affiliate ratings are not as useful for live programs and are likely to differ significantly from the final results, because the data reflect normal broadcast feed patterns. For example, with a World Series game, Fast Affiliate Ratings would include whatever aired from 8-11PM on affiliates in the Pacific Time Zone, following the live football game, but not game coverage that begins at 5PM PT. The same would be true of Presidential debates as well as live award shows and breaking news reports.
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.)
Time Shifted Viewing – Program ratings for national sources are produced in three streams of data – Live, Live+Same Day (Live+SD) and Live+7 Day. Time shifted figures account for incremental viewing that takes place with DVRs which are currently in approximately 24.4% of all U.S. TV households. Live+Same Day (Live+SD) include viewing during the same broadcast day as the original telecast, with a cut-off of 3:00AM local time when meters transmit daily viewing to Nielsen for processing. Live+7 Day ratings include incremental viewing that takes place during the 7 days following a telecast.
For more information see Numbers 101.
Had no idea NBC was burying Office re-runs on Saturday night. I still remember the days when Saturday night meant a lot of new television, but that’s not the case any more with the networks having to tighten their overalls. When FOX took a chance on COPS during the last writer’s strike, I’m sure their was a lot of scoffing from the other network heads, but they’re all kicking themselves now that FOX is the only one with a reliable slate of programming on Saturday. Two dependable twenty-plus year old series that cost about four dimes each to produce.
Yeah, it was really funny for me. One Saturday a year or so ago I was flipping through the nets and it only dawned on me then that there was absolutely nothing going on. Saturday night used to be my Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman night, but now nothing. And didn’t Halmark used to air their movies on that night as well, now it really is dead.
Who would have thought that Saturday night college football would become a ratings magnet, sometimes besting nfl night games, and even more embarrassing, mlb world series ratings. Apparently, the programmers at ABC realized the potential of this little gem. They always seem to have an innate ability to find and nurtue obscure, cheap programming alternatives,then sit back and watch them turn them into hits no one else thought possible. Saturday Night College Football may be the lastest crowning acheivement but the list includes: Dancing With the Stars (ballroom dancing celebrities haul in nearly 20 million viewers every Monday and Tuesday), The Bachelor and The Bachelorette ( single guy or girl dates 25 people over the course of 3 months to find the love of his or her life- I would laugh histerically at the person who sold this idea but it wound up becoming a monster hit); and Extreme Home Makeover ( another stunning example of a simple concept that pays off big dividends. Still, I never thought Saturday night college football would become the game changer it has become in the ratings.
Matt, when Saturday Night Football is good, it’s very, very good. But when it’s bad, it’s terrible.
There have been 2 big draws this year, last night and USC/Ohio St., a few mediocre ones, and a few woeful ones. Still at least ABC (and Fox) have a consistent plan for Saturday night, for the competition it’s just a dumping ground.
i actually watched 48 hours… well i had no idea what it was called when i was watching it… anyways that is a really good show! that guy killed his dad…it was crazy!!!!! well i’ll be tuning in next week:)
Yeah ABC choosing Georgia vs Arizona State wasn’t very wise.
Robert,
Will there be anyway to tell how Legend of the Seeker did if it doesn’t make the syndication list in a couple of weeks? Normally, the only thing that would provide that is a press release, but I don’t see that happening, do you?
Vader, no idea about a press release. it’s possible one of the media outlets will report on it, even if it doesn’t. it seems to be the first scripted first-run on syndication show in a while, so perhaps its results will be newsworthy.
Actually the Office-SNL repeat was last minute. I was expecting the weekly repeat of SVU at 10pm ET and my guide had it as on, but when I flipped over last night I’m seeing the Jon Hamm episode again. NBC’s schedulers are either schitzophrenic, or Ben Silverman has so much control of the network now, it’s scary, since I still can’t come up with how Kath & Kim and Knight Rider got their back nine beyond him throwing a dart at a board and making it so.
Given the repeats and sport, it is amazing that Saturday’s ratings were better than Friday’s.