Syndicated TV Show Ratings for the Week of November 3-9, 2008
| RANK | PROGRAMS | ORIG | Persons Live+SD (000) |
| 1 | ESPN NFL REGULAR SEASON | ESP | 14,832 |
| 2 | WHEEL OF FORTUNE | CTD | 10,690 |
| 3 | JEOPARDY | CTD | 8,637 |
| 4 | TWO-HALF MEN | WB | 7,899 |
| 4 | OPRAH WINFREY SHOW | CTD | 7,867 |
| 6 | ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT | CTD | 6,330 |
| 7 | FAMILY GUY-MF | 2/T | 6,261 |
| 8 | JUDGE JUDY | CTD | 6,042 |
| 9 | CSI NEW YORK | CTD | 5,340 |
| 10 | SEINFELD | SPT | 5,008 |
| 11 | DR. PHIL SHOW | CTD | 4,853 |
| 12 | SEINFELD-WKND | SPT | 4,636 |
| 13 | LAW & ORDER:SVU | NBU | 4,511 |
| 14 | EVRY LVS RAYMOND | CTD | 4,496 |
| 15 | LEGEND OF THE SEEKER | DAD | 4,305 |
| 16 | 2008 NFL REG SEASON GAMES | ESP | 4,289 |
| 17 | INSIDE EDITION | CTD | 4,097 |
| 18 | GEORGE LOPEZ | WB | 4,073 |
| 19 | GEORGE LOPEZ WKND A | WB | 4,012 |
| 20 | HOUSE | NBU | 3,917 |
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For syndicated shows which air on multiple days, the viewership shown is the average of all telecasts.
Although ESPN does “syndicate” Monday Night Football back to the local markets of the teams playing in the game so it can be viewed by those in the local markets without cable or satellite, the viewer number indicated seems to be for total viewers of Monday Night Football including those who watched on ESPN. We’re not exactly sure why Nielsen reports it this way, but since they are, we are too.
DAD = Disney ABC Domestic Television, SPT= Sony Pictures Television, 2/T=Twentieth Television, ESP = ESPN, CTD = CBS Television Distribution.
Nielsen TV Ratings Data: ©2008 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
Funny how syndication is nearly a dead medium for first run scripted programming yet Legend of the Seeker managed to outperform everything on the CW (except for Smallville) in the Live+SD for the week. Hopefully it can maintain near this number week to week.
that’s a great point, Chris. I’ll draw a post up on that.
I’m just a little confused here. Legend of the Seeker premiered over the November 1-2 weekend but it wasn’t included in any of the reports I’ve seen published for the week of October 27th through November 2nd. Broadcasting & Cable states that:
“In its first week on the air, Disney-ABC’s Legend of the Seeker scored a 2.9 live plus same day household rating, with more than 4.1 million viewers tuning in the for the fantasy hour’s two-hour premiere on Saturday, Nov. 1 and Sunday, Nov. 2.”
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6615619.html?industryid=47173
So, is the number 4.305 the actual number for the first two episodes (aired November 1st/2nd) or the third episode (aired November 8th/9th)?
Doghouse. Good catch. I’m confused too. I read the report that you linked to, and then I read the one for the previous week (w/e 11/2) and it contained no info on Legend of the Seeker:
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6613713.html?industryid=47173
I looked at the spreadsheet for that week and it also contained no data (at least in the top 25) for LOTS. Here’s my best guess (and it’s only a guess) — my guess: for whatever reason syndication data for 11/1 & 11/2 for LOTS was stuffed in with the week of 11/3-11/9. Syndicated data trails in general and it’s possible that for whatever reason, it trailed further. I’ll see if I can find anything out.
ok, my take is that the numbers above are for the *third* episode and for whatever reason, Nielsen gave it some BS name for the prior week (Buena Vista VI) in the show name listing and that the premiere averaged 5.88 million the previous week.
That would make sense. But “Buena Vista VI” and “Buena Vista V” have both appeared in the top weekly syndication charts before:
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/09/04/top-syndicated-shows-august-18-24/4934
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/05/14/wheel-of-fortune-tops-syndicated-tv-ratings/3770
I *believe* it is for movies syndicated by Disney-ABC Domestic Television (the new name for Buena Vista Television):
http://www.snta.com/php/display.php?p=PR_SP_syndicator&s_id=4
http://www.snta.com/php/display.php?p=program&p_id=4
If that is the case, who knows what is going on with LoTS. So perhaps the Broadcasting & Cable stating the first episodes had 4.1 million viewers is correct. If so, that could mean LoTS actually grew in its second week (the third episode). Or something else entirely is going on.
oh I knew the Buena Vista was/ DAD, but the question of what the program was remains a mystery. your explanation is as plausible as mine, though if that’s the case it means either:
1. the data is delayed an extra week for LOTS (seems odd) or
2. the two hour premiere wasn’t among the top 25 syndicated programs for the week (seems even odder!).
I see zero chance that it grew in its third episode from the premiere. There’s little coverage on the net about the ratings, which given it’s scripted first run nature surprises me. TV Week also reported the Nov 1 & 2 numbers along with the report of the 11/3-11/9 data and they reported 4.2 million.
http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/syndie_seeker_finds_strong_rat.php
I’ll go with something else entirely is going on.
It looks like you were right. Marc Berman just posted this in his Program Insider:
-Strong Start for Legend of the Seeker:
Based on national ratings for the weekend of Nov. 1 and 2, new Disney-ABC first-run weekly Legend of the Seeker debuted as the top-rated scripted hour in first-run syndication with a 4.1 household rating (GAA – gross average audience) and 5.8 million viewers. Comparably, this was the strongest debut for any first-run scripted weekly since Andromeda in 2000.
http://pifeedback.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/200104911/m/569105471
Weird, though, that Nielsen would give it such an odd label.
December 7, 2008. Stubbled across this show by accident and really enjoy it. How are its current numbers? How do one find those numbers on the Nielsen web site?
Thanks