| Scoreboard |  |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Viewers (million) | 26.76 | 10.08 | 9.09 | 5.70 | 4.10 | 2.09 |
| Rating/Share: Adults 18-49 | 9.5 | 3.7/9 | 2.2/5 | 2.2/6 | 1.6/4 | 0.8/2 |
| Rating/Share: Adults 18-34 | 8.6 | 3.6/10 | 1.3/3 | 2.0/5 | 1.7/5 | 0.7/2 |
Update: The BCS Championship averaged 26.76 million between 8:20pm-11:49pm. The numbers for Fox are still preliminary numbers, but timezone adjusted. None of the other networks was time zone adjusted, but none of the other networks were running a live event.
While not the 45-42 shootout everyone seemed to think last night’s BCS National Championship game would be, the Florida Gators defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 24-14, averaging 26.76 million between 8:20pm-11:49pm EST. Though it turned into more of a defensive struggle at times, it was an entertaining game.
If the final numbers don’t vary much (and since the numbers for the game are timezone adjusted for the portion of the game) they might not change a lot, it would be more viewers than last year’s game, but less than two years ago when Florida beat Ohio State, and well less than three years ago when Texas beat USC. You can review all the past data going back to 1991.
Seeing Tim Tebow, with “John 3:16″ taped under his eyes be unsportsmanlike by giving the “Gator chop” to one of the defensive backs from Oklahoma (perhaps the one who said Tebow would be no better than the fourth best quarterback in the Big 12) was completely righteous. I’m not condoning the unsportsmanlike behavior, but I understand. Even more righteous still, Urban Meyer getting the Gatorade shower. The best thing to come out of the University of Florida isn’t Tim Tebow, it’s Gatorade, originally invented for and by the Florida Gators. The Gatorade shower is overplayed now, but for the Gator’s coach after winning the national championship it seemed very fitting.
Despite the game, NBC (except for The Office) and ABC aired new episodes against the game. CBS ran repeats, which probably was a good move. While Grey’s Anatomy (and to a lesser degree Private Practice) held up OK in the demos, they were overshadowed by the football game. Meanwhile, coming out of a repeat of The Office, 30 Rock had numbers that evoke memories of last year and ER was down as well.
Full details:
| Time | Net | Show | Viewers (Millons) | 18-49 Rating/Share | 18-34 Rating/Share |
| 8:00 | FOX | BCS Championship Game | 24.17 | 8.3/22 | 7.3/21 |
| CBS | CSI: NY (R) | 8.59 | 2.0/5 | 1.2/4 | |
| ABC | Ugly Betty | 7.51 | 2.4/6 | 2.2/6 | |
| NBC | My Name is Earl | 5.50 | 2.0/6 | 1.6/5 | |
| UNI | Cuidado con el Angel | 4.28 | 1.7/4 | 1.8/5 | |
| CW | Smallville (R) | 2.30 | 0.9/2 | 0.8/2 | |
| 8:30 | NBC | Kath & Kim | 4.15 | 1.7/4 | 1.5/4 |
| 9:00 | FOX | BCS Championship Game | 24.55 | 8.6/20 | 7.7/20 |
| ABC | Grey’s Anatomy | 13.71 | 5.2/12 | 5.2/14 | |
| CBS | CSI (R) | 10.98 | 2.7/6 | 1.5/4 | |
| NBC | The Office (R) | 4.68 | 2.0/5 | 2.1/6 | |
| UNI | Fuego en la Sangre | 4.73 | 1.9/4 | 2.1/5 | |
| CW | Supernatural (R) | 1.87 | 0.8/2 | 0.7/2 | |
| 9:30 | NBC | 30 Rock | 5.24 | 2.3/5 | 2.3/6 |
| 10:00 | ABC | Private Practice | 9.03 | 3.4/8 | 3.3/9 |
| CBS | Eleventh Hour(R) | 7.70 | 1.9/5 | 1.1/3 | |
| NBC | ER | 7.32 | 2.6/7 | 2.1/6 | |
| UNI | Rosa de Guadalupe | 3.29 | 1.2/3 | 1.3/4 |
Shows are sorted by viewers in each time slot.
Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2009 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
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.
NBC had a very odd strategy last night. I’m hoping the dismal results for 30 Rock are mostly due to the game, and not so much because it didn’t have a lead in, but I’m probably wrong.
Wow, looks like 30 Rock is back to tanking in the ratings again. Maybe it’s time for them to bring in a celebrity guest like they usually do.
It was probably a combination of both, but I’d think the latter would be the bigger of the two factors.
30 Rock will never be a decent hit.
I was expecting for Greys/Private.. the numbers should be better with the crossover next month.
I wasn’t even aware 30 Rock had a new episode! Bummer!
30 Rock can’t seem to hold the great start it had, pity.
My Name is Earl beat 30 Rock in the ratings just like it used to do before the hype machine got behind Tina “Sarah Palin” Fey now 30 Rock is going back to where it belongs in the ratings unless like Tony said they bring in more celebrity guest…….My Name is Earl deserves more hype from NBC than what they get in my opinion because it is a really funny show and last night’s episode was very funny
30 Rock was very funny last night. Also I guess a woman by the name of Salma Hayek doesn’t rate as a celebrity anymore? If you will note, 30 Rock did build from The Office repeat numbers.
I actually stand by this when I say this, but I honestly think NBC needs to put an end to Comedy Night Done Wrong after either this season or next season. The only reason why I say maybe next season is so Earl can get some more episodes for its syndication run. The Office is the only thing worth keeping, but its not a strong ratings player, so what’s the point?
Knight Rider dominated Kath & Kim and it had no lead-in the night before. Talk about embarrassing.
Even if NBC’s lineup wasn’t up against the BCS, it still would’ve got only a million viewer boost. NBC wasn’t expecting much probably, that’s why Office was in reruns.
One of the reasons why I say Comedy Night Done Wrong needs to go is that Christine/Gary the night before got around 8 million viewers in repeats on CBS and that rating basically doubles whatever NBC got last night for originals and the fact that its an embarrassment to Must See TV (1982-2006).
I think NBC should replace the lineup with either new multi-cam comedies or some dramas like Chuck, Heroes, a new procedural, or the new Partridge Family remake coming out next year and make the night young skewing with the Hilary Duff project. iCarly and Hannah Montana dominate cable so I think NBC should go in that direction with some younger skewing comedies like that. Call me crazy, but I bet you it works. Not in the direction like CW though, which is where its already going.
Yay, for Private Practice. The shows numbers jumped pretty good with the greys lead-in. Greys was down but up against the football game. It will be back up next week. But I am happy for Private Practice…so much better than the 6.4m viewers it was getting in november and december
30 Rock was great last night with 2 celebrity guest stars. Salma Hayek and Peter Dinklage. Anyway, I think it was just an off night because the Office was a repeat (which it grew out of) and the game probably took a lot of viewers as well.
Oh and to Hot Pocket, NBC’s comedy night *usually* beats Gary Unmarried and Old Christine in the demos.
Well I think that was a really bad programming move, as the first 2 hours of NBC skew very male and considering the football match was on FOX they should have gone with repeats. But I do expect to see 30 Rock hover around the 3.3 in the 18-49 demo next week.
Joseph, I don’t think My Name Is Earl will ever be a big hit, even in the younger demos, and I’m still shocked that NBC has such a show to kick start such a lucrative night as Thursday.
Julia,
Please…P P is nothing more then a cheap porno/soap opera. Quite literally the worst television has ever produced. But… I can see why chicks dig it. That is if yer a chick.
The Office is the only thing worth keeping, but its not a strong ratings player, so what’s the point?
The Office is the top rated show on NBC in the demo. It’s competitive with the other nets in the demos as well. How is it not strong?
actually nbc had no choice but to air a new 30 rock last night.
with the amount of weeks left in the tv season and the amount of new 30 rocks left, there is a 2 week gap where repeats would normally air. but the last week in may will be a 1 hour office finale and another week in april will be given to the new show with amy poehler (i think its called beyond thunderdome) so it can get the post-office timeslot for its pilot.
so with that, 30 rock basically a nothing to lose by airing a new, and really funny, episode. and it did about what you expected it to do with little to no advertising and up against the national championship game and no new office lead in.
I thought there was a lot to like about 30 Rock’s episode last night. Mainly the presence of Peter Dinklage. I’ve been a big fan of his work ever since seeing him in that stunningly wonderful film, “The Station Agent.” The writing was good last night, too.
What sort of compromised the good will the show generated was that segment where Selma Hayek put her hands down Alec Baldwin’s pants and some of Baldwin’s related dialogue. Oh how (gasp) “daring.”
You just know the show’s writers were so thrilled with themselves with getting this on the air. Their wrists must be fractured from all the high-fiving they must have done as they waited for the congratulatory phone calls to start coming in from their peers. That is if they could spare any time off from whatever powder they were putting up their noses.
There is such an undercurrent of a warped value system in so many of these shows. As if debasing and degrading the popular culture is somehow a noble pursuit worthy of their time and energy. As if they have no sense of responsibility for the world they are handing over to future generations.
I dunno alicia 30 Rock is just a TV show, we really should be more concerned with the horrible smut NASA stuck on the Pioneer probes the Aliens will be horrified!
Oh yeah NBC got hosed.
Earl and Kim were down over 1 million
30 Rock was down 2 million. (Probably down more because when people say the old office they switched.)
Even that office repeat was down from other reruns.
But I think it’s easier to see they got hosed since their numbers are low.
ABC took it hard too.
Ugly Betty, Down 1 a million.
Greys Anatomy Down 2 million.
Network that made smartest scheduling move: CBS. Surprise Surprise.
It’s going to be a rough week next week for Greys/30 Rock/Office when CSI says bye to Grissom.
tell me somethin, the BCS Championship Game is like the super bowl for collage football right???
Loved 30 Rock! Great episode! ER was fantastic, the shows keep getting better and better, really loving the final season. Tuned out Ugly Betty, it’s getting old fast. IMO
Kath & Kim did aweful, why did NBC air a Office rerun before a new episode of 30 Rock and E.R: surely it was a waste of new episodes.
I am sooo glad Private Practice is following Greys….Loved last nights episode of both shows…Now that ER is leaving I know I can STILL get good medical drama stories….Hope the ratings hold for these shows..
Nice to see Private Practice hold up well. I prefer it to Greys this season. It appears to be the only show that saw an increase on the night. Only 5 million for 30 Rock. Ouch !
vitorfernando, it’s the closest thing that college football has to the Super Bowl, yes.
It is simply amazing that Private Practice managed to have a 2.5 million viewer increase over its Wednesday night average on a night when everybody else had a slump against the National College Football Championship. Add in the fact that it bested a new episode of ER by a mile and its beginning to look like ABC made a wise schedule change, as shocked as I am to see that result. If that trend continues, it could overtake Grey’s Anatomy by season’s end like Grey’s surpassed Desperate Housewives on Sundays years ago. Even so, the best show I saw last night was Ugly Betty. That vehicle has all the hilarity, all the drama, and all the zeal of Desperate Housewives amplified to the tenth power. Last night it deserved the 14.4 that made Desperate Housewives the 2nd most watched show on tv last week. The last 15 minutes, in particular, of UB was off the charts fantastic!
Can we cancel the gloom and doom over the numbers for 30 Rock until it follows a new Office and more people are aware shows are returning for new episodes? I know I didn’t know there would be new episodes until late afternoon yesterday.
I don’t know why people would want quality shows like My Name is Earl and 30 Rock to be cancelled, both who had very funny episodes last night. Unless you work at NBC, why is it such a big deal if the numbers aren’t great. Shouldn’t we be happy that NBC is sticking with some of the good shows they have left on their roster.
Why would NBC waste new episodes of Earl and 30 Rock on BCS championship night?
So fans of a show don’t watch it if the preceding show is a rerun? That might have been true when there were three networks, no DVR and no remote control, but would only apply to very stupid or comatose people now.
I dont know if PP will overtake Grey’s numbers , but a increase of 37% increase over the last episode against a mini Superbowl is pretty good if you ask me.
Desilu, the stupid/comatose demo is huge!
Considering PP’s lead in increased by about 400%, I’m not so sure if 37% increase is anything all that remarkable.
Its true, but it was on a new night and time, after a long winter break and it beat ER. Should have no problem beating EH also, even after the crossover episodes for next month.
Sorry 30 Rock….No Sarah…then No Tina!
I hate Grey’s Anatomy and PP and everything they represent. Their sick trivialization of the medical field almost surpasses the innate fascism of cop dramas. But PP’s numbers were startlingly good. It won’t be cancelled if it can do that well in the demo, period. I gave up on the Office and 30 Rock two years ago, speaking of both their quality and hipness. Maybe PP has gotten better since last year – it certainly has four people at least who can top banana in an FX or TNT drama.
I wished more people had seen Ugly Betty…it was a GREATTTTTTTTTTTT episode…so much happened and the last couple minutes made me cry
UB was great this week, though many of the “big” shows seem to be down after the winter break, football dosent help >____> hopefully it builds up in the weeks to come
I’m glad to see Private Practice holding up after Grey’s, as well. I still think Grey’s is the better of the two shows and I can’t imagine PP overtaking it in ratings (especially once the Denny/Izzy nonsense ends since it’s the one story dragging Grey’s quality down this year), but I think PP could turn out to be a contender once CBS brings back original episodes and might help ABC win Thursday night.
As far as 30 Rock and The Office, I agree with the person who said NBC should move them to another night. I catch them both on Hulu but I would watch them live if they weren’t on opposite Grey’s.
UB was great last night. Bernadette Peters and Nikki Blonski were amazing. I cried at the end. Too bad it was opposite BCS.
It seems to me that 30 Rock struggled for a bunch of reasons. No Office lead-in, the National Championship football game, and I’m guessing most people didn’t even know there was a new episode on. I wouldn’t have known except that I make sure to check each week since it’s my fav show.
Ugly Betty keeps going down in the ratings, despite a new episode (below the 8 mill mark). Based on the whole season’s performance, this show is certain to be getting the boot anytime soon.
Grey’s Anatomy is no longer the hit it was 2-3 years ago, but it’s still getting its fair share, 14 mill viewers is nothing to feel sad about.
I am not so sure abour Private Practice surviving this season.
Ugly Betty two nights ago was fantastic… Too bad its ratings went down.
It’ll be interesting to see Private Practice compete against a new episode of Eleventh Hour.