Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., Jan. 2-4)
01/05/09 12:01 PM
By ED BARK
A flurry of weekend activity, dominated by college and pro football, brought 2009 into full view on home screens.
Let's look first at Mississippi's high-scoring win over Texas Tech in the homegrown Cotton Bowl. It drew a symmetrical 365,365 D-FW viewers on Fox, which probably shouldn't let Pat Summerall do the play-by-play anymore. Sometimes you just have to know when your day is done. And the 78-year-old Summerall is way too slow on the draw these days. Analyst Brian Baldinger should be sent elsewhere, too. Bring in a new team for 2010's inaugural Cotton Bowl in Jerry's Arlington Palace. Just keep Tony Siragusa out of it.
In prime-time, Utah's upset win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl lured 358,722 viewers to Fox's telecast. Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston made for a high caliber announcing team, with the former Cowboys fullback getting better each season. Has he surpassed Troy Aikman, Fox's A-team analyst for pro games? Johnston's at least his equal, but Aikman still has a hammerlock on the top spot in tandem with Joe Buck.
Saturday's pro playoffs on NBC both outdrew Friday's college bowls. Arizona's win over Atlanta averaged 504,868 viewers. San Diego's overtime victory over Indianapolis then ballooned to 770,588 viewers.
On Sunday, Baltimore beat Miami to the tune of 544,726 viewers on CBS. Philadelphia's win over Minnesota jumped to 717,444 viewers on Fox.
Sunday also brought the premiere of NBC's Superstars of Dance, which drew 292,292 viewers in the 8 to 10 p.m. slot. That put it a respectable second in the first hour opposite ABC's new episode of Desperate Housewives (312,221 viewers). Dancing then waltzed to first place at 9 p.m., outscoring ABC's new episode of Brothers & Sisters (279,006 viewers).
Dancing ran second for the entire two hours among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds, with ABC on top.
CBS barely bothered promoting a double dollop of its new Game Show In My Head, which ran fourth from 7 to 8 p.m. Saturday in both total viewers and 18-to-49-year-olds. GSIMH did manage to outdraw ABC's competing combo of a Peanuts reprise and the first half-hour of Sleepless in Seattle. But it fell short of CW's pair of Simpsons repeats among D-FW viewers.
In Friday's local news derby, WFAA8 won at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming. It was a downsized three-station field, though, with Fox4 still carrying the Sugar Bowl.
The 6 a.m. golds again went to Fox4, which also continued its recent strong run at 5 p.m. with a pair of first place finishes. The 6 p.m. top spots were shared by WFAA8 in total viewers and NBC5 in the 25-to-54 demographic.
A flurry of weekend activity, dominated by college and pro football, brought 2009 into full view on home screens.
Let's look first at Mississippi's high-scoring win over Texas Tech in the homegrown Cotton Bowl. It drew a symmetrical 365,365 D-FW viewers on Fox, which probably shouldn't let Pat Summerall do the play-by-play anymore. Sometimes you just have to know when your day is done. And the 78-year-old Summerall is way too slow on the draw these days. Analyst Brian Baldinger should be sent elsewhere, too. Bring in a new team for 2010's inaugural Cotton Bowl in Jerry's Arlington Palace. Just keep Tony Siragusa out of it.
In prime-time, Utah's upset win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl lured 358,722 viewers to Fox's telecast. Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston made for a high caliber announcing team, with the former Cowboys fullback getting better each season. Has he surpassed Troy Aikman, Fox's A-team analyst for pro games? Johnston's at least his equal, but Aikman still has a hammerlock on the top spot in tandem with Joe Buck.
Saturday's pro playoffs on NBC both outdrew Friday's college bowls. Arizona's win over Atlanta averaged 504,868 viewers. San Diego's overtime victory over Indianapolis then ballooned to 770,588 viewers.
On Sunday, Baltimore beat Miami to the tune of 544,726 viewers on CBS. Philadelphia's win over Minnesota jumped to 717,444 viewers on Fox.
Sunday also brought the premiere of NBC's Superstars of Dance, which drew 292,292 viewers in the 8 to 10 p.m. slot. That put it a respectable second in the first hour opposite ABC's new episode of Desperate Housewives (312,221 viewers). Dancing then waltzed to first place at 9 p.m., outscoring ABC's new episode of Brothers & Sisters (279,006 viewers).
Dancing ran second for the entire two hours among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds, with ABC on top.
CBS barely bothered promoting a double dollop of its new Game Show In My Head, which ran fourth from 7 to 8 p.m. Saturday in both total viewers and 18-to-49-year-olds. GSIMH did manage to outdraw ABC's competing combo of a Peanuts reprise and the first half-hour of Sleepless in Seattle. But it fell short of CW's pair of Simpsons repeats among D-FW viewers.
In Friday's local news derby, WFAA8 won at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming. It was a downsized three-station field, though, with Fox4 still carrying the Sugar Bowl.
The 6 a.m. golds again went to Fox4, which also continued its recent strong run at 5 p.m. with a pair of first place finishes. The 6 p.m. top spots were shared by WFAA8 in total viewers and NBC5 in the 25-to-54 demographic.
|