Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., Dec. 7) -- Hairspray can't hold against Fox's dynamic duo
12/08/16 10:45 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
In one of the season’s more intriguing ratings match ups, NBC’s latest heavily promoted holiday season musical, Hairspray Live!, went against Fox’s two biggest hits -- Lethal Weapon and Empire.
Empire struck back hard and Lethal Weapon also hit bullseyes with a “Jingle Bell Glock” Christmas episode Wednesday night. Not only that, but Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast also had enough juice to prevail against the closing hour of Hairspray, which otherwise merited a gold star for both effort and execution.
Lethal Weapon kicked it off with 312,657 D-FW viewers opposite the opening hour of Hairspray (269,031). Empire then beat Hairspray’s midsection by a score of 356,284 viewers to 247,217. Fox4 news mopped up, drawing 203,591 viewers opposite the sagging closing hour of Hairspray (174,506).
Hairspray, which featured a possible star-making turn by Houston newcomer Maddie Baillio as plucky Tracy Turnblad, steadily lost audience in each 15-minute increment of its final two hours, ending with just 138,151 viewers after highs of 283,573 between 7:30 and 8 p.m.
Among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, Hairspray likewise ran second all night behind the Fox/Fox4 trio.
Here are Wednesday’s local news derby results.
It was a day of sweeps in a non-“sweeps” period. TEGNA8 ran the table at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 had twin wins at 6 a.m. and NBC5 won across the board at 5 and 6 p.m. for the fifth consecutive weekday.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
In one of the season’s more intriguing ratings match ups, NBC’s latest heavily promoted holiday season musical, Hairspray Live!, went against Fox’s two biggest hits -- Lethal Weapon and Empire.
Empire struck back hard and Lethal Weapon also hit bullseyes with a “Jingle Bell Glock” Christmas episode Wednesday night. Not only that, but Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast also had enough juice to prevail against the closing hour of Hairspray, which otherwise merited a gold star for both effort and execution.
Lethal Weapon kicked it off with 312,657 D-FW viewers opposite the opening hour of Hairspray (269,031). Empire then beat Hairspray’s midsection by a score of 356,284 viewers to 247,217. Fox4 news mopped up, drawing 203,591 viewers opposite the sagging closing hour of Hairspray (174,506).
Hairspray, which featured a possible star-making turn by Houston newcomer Maddie Baillio as plucky Tracy Turnblad, steadily lost audience in each 15-minute increment of its final two hours, ending with just 138,151 viewers after highs of 283,573 between 7:30 and 8 p.m.
Among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, Hairspray likewise ran second all night behind the Fox/Fox4 trio.
Here are Wednesday’s local news derby results.
It was a day of sweeps in a non-“sweeps” period. TEGNA8 ran the table at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 had twin wins at 6 a.m. and NBC5 won across the board at 5 and 6 p.m. for the fifth consecutive weekday.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net