Feb 2018
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., Feb. 26) -- NBC still getting the golds
02/27/18 12:46 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
A post-Olympics NBC still found it pretty smooth sledding Monday night.
The return of The Voice, with new judge Kelly Clarkson, won the 7 to 9 p.m. Nielsen ratings races in both total viewers and advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds. NBC’s debut of the heavily promoted Good Girls then barely lost to ABC’s first-year hit The Good Doctor in total viewers while winning the 9 p.m. hour with 18-to-49-year-olds.
The Voice averaged 313,372 total D-FW viewers and 84,256 in the 18-to-49 realm. Good Doctor nipped Good Girls in total viewers by a score of 206,541 to 199,419. Good Girls flipped the script among 18-to-49ers with 65,533 to Good Doctor’s second place 59,291.
Monday’s other prime-time premiere, CBS’ 8:30 p.m. launch of Living Biblically, converted 149,564 total viewers and 34,327 within the 18-to-49 motherlode. It was good enough for a third-place tie with the final half-hour of ABC’s The Bachelor in total viewers. But Living Biblically placed last at 8:30 p.m. among 18-to-49-year-olds among the Big Four broadcast networks. It also was CBS’ lowest scorer of the night in this key demographic.
Here are Monday’s local news derby results.
TEGNA8 won in total viewers at 10 p.m., but NBC5 drew the most 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 maintained its winter-long winning streak with another sweep at 6 a.m.
TEGNA8 had the most total viewers at both 5 and 6 p.m. The golds among 25-to-54-year-olds went to Fox4 at 5 p.m. and NBC5 at 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
A post-Olympics NBC still found it pretty smooth sledding Monday night.
The return of The Voice, with new judge Kelly Clarkson, won the 7 to 9 p.m. Nielsen ratings races in both total viewers and advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds. NBC’s debut of the heavily promoted Good Girls then barely lost to ABC’s first-year hit The Good Doctor in total viewers while winning the 9 p.m. hour with 18-to-49-year-olds.
The Voice averaged 313,372 total D-FW viewers and 84,256 in the 18-to-49 realm. Good Doctor nipped Good Girls in total viewers by a score of 206,541 to 199,419. Good Girls flipped the script among 18-to-49ers with 65,533 to Good Doctor’s second place 59,291.
Monday’s other prime-time premiere, CBS’ 8:30 p.m. launch of Living Biblically, converted 149,564 total viewers and 34,327 within the 18-to-49 motherlode. It was good enough for a third-place tie with the final half-hour of ABC’s The Bachelor in total viewers. But Living Biblically placed last at 8:30 p.m. among 18-to-49-year-olds among the Big Four broadcast networks. It also was CBS’ lowest scorer of the night in this key demographic.
Here are Monday’s local news derby results.
TEGNA8 won in total viewers at 10 p.m., but NBC5 drew the most 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 maintained its winter-long winning streak with another sweep at 6 a.m.
TEGNA8 had the most total viewers at both 5 and 6 p.m. The golds among 25-to-54-year-olds went to Fox4 at 5 p.m. and NBC5 at 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs.-Sun., Feb. 22-25) -- Olympics go down and out
02/26/18 11:11 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
NBC’s 18 nights of Winter Olympics telecasts from Pyeongchang ended Sunday. In the closing 90 minutes, so did the Games’ perfect record against all competing programming.
Audiences generally were down overall from the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. But those Games were outdrawn on various nights by episodes of Fox’s American Idol and AMC’s The Walking Dead.
This time around, the competition from rival networks wasn’t nearly as formidable, with the Olympics beating everything in sight in both total D-FW viewers and advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds until Sunday’s return of Walking Dead that ran from 8 p.m. until nearly 9:30.
The Olympics soundly spanked Walking Dead in total viewers during those 90 minutes by a score of 384,593 to 227,907. But Walking Dead very narrowly took the gold with 18-to-49ers -- 121,703 viewers to 118, 583.
NBC filled the last half-hour of prime-time Sunday with a “preview” episode of A.P. Bio, which had 170,930 total viewers in running second to the closing half-hour of Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast (178,053 viewers). A.P. Bio won the half-hour among 18-to-49-year-olds, though.
Overall, Sunday’s 7 to 9:30 p.m. closing ceremonies averaged 370,349 total viewers and 112,342 in the 18-to-49 realm. Both numbers exceed the 2014 closer from Sochi, which also was beaten from 9 to 9:30 p.m. in both measurements by Fox’s rain-delayed Daytona 500.
Saturday’s nighttime Olympics presentation had 256,396 total viewers and a relatively puny 65,533 within the 18-to-49 motherlode. Both were down from the equivalent Saturday from Sochi.
Friday’s Olympics averaged 299,128 total viewers and 127,945 in the 18-to-49 range. Both were marginally down from 2014.
The biggest drop came for Thursday’s prime-time Winter Games coverage, which in large part was devoted to the women’s figure skating finale. It averaged 363,227 total viewers compared to 497,091 for the 2014 women’s finale. Among 18-to-49-year-olds, Thursday’s Olympics drew 134,186 viewers. Unclebarky.com did not include the 18-to-49 numbers in the 2014 Olympics post, but be assured they would have been appreciably higher than for the 2018’s women’s finale.
One can look at the overall 2018 Olympics ratings in D-FW from a variety of angles. NBC’s conventional TV coverage managed to beat all competing programming, save for AMC’s Sunday night re-load of Walking Dead, in times when various streaming options and other platforms were more readily available and utilized than in 2014.
As noted, though, rival networks used heavier ammo in 2014, with Idol a strong competitor throughout the Winter Games while an earlier re-starting Walking Dead had more match ups opposite Sunday night Olympics coverage.
No one, including NBC, expected this year’s Olympics from Pyeongchang to outdraw the 2014 Winter Games from Sochi. In that four-year span, ratings have gone down for just about everything, including even the once seemingly invulnerable NFL. The Olympics still very much amounted to a shared audience experience for many millions of viewers. The Peacock’s long-term investment in them still seems like a wise business decision -- for now.
OK, on to the Thursday and Friday local news derby results.
Thursday -- CBS11 won a downsized three-way competition at 10 p.m. in total viewers while Fox4 took the gold with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 once again swept the 6 a.m. races and added 5 and 6 p.m. firsts among 25-to-54-year-olds. NBC5 drew the most total viewers at 5 p.m. and tied Fox4 for the top spot in this measurement at 6 p.m.
Friday -- NBC5 had a big day, running the table at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. in both ratings measurements. But no one currently can beat Fox4 at 6 a.m. -- and no one did.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
NBC’s 18 nights of Winter Olympics telecasts from Pyeongchang ended Sunday. In the closing 90 minutes, so did the Games’ perfect record against all competing programming.
Audiences generally were down overall from the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. But those Games were outdrawn on various nights by episodes of Fox’s American Idol and AMC’s The Walking Dead.
This time around, the competition from rival networks wasn’t nearly as formidable, with the Olympics beating everything in sight in both total D-FW viewers and advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds until Sunday’s return of Walking Dead that ran from 8 p.m. until nearly 9:30.
The Olympics soundly spanked Walking Dead in total viewers during those 90 minutes by a score of 384,593 to 227,907. But Walking Dead very narrowly took the gold with 18-to-49ers -- 121,703 viewers to 118, 583.
NBC filled the last half-hour of prime-time Sunday with a “preview” episode of A.P. Bio, which had 170,930 total viewers in running second to the closing half-hour of Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast (178,053 viewers). A.P. Bio won the half-hour among 18-to-49-year-olds, though.
Overall, Sunday’s 7 to 9:30 p.m. closing ceremonies averaged 370,349 total viewers and 112,342 in the 18-to-49 realm. Both numbers exceed the 2014 closer from Sochi, which also was beaten from 9 to 9:30 p.m. in both measurements by Fox’s rain-delayed Daytona 500.
Saturday’s nighttime Olympics presentation had 256,396 total viewers and a relatively puny 65,533 within the 18-to-49 motherlode. Both were down from the equivalent Saturday from Sochi.
Friday’s Olympics averaged 299,128 total viewers and 127,945 in the 18-to-49 range. Both were marginally down from 2014.
The biggest drop came for Thursday’s prime-time Winter Games coverage, which in large part was devoted to the women’s figure skating finale. It averaged 363,227 total viewers compared to 497,091 for the 2014 women’s finale. Among 18-to-49-year-olds, Thursday’s Olympics drew 134,186 viewers. Unclebarky.com did not include the 18-to-49 numbers in the 2014 Olympics post, but be assured they would have been appreciably higher than for the 2018’s women’s finale.
One can look at the overall 2018 Olympics ratings in D-FW from a variety of angles. NBC’s conventional TV coverage managed to beat all competing programming, save for AMC’s Sunday night re-load of Walking Dead, in times when various streaming options and other platforms were more readily available and utilized than in 2014.
As noted, though, rival networks used heavier ammo in 2014, with Idol a strong competitor throughout the Winter Games while an earlier re-starting Walking Dead had more match ups opposite Sunday night Olympics coverage.
No one, including NBC, expected this year’s Olympics from Pyeongchang to outdraw the 2014 Winter Games from Sochi. In that four-year span, ratings have gone down for just about everything, including even the once seemingly invulnerable NFL. The Olympics still very much amounted to a shared audience experience for many millions of viewers. The Peacock’s long-term investment in them still seems like a wise business decision -- for now.
OK, on to the Thursday and Friday local news derby results.
Thursday -- CBS11 won a downsized three-way competition at 10 p.m. in total viewers while Fox4 took the gold with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 once again swept the 6 a.m. races and added 5 and 6 p.m. firsts among 25-to-54-year-olds. NBC5 drew the most total viewers at 5 p.m. and tied Fox4 for the top spot in this measurement at 6 p.m.
Friday -- NBC5 had a big day, running the table at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. in both ratings measurements. But no one currently can beat Fox4 at 6 a.m. -- and no one did.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., Feb. 21) -- Olympics still holding on
02/22/18 01:44 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Steadily losing ground, NBC’s prime-time Winter Olympics coverage still found a way to win Wednesday.
Ending early at 10 p.m., the Games from Pyeongchang averaged 356,105 D-FW viewers and 118,583 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49 age range.
CBS’ 7 to 8 p.m. edition of Big Brother: Celebrity Edition made if fairly close in that hour in both ratings measurements. It had 199,419 total viewers compared to 327,617 for the Olympics. Among 18-to-49-year-olds, the gap shrunk further, with 78,015 viewers succumbing to Big Brother while 87,377 stuck with the first hour of the Winter Games. That’s easily the closest that any competing TV attraction has come to defeating the Olympics.
On the equivalent Wednesday night in 2014 from Sochi, the Olympics averaged a considerably higher 411,875 total viewers for the full coverage. Unclebarky.com did not compute the 18-to-49-year-old viewership on that particular night.
Late night Olympics coverage had two marquee live attractions. On NBC, U.S. skiers Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin battled for medals in the combined downhill/slalom race. Shiffrin ended up winning the silver while Vonn wiped out on the slalom course after winning the downhill portion. From 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., NBC dominated the late night broadcast network terrain with an average of 99,709 total viewers.
Over on cable’s NBC Sports Net, the United States’ dramatic 3-2 overtime “shootout” win over Canada in the women’s hockey final averaged 71,221 total viewers. Canada had won four gold medals in a row after the U.S. team last triumphed at the 1998 Winter Games.
CNN’s Stand Up: The Students of Stoneman Douglas Demand Action aired in a live town hall meeting format from 8 to 10 p.m., and averaged 78,345 total viewers. That was enough to outdraw competing Fox News Channel programs hosted by Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham plus the Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell opinion hours on MSNBC.
Here are Wednesday’s local news derby results.
Getting a 10 p.m. start instead of being pushed deeper into the night, NBC5 ran first in both total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 once again swept the 6 a.m. competitions by commanding margins while the 6 p.m. golds went to TEGNA8 in total viewers and Fox4 with 25-to-54-year-olds.
At 5 p.m., Fox4 drew the most total viewers and NBC5 was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Steadily losing ground, NBC’s prime-time Winter Olympics coverage still found a way to win Wednesday.
Ending early at 10 p.m., the Games from Pyeongchang averaged 356,105 D-FW viewers and 118,583 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49 age range.
CBS’ 7 to 8 p.m. edition of Big Brother: Celebrity Edition made if fairly close in that hour in both ratings measurements. It had 199,419 total viewers compared to 327,617 for the Olympics. Among 18-to-49-year-olds, the gap shrunk further, with 78,015 viewers succumbing to Big Brother while 87,377 stuck with the first hour of the Winter Games. That’s easily the closest that any competing TV attraction has come to defeating the Olympics.
On the equivalent Wednesday night in 2014 from Sochi, the Olympics averaged a considerably higher 411,875 total viewers for the full coverage. Unclebarky.com did not compute the 18-to-49-year-old viewership on that particular night.
Late night Olympics coverage had two marquee live attractions. On NBC, U.S. skiers Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin battled for medals in the combined downhill/slalom race. Shiffrin ended up winning the silver while Vonn wiped out on the slalom course after winning the downhill portion. From 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., NBC dominated the late night broadcast network terrain with an average of 99,709 total viewers.
Over on cable’s NBC Sports Net, the United States’ dramatic 3-2 overtime “shootout” win over Canada in the women’s hockey final averaged 71,221 total viewers. Canada had won four gold medals in a row after the U.S. team last triumphed at the 1998 Winter Games.
CNN’s Stand Up: The Students of Stoneman Douglas Demand Action aired in a live town hall meeting format from 8 to 10 p.m., and averaged 78,345 total viewers. That was enough to outdraw competing Fox News Channel programs hosted by Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham plus the Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell opinion hours on MSNBC.
Here are Wednesday’s local news derby results.
Getting a 10 p.m. start instead of being pushed deeper into the night, NBC5 ran first in both total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 once again swept the 6 a.m. competitions by commanding margins while the 6 p.m. golds went to TEGNA8 in total viewers and Fox4 with 25-to-54-year-olds.
At 5 p.m., Fox4 drew the most total viewers and NBC5 was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., Feb. 20) -- Ad-Vonn-tage NBC as Olympics wind down
02/21/18 10:22 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
NBC’s Lindsey Vonn-centric nighttime Winter Olympics coverage gave the network another ratings gold Tuesday, although the falloff from four years ago was somewhat steep.
Running until 10:28 p.m., the Olympics from Pyeongchang averaged 398,838 D-FW viewers and 152,909 within the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-old age range. On the equivalent Tuesday four years ago in Sochi, the Winter Games drew 433,179 total viewers and 195,402 in the 18-to-49 realm. As repeatedly noted, though, increasing numbers of viewers are streaming NBC’s coverage via much-improved vehicles.
The Peacock lavished attention on veteran Olympian Lindsey Vonn’s attempt to become the oldest alpine skier ever to win a medal. At age 33, the much-injured Vonn barely came through with a bronze in the downhill competition, which was carried live. It’s the third Olympics in which she’s medaled after an eight-year absence from the Games due to an injury that prevented Vonn from going to Sochi.
NBC’s coverage again wiped out all competing programming, but a 7 p.m. rerun of CBS’ NCIS made a fairly strong showing with 220,785 total viewers. Tuesday’s runner-up with 18-to-49-year-olds, Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast, had 53,050 viewers in that key demographic.
Here are Tuesday’s local news derby results.
TEGNA8 comfortably won at 10 p.m. in total viewers and also nipped Fox4 for the most 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 remained unbeaten all winter at 6 a.m., notching another sweep. Among 25-to-54-year-olds, the station had as many viewers as NBC5, TEGNA8 and CBS11 combined.
The Peacock scored at 5 p.m. with twin wins and added a 6 p.m. gold in the 25-to-54 measurement. Fox4 ran first at 6 p.m. with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
NBC’s Lindsey Vonn-centric nighttime Winter Olympics coverage gave the network another ratings gold Tuesday, although the falloff from four years ago was somewhat steep.
Running until 10:28 p.m., the Olympics from Pyeongchang averaged 398,838 D-FW viewers and 152,909 within the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-old age range. On the equivalent Tuesday four years ago in Sochi, the Winter Games drew 433,179 total viewers and 195,402 in the 18-to-49 realm. As repeatedly noted, though, increasing numbers of viewers are streaming NBC’s coverage via much-improved vehicles.
The Peacock lavished attention on veteran Olympian Lindsey Vonn’s attempt to become the oldest alpine skier ever to win a medal. At age 33, the much-injured Vonn barely came through with a bronze in the downhill competition, which was carried live. It’s the third Olympics in which she’s medaled after an eight-year absence from the Games due to an injury that prevented Vonn from going to Sochi.
NBC’s coverage again wiped out all competing programming, but a 7 p.m. rerun of CBS’ NCIS made a fairly strong showing with 220,785 total viewers. Tuesday’s runner-up with 18-to-49-year-olds, Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast, had 53,050 viewers in that key demographic.
Here are Tuesday’s local news derby results.
TEGNA8 comfortably won at 10 p.m. in total viewers and also nipped Fox4 for the most 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 remained unbeaten all winter at 6 a.m., notching another sweep. Among 25-to-54-year-olds, the station had as many viewers as NBC5, TEGNA8 and CBS11 combined.
The Peacock scored at 5 p.m. with twin wins and added a 6 p.m. gold in the 25-to-54 measurement. Fox4 ran first at 6 p.m. with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Mon., Feb. 16-19) -- Olympics still taking all the golds
02/20/18 01:40 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Ratings for NBC’s prime-time Winter Olympics presentations remain both up and down from four years ago. But the dominance remains constant.
Monday’s coverage, which ended at 10:28 p.m., averaged 427,326 D-FW viewers, a small drop from the 440,281 who watched on an equivalent Monday in 2014. Fewer advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds tuned in as well, with a drop from 172,605 viewers to 149,789.
Monday night’s runner-up attraction, CBS’ 7 p.m. hour of Big Brother: Celebrity Edition, drew 191,297 total viewers. ABC’s two hours of The Bachelor ran second-best with 18-to-49-year-olds (71,774).
Sunday’s big five-hour hunk of nighttime Olympics coverage pulled in an average of 398,838 total viewers, a drop off from 433,179 in 2014.
But the prime-time NBA All-Star game on TNT had a far bigger shortfall, drawing 135,320 total viewers compared to 220,140 for the 2014 All-Star matchup opposite the Olympics. Fox’s daytime Daytona 500 drew 121,076 total viewers in losing out to NBC’s competing afternoon Olympics coverage (170,930 viewers).
The Peacock’s Saturday night Olympics coverage, which ended at 10 p.m., bested the 2014 average in total viewers by a score of 370,349 to 347,964. Friday’s Winter Games, with NBC ending its prime-time presentation at 11:14 p.m., also outpointed the equivalent Friday in 2014. Specifically, 413,082 viewers to 390,572.
For whatever reason, unclebarky.com didn’t include 2014’s Friday through Sunday ratings averages among 18-to-49-year-olds. Maybe I had a cold or something. Dunno.
For the record, here are the 18-to-49-year-old Olympics numbers for Friday through Sunday this time around.
Friday -- 143,548
Saturday -- 96,739 (a low so far)
Sunday -- 115,462
OK, here are the Friday local news derby results, with NBC5 again knocked out of the 10 p.m. mix by Olympics over-runs. On Monday, the four combatants took Presidents’ Day exemptions in most cases, so we’ll leave those numbers out.
Friday -- CBS11 won in total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. races, and added 5 and 6 p.m. firsts with 25-to-54-year-olds. NBC5 took the 5 and 6 p.m. golds in total viewers.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Ratings for NBC’s prime-time Winter Olympics presentations remain both up and down from four years ago. But the dominance remains constant.
Monday’s coverage, which ended at 10:28 p.m., averaged 427,326 D-FW viewers, a small drop from the 440,281 who watched on an equivalent Monday in 2014. Fewer advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds tuned in as well, with a drop from 172,605 viewers to 149,789.
Monday night’s runner-up attraction, CBS’ 7 p.m. hour of Big Brother: Celebrity Edition, drew 191,297 total viewers. ABC’s two hours of The Bachelor ran second-best with 18-to-49-year-olds (71,774).
Sunday’s big five-hour hunk of nighttime Olympics coverage pulled in an average of 398,838 total viewers, a drop off from 433,179 in 2014.
But the prime-time NBA All-Star game on TNT had a far bigger shortfall, drawing 135,320 total viewers compared to 220,140 for the 2014 All-Star matchup opposite the Olympics. Fox’s daytime Daytona 500 drew 121,076 total viewers in losing out to NBC’s competing afternoon Olympics coverage (170,930 viewers).
The Peacock’s Saturday night Olympics coverage, which ended at 10 p.m., bested the 2014 average in total viewers by a score of 370,349 to 347,964. Friday’s Winter Games, with NBC ending its prime-time presentation at 11:14 p.m., also outpointed the equivalent Friday in 2014. Specifically, 413,082 viewers to 390,572.
For whatever reason, unclebarky.com didn’t include 2014’s Friday through Sunday ratings averages among 18-to-49-year-olds. Maybe I had a cold or something. Dunno.
For the record, here are the 18-to-49-year-old Olympics numbers for Friday through Sunday this time around.
Friday -- 143,548
Saturday -- 96,739 (a low so far)
Sunday -- 115,462
OK, here are the Friday local news derby results, with NBC5 again knocked out of the 10 p.m. mix by Olympics over-runs. On Monday, the four combatants took Presidents’ Day exemptions in most cases, so we’ll leave those numbers out.
Friday -- CBS11 won in total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. races, and added 5 and 6 p.m. firsts with 25-to-54-year-olds. NBC5 took the 5 and 6 p.m. golds in total viewers.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed.-Thurs., Feb. 14-15) -- Winter Olympics twofer
02/16/18 11:18 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
NBC’s Winter Olympics telecasts continue to dominate all prime-time programming, but with some ups and downs from 2014.
Wednesday’s coverage from Pyeongchang, which rain until 10:37 p.m., averaged 448,692 D-FW viewers and 187,236 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic. Four years ago on the equivalent Wednesday, the Winter Games from Sochi pulled in a smaller overall audience of 426,078 viewers. Your friendly content provider didn’t compute the entire 18-to-49 average on that night, but did note that the 7 to 8 p.m. hour of the Olympics lost to Fox’s American Idol in this key demographic by a score of 166,092 viewers to 153,065.
NBC otherwise took a big hit on Thursday night, when its Olympics block ran into only 10:04 p.m. and finally allowed NBC5 to “count” its local 10 p.m. newscast in direct competition against Fox4, TEGNA8 and CBS11.
The Olympics averaged 413,082 total viewers, way down from the 518,395 for 2014’s equivalent Thursday. The coverage also took a big dip among 18-to-49-year-olds, with an average of 134,186 viewers compared to 224,712 in 2014.
Wednesday night’s most-watched competing program against the Olympics, Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast, averaged a nice-sized 242,151 total viewers in bettering its average audience on most nights. Fox4’s news likewise was the runner-up among 18-to-49-year-olds with 62,412 viewers.
In Thursday’s prime-time ratings, Fox4’s 9 p.m. newscast also was second-best in total viewers with 166,657, edging CBS’ 7 p.m. rerun of The Big Bang Theory (163,096). Fox4’s news had the 18-to-49 runner-up to itself with 46,809 viewers.
Here are the four-way local news derby results.
Wednesday -- Fox4 had a big day and night, winning at 6 a.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). The 5 p.m. golds went to NBC5 in total viewers and Fox4 with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Thursday -- It was the Peacock’s turn to crow with sweeps at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. Fox4 remained in full command at 6 a.m., where it hasn’t lost all winter.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
NBC’s Winter Olympics telecasts continue to dominate all prime-time programming, but with some ups and downs from 2014.
Wednesday’s coverage from Pyeongchang, which rain until 10:37 p.m., averaged 448,692 D-FW viewers and 187,236 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic. Four years ago on the equivalent Wednesday, the Winter Games from Sochi pulled in a smaller overall audience of 426,078 viewers. Your friendly content provider didn’t compute the entire 18-to-49 average on that night, but did note that the 7 to 8 p.m. hour of the Olympics lost to Fox’s American Idol in this key demographic by a score of 166,092 viewers to 153,065.
NBC otherwise took a big hit on Thursday night, when its Olympics block ran into only 10:04 p.m. and finally allowed NBC5 to “count” its local 10 p.m. newscast in direct competition against Fox4, TEGNA8 and CBS11.
The Olympics averaged 413,082 total viewers, way down from the 518,395 for 2014’s equivalent Thursday. The coverage also took a big dip among 18-to-49-year-olds, with an average of 134,186 viewers compared to 224,712 in 2014.
Wednesday night’s most-watched competing program against the Olympics, Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast, averaged a nice-sized 242,151 total viewers in bettering its average audience on most nights. Fox4’s news likewise was the runner-up among 18-to-49-year-olds with 62,412 viewers.
In Thursday’s prime-time ratings, Fox4’s 9 p.m. newscast also was second-best in total viewers with 166,657, edging CBS’ 7 p.m. rerun of The Big Bang Theory (163,096). Fox4’s news had the 18-to-49 runner-up to itself with 46,809 viewers.
Here are the four-way local news derby results.
Wednesday -- Fox4 had a big day and night, winning at 6 a.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). The 5 p.m. golds went to NBC5 in total viewers and Fox4 with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Thursday -- It was the Peacock’s turn to crow with sweeps at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. Fox4 remained in full command at 6 a.m., where it hasn’t lost all winter.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Figure skating not a sport? Cue the Twitter bloodsport (updated)
02/14/18 11:38 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
No Winter Olympics competition gets more prime-time coverage than figure skating, which has been a staple of these Games since 1924.
Still, a dwindling few continue to say it’s not even a sport, despite all the obvious athleticism on display. Let’s get the dean of D-FW sports anchors out of the way first. Mainly because TEGNA8’s Dale Hansen has long had no interest in the entirety of the Winter Olympics. Or as he put it last Wednesday in one of his mini-commentaries for Daybreak, “I’m really glad the Olympics aren’t on ABC and Channel 8. Because now I don’t have to act like I care -- because I don’t.”
As for figure skating specifically, “It’s a nice event,” Hansen says. “It takes some skill. But then so does Dancing with the Stars, and that’s not a sport either . . . When your hair and makeup count and whether you smile or not impacts your score, that’s not a sport.”
But that’s Dale. And he could care less that the great majority of commenters on TEGNA8’s Facebook page disagree with him while also calling for his retirement.
Hansen is a stranger to a real blood sport -- Twitter. Members of TEGNA8’s digital team occasionally tweet in his name on an @dalehansen account. Dale himself has less interest in Twitter than even the Winter Olympics.
But there’s a relatively new naysayer in town -- Fox4 sports reporter/anchor and avid Tweeter Edward Egros. He perhaps should have stuck his tongue out in close proximity to an icy pole rather than tweet the following: “I have the utmost respect for figure skaters. Only a few people in the universe can do it and they deserve my praise. But it’s not a sport.”
Your friendly content provider tweeted in response: “Not a sport?! Really?! Then neither are snowboarding, moguls, speed skating. Let’s call the whole thing off.”
On the contrary, Egros replied, “Those sports have quantifiable metrics that determine a winner. Figure skating is too subjective to have such things, so it’s an art form, not a sport. Still, figure skating is really hard.”
Egros initially had enthusiastically agreed -- “THANK YOU!” -- with a Tweeter (named “Chubby Ex-Slob”) who said that “if you need to pick a song as part of your sport, I’m not going to respect your sport. I respect your art.”
Uh-oh, that would leave out the floor exercise portion of gymnastics, in which competitors choose their own accompanying music. And if you want to talk about “subjective” judges, then let’s entirely rule out gymnastics as well as boxing, diving and even the NFL with its controversial, outcome-altering Catch or No Catch rulings. Super Bowl LII, for instance. Both Al Michaels and Chris Collinsworth were certain that TD catches by the Philadelphia Eagles’ Corey Clement and Zach Ertz would be overturned upon further review. But they weren’t.
Meanwhile, my Twitter thread had already been strung out by numerous and sometimes very pointed responses to Egros’ stance on figure skating. Let’s just say that his supporters were -- charitably speaking -- very few and far between. And his adversaries on Twitter eventually included several Olympic figure skaters.
But I wondered what some of Egros’ D-FW television sports peers might think. NBC5’s Newy Scruggs, Fox4’s Mike Doocy, TEGNA8’s Mike Leslie, the NFL Network’s Dallas-based Jane Slater and CBS11’s Bill Jones were all solicited via Twitter. Chuck Cooperstein, radio voice of the Dallas Mavericks, and Dallas Cowboys chronicler Mike Fisher also later joined in. Among them, only Cooperstein very adamantly contends that figure skating is not a sport. Here are their views:
Doocy -- “I think it’s a sport. But I see Ed’s (Egros) point about the subjectivity in the judging. More random than in most competitions. But to me, a competition involving this level of athleticism means it’s a sport. Then again, at my age, just getting out of bed in the morning is a sport.”
Slater -- “Uh . . . figure skating is a sport.” And later, “Pure athleticism and finesse. Hockey athleticism and finesse.”
Scruggs -- “Figure skating is a sport. Most of us can’t skate much less skate a routine jumping up and down on an ice rink.”
Jones -- Yes, it’s a sport! Incredible athleticism. This from someone who can’t roller skate, much less ice skate!”
Leslie -- “I’m not sure why ‘artform’ & ‘sport’ have to be mutually exclusive things. Just look at Le’Veon Bell run the ball. Or magic run the break. Those are definitely both. So figure skating can easily be both, as well.” And later, “Hell, there’s subjectivity in judging in boxing, too. Does that get disqualified, too?”
Doocy -- “Decent point. But then boxing always provides an opportunity for one competitor to leave no doubt about the outcome.” To which Leslie responded with the tweet of the night on this subject: Above a GIF of Tonya Harding blowing a kiss, he asked, “You can’t score a knockout in figure skating?”
Cooperstein -- Figure skating most certainly is NOT a sport. It IS an athletic endeavor. Anything that does not allow an objective outcome is NOT a sport. Diving. Gymnastics. X game activity at the Winter Olympics. All (are also) athletic endeavors. None are sports . . . I’m not sure why this is such a hard concept . . . I can’t help you if you can’t see the difference.”
Fisher -- “I decided a long time ago that the participant was the one who got to decide, not Edward Egros (while) reclining in his La-Z-Boy. Bobby Fischer’s (chess) competitions were televised on ‘Wide World of Sports.’ Good enough for me.”
Egros gamely took a lot of punches, on my Twitter feed and even more so on his own separate feed. His only complaint -- and very rightly so -- was that some naysayers labeled him homophobic or sexist. Which is both stupid and ridiculous on their part.
NBC5 video journalist Tim Ciesco also weighed in, reasonably, with an observation that “each of their skates has required components -- and each jump/element receives a pre-determined base score. How well they execute it can add or subtract from their final tally. But I don’t think it’s more or less subjective than snowboarding.”
Egros didn’t buy this either. “All of the choreography during jumps, when to do said jumps rhythmically, that’s subjective and too easily swayed by judge bias,” he tweeted. “It’s an art, not a sport. There are awards handed out in art.”
The storm has pretty much subsided at this point. Egros would argue that he gave as good as he got. I’d say that responders scored at least a technical knockout. Whatever the case, his bosses should be happy because Egros was “trending” both locally and not nationally on Twitter. “Social media” prowess isn’t a mere sport. It’s increasingly a necessity if you want to survive in today’s local TV news world.
Meanwhile, figure skating resumes in prime-time tonight.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., Feb. 13) -- chairman of the board: White's climactic gold medal run lights up Day 6 of Olympics
02/14/18 10:10 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Snowboarding legend Shaun White saved his best run for last Tuesday, winning his third Olympic gold medal in the halfpipe with a gasp-worthy, do or die final ride.
D-FW’s Winter Olympics ratings spiked accordingly, peaking at 697,966 viewers between 9 and 9:15 p.m., when White made the run and then waited to see if it was deemed good enough. If not, he would have won the silver, finishing second to Japan’s Ayumo Hirano.
Tuesday night’s NBC coverage of Day 6 from Pyeongchang stretched all the way to 10:43 p.m., with the ratings markedly deflating during live coverage of the pairs figure skating competition, in which the U.S. has no chance to win a medal. From 10:30 to 10:45 p.m., the audience drooped to a low of 320,495 viewers after steadily declining from 9:15 p.m. onward.
Overall, the Olympics averaged 505,669 viewers Tuesday night, with 199,718 in the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-old demographic. That’s down from 553,901 total viewers and 267,049 in the 18-to-49 age range for the equivalent Night 6 of the 2014 Winter Games from Sochi.
Among competing programs, Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast and CBS’ 7 p.m. repeat of NCIS tied for the distant runner-up spot in total viewers with 185,175 apiece. Fox4’s news had second place to itself among 18-to-49ers with 43,688.
And now for Tuesday’s local news derby results.
NBC5’s 10 p.m. news again was pushed deeper into the night, leaving TEGNA8 to win a three-way race in total viewers while Fox4 ran first with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 remained unbeaten this winter at 6 a.m., logging another sweep. The Peacock then crowed a quartet of times in the early evening, scoring twin wins at both 5 and 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Snowboarding legend Shaun White saved his best run for last Tuesday, winning his third Olympic gold medal in the halfpipe with a gasp-worthy, do or die final ride.
D-FW’s Winter Olympics ratings spiked accordingly, peaking at 697,966 viewers between 9 and 9:15 p.m., when White made the run and then waited to see if it was deemed good enough. If not, he would have won the silver, finishing second to Japan’s Ayumo Hirano.
Tuesday night’s NBC coverage of Day 6 from Pyeongchang stretched all the way to 10:43 p.m., with the ratings markedly deflating during live coverage of the pairs figure skating competition, in which the U.S. has no chance to win a medal. From 10:30 to 10:45 p.m., the audience drooped to a low of 320,495 viewers after steadily declining from 9:15 p.m. onward.
Overall, the Olympics averaged 505,669 viewers Tuesday night, with 199,718 in the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-old demographic. That’s down from 553,901 total viewers and 267,049 in the 18-to-49 age range for the equivalent Night 6 of the 2014 Winter Games from Sochi.
Among competing programs, Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast and CBS’ 7 p.m. repeat of NCIS tied for the distant runner-up spot in total viewers with 185,175 apiece. Fox4’s news had second place to itself among 18-to-49ers with 43,688.
And now for Tuesday’s local news derby results.
NBC5’s 10 p.m. news again was pushed deeper into the night, leaving TEGNA8 to win a three-way race in total viewers while Fox4 ran first with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 remained unbeaten this winter at 6 a.m., logging another sweep. The Peacock then crowed a quartet of times in the early evening, scoring twin wins at both 5 and 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., Feb. 12) -- on board with the Olympics
02/13/18 02:11 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Live coverage of two U.S. snowboarding stars consumed much of NBC’s Winter Olympics package Monday night.
Superstar teen Chloe Kim resoundingly won a gold while the now grizzled Shaun White put himself in a strong position to do the same with a dominating qualifying performance leading into Tuesday’s final. D-FW viewers responded in almost equal numbers from four years ago.
The Peacock’s extended 7 to 10:35 p.m. offering drew 512,791 viewers, barely down from the 518,395 for the equivalent Monday night in 2014. There was a more significant drop among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-old viewers, from 237,739 four years ago in Sochi to 199,718 for the competition from Pyeongchang.
Let’s again note that big improvements in streaming and an escalation in “cord cutters” mean that more Olympics watchers are choosing that option rather than conventional TV viewing. Even so, Monday night’s Olympics again crushed all competing programming. CBS’ 7 p.m. hour of Big Brother: Celebrity Edition was the runner-up in both total viewers (185,175) and with 18-to-49-year-olds (62,412).
Here are Monday’s local news derby results.
A downsized three-way competition at 10 p.m. was paced by TEGNA8 in both total viewers and among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 as usual swept the 6 a.m. races while the 6 p.m. golds were split between TEGNA8 in total viewers and NBC5 in the 25-to-54 realm. At 5 p.m., the Peacock won in total viewers and Fox4 had the edge with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Live coverage of two U.S. snowboarding stars consumed much of NBC’s Winter Olympics package Monday night.
Superstar teen Chloe Kim resoundingly won a gold while the now grizzled Shaun White put himself in a strong position to do the same with a dominating qualifying performance leading into Tuesday’s final. D-FW viewers responded in almost equal numbers from four years ago.
The Peacock’s extended 7 to 10:35 p.m. offering drew 512,791 viewers, barely down from the 518,395 for the equivalent Monday night in 2014. There was a more significant drop among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-old viewers, from 237,739 four years ago in Sochi to 199,718 for the competition from Pyeongchang.
Let’s again note that big improvements in streaming and an escalation in “cord cutters” mean that more Olympics watchers are choosing that option rather than conventional TV viewing. Even so, Monday night’s Olympics again crushed all competing programming. CBS’ 7 p.m. hour of Big Brother: Celebrity Edition was the runner-up in both total viewers (185,175) and with 18-to-49-year-olds (62,412).
Here are Monday’s local news derby results.
A downsized three-way competition at 10 p.m. was paced by TEGNA8 in both total viewers and among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 as usual swept the 6 a.m. races while the 6 p.m. golds were split between TEGNA8 in total viewers and NBC5 in the 25-to-54 realm. At 5 p.m., the Peacock won in total viewers and Fox4 had the edge with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
A dig at the old Texas Stadium recaptured from way back in 1969
02/12/18 01:11 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Nearly a half-century ago, Dallas Cowboys owner Clint Murchison, Jr., assisted by quarterback Dan Meredith, were on hand for the first dirt diggings of what would become Texas Stadium.
The team hadn’t yet won a Super Bowl, but would win five during Texas Stadium’s existence from 1971 though the 2008 season. Jerry Jones then had it imploded on April 11, 2010, and unclebarky.com provided a big blowout on that day.
Thanks to ongoing preservation efforts by SMU’s G. William Jones Film and Video Collection, a wealth of WFAA-TV’s vintage filmed footage is being resuscitated. So enjoy this one minute, 35 second look at the 1969 festivities at what emerged as the legendary stadium with the hole in the roof.
There’s no sound at first, but ample audio in due time. Also, look for an inventive sight gag and a one-liner from Meredith that gets the intended laughs. Then came the bulldozers. Back then, mere shovels apparently were deemed too puny for “America’s Team.”
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Nearly a half-century ago, Dallas Cowboys owner Clint Murchison, Jr., assisted by quarterback Dan Meredith, were on hand for the first dirt diggings of what would become Texas Stadium.
The team hadn’t yet won a Super Bowl, but would win five during Texas Stadium’s existence from 1971 though the 2008 season. Jerry Jones then had it imploded on April 11, 2010, and unclebarky.com provided a big blowout on that day.
Thanks to ongoing preservation efforts by SMU’s G. William Jones Film and Video Collection, a wealth of WFAA-TV’s vintage filmed footage is being resuscitated. So enjoy this one minute, 35 second look at the 1969 festivities at what emerged as the legendary stadium with the hole in the roof.
There’s no sound at first, but ample audio in due time. Also, look for an inventive sight gag and a one-liner from Meredith that gets the intended laughs. Then came the bulldozers. Back then, mere shovels apparently were deemed too puny for “America’s Team.”
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., Feb. 9-11) -- Olympics mostly down but still dominant
02/12/18 11:02 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Friday’s opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics from Pyeongchang had a sharp ratings falloff from four years ago in Sochi.
But Saturday’s prime-time portion drew a slightly bigger crowd than the equivalent night of the 2014 games while the D-FW ratings were roughly comparable for Sunday’s coverage.
Mitigating factors: We live in times when streaming options are much improved and more utilized. And NBC can still crow about the Olympics dominating conventional prime-time TV viewing on all three nights.
Friday’s torch-lighter averaged 584,012 viewers and 196,598 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49 age range. Those numbers are way down from the 731,434 total viewers and 267,049 in the 18-to-49 realm who watched the Sochi festivities.
On Saturday night, though, the Olympics averaged 541,280 total viewers and 199,718 of the 18-to-49 persuasion. These are wee upticks from the 539,699 total viewers and 198,659 in the 18-to-49 demographic for the 2014 Winter Games.
Sunday’s Nielsen numbers from Pyeongchang were 548,402 total viewers and an identical 199,718 within the 18-to-49 motherlode. Four years ago, the Sunday prime-time haul from Sochi was 575,205 total viewers. For some reason, unclebarky.com didn’t compute the entire 18-to-49 prime-time viewership from four years ago. Notably, though, the Olympics were outdrawn in that key demographic from 8 to 9 p.m. by the return of AMC’s The Walking Dead, which had 296,360 viewers to the Winter Games’ 273,563.
Competing programming was buried this time around. From Friday to Sunday in prime-time, CBS’ 60 Minutes and Sunday’s 9 p.m. local newscast on Fox4 fared best in total viewers opposite the Olympics with 170,930 apiece. Among 18-to-49-year-olds on those three nights, ABC’s Sunday 9 p.m. hour of Shark Tank was runner-up with 53,050 viewers.
Here are Friday’s local news derby results.
Buoyed by the Opening Ceremonies lead-in, NBC5 cruised to twin wins at 10 p.m. in total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 continued its long winning streak at 6 a.m. with another sweep while NBC5 ran the table at 5 p.m. TEGNA8 drew the most total viewers at 6 p.m., and Fox4/NBC5 tied for the top spot among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., Feb. 8) -- skaters fall but Olympics rise
02/09/18 11:11 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
And they all fell down -- well, the majority of them anyway during the men’s singles portion of the Winter Olympics team figure skating competition.
But all those tumbles didn’t keep NBC’s three-and-a-half-hour Winter Games coverage from soaring above all competing programming Thursday night. Otherwise the Olympics ostensibly get underway Friday with the torch-lighting Opening Ceremonies from Pyeongchang.
Running from 7 to 10:32 p.m., the Olympics averaged 405,960 D-FW viewers with a peak crowd of 512,791 between 8 and 8:15 p.m. Among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, the Games drew an average of 127,945 viewers and hit a high of 180,995 between 8:30 to 8:45 p.m.
Gratifyingly, CBS’ Big Brother: Celebrity Edition slunk into no better than third-place in the 7 p.m. hour after all-day promotion of a sobbing, self-serving Omarosa turning on the man she once worshipped as “the most powerful man in the universe” to whom “every critic, every detractor, will have to bow down.”
BB had 142,442 total viewers and 56,171 in the 18-to-49 age range. ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy took the runner-up spot from 7 to 8 p.m. with 213,663 total viewers and 81,136 in the 18-to-49 realm.
Here are Thursday’s local news derby results.
TEGNA8 ran first in total viewers in a downsized three-way 10 p.m. competition while Fox4 pulled in the most 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 added to its win column with sweeps at 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. while also taking the 25-to-54 gold at 6 p.m. TEGNA8 drew the most total viewers at 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
And they all fell down -- well, the majority of them anyway during the men’s singles portion of the Winter Olympics team figure skating competition.
But all those tumbles didn’t keep NBC’s three-and-a-half-hour Winter Games coverage from soaring above all competing programming Thursday night. Otherwise the Olympics ostensibly get underway Friday with the torch-lighting Opening Ceremonies from Pyeongchang.
Running from 7 to 10:32 p.m., the Olympics averaged 405,960 D-FW viewers with a peak crowd of 512,791 between 8 and 8:15 p.m. Among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, the Games drew an average of 127,945 viewers and hit a high of 180,995 between 8:30 to 8:45 p.m.
Gratifyingly, CBS’ Big Brother: Celebrity Edition slunk into no better than third-place in the 7 p.m. hour after all-day promotion of a sobbing, self-serving Omarosa turning on the man she once worshipped as “the most powerful man in the universe” to whom “every critic, every detractor, will have to bow down.”
BB had 142,442 total viewers and 56,171 in the 18-to-49 age range. ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy took the runner-up spot from 7 to 8 p.m. with 213,663 total viewers and 81,136 in the 18-to-49 realm.
Here are Thursday’s local news derby results.
TEGNA8 ran first in total viewers in a downsized three-way 10 p.m. competition while Fox4 pulled in the most 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 added to its win column with sweeps at 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. while also taking the 25-to-54 gold at 6 p.m. TEGNA8 drew the most total viewers at 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues.-Wed., Feb. 6-7) -- Viewers still dialing 9-1-1
02/08/18 10:40 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Fox’s pre-Olympics midseason surge is still being paced by the new 9-1-1 while CBS also made a mark Wednesday night with the launch of Big Brother: Celebrity Edition.
The 8 p.m. episode of 9-1-1 led all prime-time TV attractions in both total D-FW viewers (284,884) and advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds (109,221).
At 7 p.m., Wednesday, BB: Celebrity Edition, in which well-traveled, attention-craving Omarosa Manigault is the biggest name, won its time slot with 199,419 total viewers and 78,015 in the 18-to-49 age range. The 9 p.m. winner, Fox4’s local newscast, drew 206,541 total viewers, with 71,774 of them in the 18-to-49 realm.
ABC had a rough night with across-the-board last place finishes in the Big Four broadcast network universe. For the record, ABC bombed with the Disney movie Inside Out and The Match Game. The latter had a minuscule 9,362 viewers in the 18-to-49 realm.
Fox’s The X-Files reboot also continued to languish at 7 p.m., drawing well fewer than one-third the viewers for 9-1-1 in the key 18-to-49 demographic.
On Tuesday night, CBS’ NCIS led all prime-time programming with 377,471 viewers in the 7 p.m. hour while the network’s following Bull surprisingly edged NBC’s This Is Us in total viewers by a score of 306,250 to 292,006. But This Is Us easily had the night’s biggest haul of 18-to-49-year-olds (149,789) while Bull faded to horizontal with 31,206.
Fox4’s local news again took the 9 p.m. hour in both ratings measurements, but with a paper-thin margin in total viewers over CBS’ competing NCIS: New Orleans -- 242,151 to 235,029. Still, a homegrown newscast outdrawing a new episode of one of CBS’ most popular series remains a notable achievement.
Here are the four-way local news derby results.
Tuesday -- CBS11 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 won among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds at both 5 and 6 p.m. The total viewers golds went to NBC5 at 5 p.m. and TEGNA8 at 6 p.m.
Wednesday -- Fox4 ran the table at 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., and added a first place finish with 25-to-54-year-olds at 5 p.m.
NBC5 chalked up a total viewers win at 5 p.m. and also had the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 p.m. TEGNA8 drew the most total viewers at 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Fox’s pre-Olympics midseason surge is still being paced by the new 9-1-1 while CBS also made a mark Wednesday night with the launch of Big Brother: Celebrity Edition.
The 8 p.m. episode of 9-1-1 led all prime-time TV attractions in both total D-FW viewers (284,884) and advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds (109,221).
At 7 p.m., Wednesday, BB: Celebrity Edition, in which well-traveled, attention-craving Omarosa Manigault is the biggest name, won its time slot with 199,419 total viewers and 78,015 in the 18-to-49 age range. The 9 p.m. winner, Fox4’s local newscast, drew 206,541 total viewers, with 71,774 of them in the 18-to-49 realm.
ABC had a rough night with across-the-board last place finishes in the Big Four broadcast network universe. For the record, ABC bombed with the Disney movie Inside Out and The Match Game. The latter had a minuscule 9,362 viewers in the 18-to-49 realm.
Fox’s The X-Files reboot also continued to languish at 7 p.m., drawing well fewer than one-third the viewers for 9-1-1 in the key 18-to-49 demographic.
On Tuesday night, CBS’ NCIS led all prime-time programming with 377,471 viewers in the 7 p.m. hour while the network’s following Bull surprisingly edged NBC’s This Is Us in total viewers by a score of 306,250 to 292,006. But This Is Us easily had the night’s biggest haul of 18-to-49-year-olds (149,789) while Bull faded to horizontal with 31,206.
Fox4’s local news again took the 9 p.m. hour in both ratings measurements, but with a paper-thin margin in total viewers over CBS’ competing NCIS: New Orleans -- 242,151 to 235,029. Still, a homegrown newscast outdrawing a new episode of one of CBS’ most popular series remains a notable achievement.
Here are the four-way local news derby results.
Tuesday -- CBS11 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 won among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds at both 5 and 6 p.m. The total viewers golds went to NBC5 at 5 p.m. and TEGNA8 at 6 p.m.
Wednesday -- Fox4 ran the table at 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., and added a first place finish with 25-to-54-year-olds at 5 p.m.
NBC5 chalked up a total viewers win at 5 p.m. and also had the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 p.m. TEGNA8 drew the most total viewers at 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., Feb. 5) -- what's up, docs?
02/06/18 11:33 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Monday night’s new one-two M.D. punch again put vital signs in the ratings for Fox and ABC.
Fox’s The Resident easily won the 8 p.m. hour with 256,396 D-FW viewers before ABC’s The Good Doctor took control at 9 p.m. with 249,274 viewers. Both dramas also topped their time slots among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds.
CBS’ sitcom duo, Kevin Can Wait won from 7 to 7:30 in total viewers (199,419); the second half of NBC’s The Wall then edged CBS’ Man With a Plan in that measurement by a score of 192,297 viewers to 178,053. In the 18-to-49 realm, Kevin and ABC’s second half-hour of The Bachelor were the top draws from 7 to 8 p.m.
Here are Monday’s local news derby results.
TEGNA8 swept the 10 p.m. competitions in total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 notched two more wins at 6 a.m. and NBC5 did likewise at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. firsts went to the Peacock in total viewers and Fox4 among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Monday night’s new one-two M.D. punch again put vital signs in the ratings for Fox and ABC.
Fox’s The Resident easily won the 8 p.m. hour with 256,396 D-FW viewers before ABC’s The Good Doctor took control at 9 p.m. with 249,274 viewers. Both dramas also topped their time slots among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds.
CBS’ sitcom duo, Kevin Can Wait won from 7 to 7:30 in total viewers (199,419); the second half of NBC’s The Wall then edged CBS’ Man With a Plan in that measurement by a score of 192,297 viewers to 178,053. In the 18-to-49 realm, Kevin and ABC’s second half-hour of The Bachelor were the top draws from 7 to 8 p.m.
Here are Monday’s local news derby results.
TEGNA8 swept the 10 p.m. competitions in total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 notched two more wins at 6 a.m. and NBC5 did likewise at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. firsts went to the Peacock in total viewers and Fox4 among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Feb. 2-4) -- big dip for Supie LII
02/05/18 10:54 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Offensive fireworks and a down-to-the-wire finish weren’t enough to reverse a season-long ratings decline for the NFL, with even the Super Bowl slumping to the smallest audience in D-FW since the 2009 game.
The Philadelphia Eagles’ first Super Bowl win, a 41-33 nail-biter over the defending champion New England Patriots, plunged well below last year’s jaw-dropping New England comeback victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
Supie LII averaged 2,214,973 total D-FW viewers on NBC and fell below the one million mark among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds with 889,371. Last year’s Super Bowl pulled in 2,675,765 total viewers and 1,154,556 in the key 18-to-49 demographic.
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ narrow win over the Arizona Cardinals in the 2009 Super Bowl had 2,125,760 viewers, the lowest total since unclebarky.com came into existence in 2006. The D-FW record-setter since that time is still 2011’s edition from Jerry’s Palace. A total of 2,791,057 viewers watched the Green Bay Packers whip the Pittsburgh Steelers after an unprecedented week-long onslaught of snow and ice in North Texas.
NBC did get some good news, though. A post-Super Bowl LII episode of This Is Us fared far better than last year’s enticement on Fox.
Fans of the series got the long-awaited answer on exactly how Milo Ventimiglia’s Jack Pearson died. Airing from 9:45 to 10:45 p.m., This Is Us drew 719,332 total viewers, with more than half of them -- 402,557 -- within the 18-to-49 motherlode. Fox’s 2017 post-gamer, the premiere of 24: Legacy, had a comparatively puny 385,368 total viewers and 141,112 in the 18-to-49 realm.
In contrast, Fox hit the post-Supie jackpot in 2011 following the Packers-Steelers game. A special episode of Glee amassed 983,449 total viewers.
In Saturday’s prime-time Nielsens, NBC’s two-hour NFL Honors special bombed with just 78,343 total viewers. It was outdrawn from 8 to 10 p.m. by a repeat of Fox’s new medical series The Resident (99,709 viewers), Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast (also 99,709), and two episodes of CBS’ 48 Hours (85,465 and 106,832 viewers).
In the 18-to-49-year-old universe, NFL Honors improved to a second-place finish behind ABC’s competing Houston Rockets-Cleveland Cavaliers game.
Friday’s prime-time parade was led by CBS’ Blue Bloods in total viewers (242,151) and NBC’s Dateline in the 18-to-49 age range (37,447).
In closing, here are Friday’s local news derby results.
CBS11 uncommonly celebrated with wins at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 again dominated at 6 a.m. before the 7 to 9 a.m. portion of Good Day crushed the competing network morning shows on ABC, CBS and NBC. Good Day generally thrives during these hours, but its victory margins at this point are the most decisive in recent memory. The station still hasn’t lost at 6 a.m. in either measurement throughout this ongoing winter.
NBC5 otherwise enjoyed the 5 and 6 p.m. results, running the ratings table at each hour.
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Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., Feb. 1) -- CBS, ABC, Fox get it on
02/02/18 10:48 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Only NBC got left out in the cold in Thursday’s prime-time ratings while rival broadcasters ABC, CBS and Fox each took trips to the winner’s circle.
CBS’ 7 to 8:30 p.m. lineup of The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon and Mom ranked No. 1 in total D-FW viewers before the closing half-hour of Fox’s The Four: Battle for Stardom won in that measurement from 8:30 to 9 p.m. Fox4’s local newscast then took the 9 p.m. hour.
Big Bang as usual was the night’s top draw in total viewers with 384,626.
In the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old age range, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy won the 7 p.m. hour before The Four and Fox4’s news rolled in this key demographic from 8 to 10 p.m. Grey’s pulled in the night’s biggest haul of 18-to-49ers -- 112,342.
The 8:30 p.m. sneak preview of NBC’s A.P. Bio ran fourth in its time slot in total viewers with 99,709. It moved up to a third-place tie with CBS’ Life In Pieces among 18-to-49-year-olds, with each sitcom drawing 37,447 viewers.
And now for Thursday’s local news derby results.
TEGNA8 won in total viewers at 10 p.m., and Fox4 had the most 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 remained virtually unbeatable at 6 a.m. with another pair of dominating wins while also sweeping the 5 p.m. competitions.
The 6 p.m. firsts went to TEGNA8 in total viewers and Fox4 in the 25-to-54 realm.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Only NBC got left out in the cold in Thursday’s prime-time ratings while rival broadcasters ABC, CBS and Fox each took trips to the winner’s circle.
CBS’ 7 to 8:30 p.m. lineup of The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon and Mom ranked No. 1 in total D-FW viewers before the closing half-hour of Fox’s The Four: Battle for Stardom won in that measurement from 8:30 to 9 p.m. Fox4’s local newscast then took the 9 p.m. hour.
Big Bang as usual was the night’s top draw in total viewers with 384,626.
In the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old age range, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy won the 7 p.m. hour before The Four and Fox4’s news rolled in this key demographic from 8 to 10 p.m. Grey’s pulled in the night’s biggest haul of 18-to-49ers -- 112,342.
The 8:30 p.m. sneak preview of NBC’s A.P. Bio ran fourth in its time slot in total viewers with 99,709. It moved up to a third-place tie with CBS’ Life In Pieces among 18-to-49-year-olds, with each sitcom drawing 37,447 viewers.
And now for Thursday’s local news derby results.
TEGNA8 won in total viewers at 10 p.m., and Fox4 had the most 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 remained virtually unbeatable at 6 a.m. with another pair of dominating wins while also sweeping the 5 p.m. competitions.
The 6 p.m. firsts went to TEGNA8 in total viewers and Fox4 in the 25-to-54 realm.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues.-Wed., Jan. 30-31) -- State of the Union special
02/01/18 03:57 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
President Trump’s first State of the Union address Tuesday night predictably was a big hit for Fox News Channel while the broadcast arm, just plain Fox, led all networks in that realm.
Here’s the network-by network breakdown in total D-FW viewers for an address that ended precisely at 9:30 p.m.
Fox News Channel -- 292,006 viewers
Fox -- 199,419
NBC -- 156,686
CBS -- 128,198
ABC -- 113,954
Univision -- 106,832
CNN -- 64,099
Telemundo -- 49,855
MSNBC -- 42,733
PBS -- 35,612
That’s a grand total of 1,139,536 D-FW viewers, a massive increase from the 679,910 who watched President Obama’s final State of the Union address in January 2016.
It should be noted that neither Univision or Telemundo carried Obama’s closer -- and took some sharp criticism for that omission. But subtracting their viewership from Tuesday night’s total still leaves Trump far ahead with 982,849 viewers for the eight English language networks. Fox News Channel drew more than three times as many viewers for Trump as it did for Obama (92,071).
(Obama’s first State of the Union address, in January 2010, slightly outdrew Trump’s on the same 10 networks with 1,146,884 D-FW viewers. He was aided by a tornado force tailwind from the Fox broadcast network’s preceding American Idol, which had 807,570 viewers. Fox then kept 346,101 viewers for its State of the Union coverage, easily ranking as the night’s most-watched network.)
In the broadcast network universe Tuesday night, CBS’ preceding Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials 2018 special had more viewers (213,663) than ABC, CBS, Fox or NBC did for their State of the Union speech coverage.
In Wednesday’s prime-time ratings, Fox’s new 9-1-1 led all programming in total viewers with 235,029. But it was edged in the 8 p.m. slot among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds by NBC’s competing Law & Order: SVU. Wednesday’s leader in the 18-to-49 realm was CBS’ 7 p.m. episode of The Amazing Race with 59,291.
Here are the Tuesday and Wednesday local news derby results.
Tuesday -- TEGNA8 won at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 again swept the 6 a.m. races and NBC5 notched twin wins at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. top spots went to TEGNA8 in total viewers and the Peacock with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Wednesday -- TEGNA8 drew the most total viewers, but this time was beaten by Fox4 in the 25-to-54 age range.
Fox4 ran the table at 6 a.m. while also pulling in the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 5 and 6 p.m. The total viewer golds went to NBC5 at 5 p.m. and CBS11 at 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
President Trump’s first State of the Union address Tuesday night predictably was a big hit for Fox News Channel while the broadcast arm, just plain Fox, led all networks in that realm.
Here’s the network-by network breakdown in total D-FW viewers for an address that ended precisely at 9:30 p.m.
Fox News Channel -- 292,006 viewers
Fox -- 199,419
NBC -- 156,686
CBS -- 128,198
ABC -- 113,954
Univision -- 106,832
CNN -- 64,099
Telemundo -- 49,855
MSNBC -- 42,733
PBS -- 35,612
That’s a grand total of 1,139,536 D-FW viewers, a massive increase from the 679,910 who watched President Obama’s final State of the Union address in January 2016.
It should be noted that neither Univision or Telemundo carried Obama’s closer -- and took some sharp criticism for that omission. But subtracting their viewership from Tuesday night’s total still leaves Trump far ahead with 982,849 viewers for the eight English language networks. Fox News Channel drew more than three times as many viewers for Trump as it did for Obama (92,071).
(Obama’s first State of the Union address, in January 2010, slightly outdrew Trump’s on the same 10 networks with 1,146,884 D-FW viewers. He was aided by a tornado force tailwind from the Fox broadcast network’s preceding American Idol, which had 807,570 viewers. Fox then kept 346,101 viewers for its State of the Union coverage, easily ranking as the night’s most-watched network.)
In the broadcast network universe Tuesday night, CBS’ preceding Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials 2018 special had more viewers (213,663) than ABC, CBS, Fox or NBC did for their State of the Union speech coverage.
In Wednesday’s prime-time ratings, Fox’s new 9-1-1 led all programming in total viewers with 235,029. But it was edged in the 8 p.m. slot among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds by NBC’s competing Law & Order: SVU. Wednesday’s leader in the 18-to-49 realm was CBS’ 7 p.m. episode of The Amazing Race with 59,291.
Here are the Tuesday and Wednesday local news derby results.
Tuesday -- TEGNA8 won at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 again swept the 6 a.m. races and NBC5 notched twin wins at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. top spots went to TEGNA8 in total viewers and the Peacock with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Wednesday -- TEGNA8 drew the most total viewers, but this time was beaten by Fox4 in the 25-to-54 age range.
Fox4 ran the table at 6 a.m. while also pulling in the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 5 and 6 p.m. The total viewer golds went to NBC5 at 5 p.m. and CBS11 at 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net