Mark
27-09-06, 01:31 PM
CBS on Tuesday claimed victory as the most watched television network in prime-time during last week's fall premieres, but more people tuned in overall than last year, giving each network victories to tout.
Led by crime dramas "CSI," "CSI: Miami," and "Without a Trace," CBS drew an average of slightly over 13 million viewers a night, up 2 percent from 2005, compared to second-place ABC's 12.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.
But ABC scored the week's No. 1 show with the premiere of hospital drama "Grey's Anatomy," which pulled in 25 million viewers on its Thursday night premiere to "CSI's" 23 million.
More importantly, ABC's hit comedy "Desperate Housewives" helped the network claim the No. 1 spot among viewers 18- to 49-years-old, which is the prime audience for advertisers because, as a general rule, that group spends more money on household and other products that are promoted on TV.
During premiere week, the networks begin airing new episodes of many of their most highly touted shows, and success can give the programs a head start on rivals for the entire season that runs through next May.
"It was a solid premiere week, and I don't think there were any real ratings disasters," said Nicholas Fonseca, staff editor for Entertainment Weekly magazine. "I think every network has something to be happy with."
But there were no big winners either, as happened in 2004 with ABC hits "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives," making industry watchers anxious to see whether viewership will slip in coming weeks.
During premiere week, NBC, which has struggled with low ratings in recent years, was able to boost its total viewers by 12 percent to a nightly average of 11.1 million from about 10 million last year.
In adults 18-49, NBC's average nightly viewership rose 18 percent to 5.2 million, and among its highlights were Monday premieres of game show "Deal or no Deal" and new drama "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," which combined to give NBC its first nightly victory of the season in adults 18-49
Finally, Fox also improved during the week, led by dramas "House" and "Prison Break." Its viewership was up 16 percent among all viewers and 11 percent in adults 18-49.
But unlike its rivals, Fox began debuting new shows in late August and early September to put them on air before they get preempted in about two weeks by Major League Baseball playoffs. Fox also awaits the mid-season premieres of "American Idol" and drama "24," which are among TV's top-rated shows.
CBS is owned by CBS Corp. and ABC by The Walt Disney Co. NBC is run by NBC Universal, the media wing of General Electric Co., and Fox is part of News Corp.
Reuters
Led by crime dramas "CSI," "CSI: Miami," and "Without a Trace," CBS drew an average of slightly over 13 million viewers a night, up 2 percent from 2005, compared to second-place ABC's 12.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.
But ABC scored the week's No. 1 show with the premiere of hospital drama "Grey's Anatomy," which pulled in 25 million viewers on its Thursday night premiere to "CSI's" 23 million.
More importantly, ABC's hit comedy "Desperate Housewives" helped the network claim the No. 1 spot among viewers 18- to 49-years-old, which is the prime audience for advertisers because, as a general rule, that group spends more money on household and other products that are promoted on TV.
During premiere week, the networks begin airing new episodes of many of their most highly touted shows, and success can give the programs a head start on rivals for the entire season that runs through next May.
"It was a solid premiere week, and I don't think there were any real ratings disasters," said Nicholas Fonseca, staff editor for Entertainment Weekly magazine. "I think every network has something to be happy with."
But there were no big winners either, as happened in 2004 with ABC hits "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives," making industry watchers anxious to see whether viewership will slip in coming weeks.
During premiere week, NBC, which has struggled with low ratings in recent years, was able to boost its total viewers by 12 percent to a nightly average of 11.1 million from about 10 million last year.
In adults 18-49, NBC's average nightly viewership rose 18 percent to 5.2 million, and among its highlights were Monday premieres of game show "Deal or no Deal" and new drama "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," which combined to give NBC its first nightly victory of the season in adults 18-49
Finally, Fox also improved during the week, led by dramas "House" and "Prison Break." Its viewership was up 16 percent among all viewers and 11 percent in adults 18-49.
But unlike its rivals, Fox began debuting new shows in late August and early September to put them on air before they get preempted in about two weeks by Major League Baseball playoffs. Fox also awaits the mid-season premieres of "American Idol" and drama "24," which are among TV's top-rated shows.
CBS is owned by CBS Corp. and ABC by The Walt Disney Co. NBC is run by NBC Universal, the media wing of General Electric Co., and Fox is part of News Corp.
Reuters