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NEWS ABOUT: TV ratings

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Jackman Wins Viewers, Splits Critics

(Newser) - Hugh Jackman’s turn hosting the Oscars reversed a dip in the award show’s sagging ratings, E! Online reports—even if some critics didn’t find much substance. Early Nielsen numbers had 33.6 million viewers for last night’s telecast, up 6% from last year’s Jon Stewart-hosted... More »

Tough Times Are Boon for Couric's Ratings

Anchor has grown into role at CBS, and more are watching

(Newser) - Katie Couric’s comforting style is perfect for tough times, or so a 5% uptick in the ratings for CBS’ Evening News suggests. In Couric’s hands, economic catastrophe, Mideast violence and terrorism become “news you can warm up to,” Tom Shales writes in the Washington Post. After... More »

Obama Grabs Highest TV Ratings Since Reagan

Web audience sends numbers skyrocketing

(Newser) - Barack Obama's inauguration was the most-watched ever but it failed to set a TV ratings record, USA Today reports. Neilsen estimates 37.8 million television viewers tuned in for the ceremony, while 41.8 million watched Ronald Reagan's 1981 inauguration. But internet viewership broke records and sent figures through the... More »

ABC Delays Canceled Dramas' Finales Till Summer

Network bumps final shows of popular series in ratings grab

(Newser) - Dying to know how the recently canceled series Eli Stone, Pushing Daisies, and Dirty Sexy Money will end? Come back in the summer, says ABC. The network, which originally scheduled the final episodes of Daisies to start airing last week, has more ratings-friendly plans for the time slots, E! ... More »

Idol Ratings Slip, but Still Strong at 30M

Smallest audience since '04 as Fox sees 10% dip

(Newser) - American Idol’s eighth-season opener drew 10% fewer viewers than the previous installment’s premiere, Bloomberg reports. But with 30 million viewers, it still tripled the ratings of nearest rival CBS among viewers aged 18-49. Idol, Fox’s highest-rated show, raised $750 million in ad revenue last year. The judges... More »

Prognosis Isn't Good for Soap Operas

Things look bad

(Newser) - There’s reason for the young to be restless, because the days of their lives may not last much longer. The economic downturn is driving soap operas to the brink of extinction, Portfolio reports. Not long ago there were 16 network soaps; now, just eight remain, and with ad revenue... More »

How Nerds Can Save Network TV

Big Bang Theory succeeds where less brainy sitcoms fail

(Newser) - Why is a physics-quoting comedy one of network TV's only successful sitcoms? And with so many Americans turning to cable, the Internet, and reality programming, what does that mean for the future of prime time? The Wall Street Journal looks at The Big Bang Theory, an unlikely hit that actually... More »

ABC Cancels Daisies, Eli Stone

ABC cancels three shows

(Newser) - In a sweep of pre-holiday cuts, ABC has decided to pull the plug on Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, and Eli Stone after the current season, reports E! Online. Daisies executive producer Bryan Fuller says plans are in the works for a comic book and feature film to continue the... More »

Fickle Election Audience Threatens Network Shows

Election blamed for disrupting viewing, hurting programs like 'Lipstick Jungle'

(Newser) - Election coverage disrupted America's viewing habits, playing havoc with the ratings of some network shows that could soon be cut if they don't recover their audiences, reports the Los Angeles Times. ABC's Dirty Sexy Money and Pushing Daisies, NBC's Lipstick Jungle and the new critically acclaimed CBS comedy Worst Week,... More »

Fey Waves Goodbye to Playing Palin

30 Rock creator vows to get back to day job

(Newser) - To the list of political figures out of a job after Election Day, add one: Sarah Palin impersonator Tina Fey. "I have to retire just because I have to do my day job," the creator and star of 30 Rock tells Entertainment Weekly. More »

TV's Gimmickry Diminishes Election

News operations aim for ratings, shoot viewers instead

(Newser) - Tomorrow night will be a high-water mark for TV news gadget gimmickry as the networks try to hook some of the millions of viewers who will tune in for election coverage, Rick Kushman writes in the Sacramento Bee. Some, like the technology that will allow TV networks to have instant... More »

Fey's Everywhere; 30 Rock MIA

NBC's moves to promote show's popularity miss the mark

(Newser) - Tina Fey’s popularity is at an all-time high, but NBC hasn’t tried to capitalize by moving up the season debut of her critically acclaimed sitcom 30 Rock. NBC has struggled to boost the show’s ratings, the New York Times reports, and hopes three Saturday Night Live specials... More »

Nightline Racks Up Ratings

Current events boost ratings into Leno's neighborhood

(Newser) - Financial and political uncertainty means big ratings for Nightline, which is enjoying its highest numbers since being reformatted in 2005, Media Life magazine reports. Despite being under virtually constant threat of cancellation, Nightline regularly outdraws Late Night With David Letterman and is closer to Jay Leno's Tonight Show than at... More »

VP Debate Draws Record 69.9M

Shatters the 56.9M for Ferraro-Bush in 1984, and well above McCain-Obama I

(Newser) - Last night’s vice presidential debate drew 69.9 million viewers, shattering the record for such an event, Broadcasting & Cable reports. The 1984 encounter between VP candidates Geraldine Ferraro and George H.W. Bush drew 56.9 million; the record for a campaign debate is 80.6 million for... More »

Is Brady's Injury a Financial Disaster?

CBS execs expect to lose millions, but hope Favre will draw viewers

(Newser) - Tom Brady’s season-ending knee injury may have crippled the New England Patriots, but what will it cost in dollars and cents? As the NFL’s marquee player, Tom Brady is a money-making machine—yet executives at CBS, which pays $622 million for the AFC package, won't say how many... More »

PBS Draws Curtain on Mr. Rogers

Station makes room for newer shows with higher ratings

(Newser) - Today is not a beautiful day in Mister Rogers' neighborhood. The show has aired for the last time on most PBS stations, making way for newer programs with higher ratings, the Chicago Tribune reports. Loyal fans have created a website and Facebook group to try to save the reassuring cardigan-clad... More »

NBC's Olympic Ratings: Gold

Phelps' record-breaking swim is highlight of network's bonanza

(Newser) - NBC’s Olympic coverage smashed the competition last week, in what Variety suggests could be the most decisive rout in television history. Viewership was buoyed by Michael Phelps’ record-breaking gold-medal performance Saturday; in addition, NBC’s various networks reached a staggering 83% of the US. The margins were the biggest... More »

Even in Tight Election, Media Struggle to Retain Audience

Choosier consumers, Internet video hurt

(Newser) - Even as the 2008 election attracts more voter interest than it has in decades, media efforts to translate that into financial success have had mixed results, reports the New York Times. While cable news has enjoyed an uptick—and websites are setting record for online video—viewership for mainstream news... More »

Wie Snubs Women's Major, Opts to Play in Men's Event

Is it payback for being disqualified from a recent tournament?

(Newser) - Michelle Wie seems to be getting some payback on the LPGA after being disqualified from a recent tournament for failing to sign her scorecard, notes Thomas Bonk in the Los Angeles Times. It may be just a coincidence, but when the women's British Open tees off this week, the 18-year-old... More »

Digital Switch May KO Ratings

9.4% of US households are 'completely unready' for death of analog TV

(Newser) - Almost 25 million US homes own at least one set that will go dark when broadcast TV switches to digital next year—which could wreak havoc on ratings, the New York Times reports. Roughly 17% of network prime-time viewers are using unprepared TVs, according to Nielsen. Secondary TVs, like those... More »

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