RATINGS
The election may be over, but interest in current events hasn’t waned. Viewing on the big 3 cable news nets was up 15% in 2017, reported Pivotal Research Group’s Brian Wieser. Based on Nielsen numbers, MSNBC was up a whopping 49%, Fox News rose 8% and CNN had a 4% lift. The big 3 broadcast nets’ news programming slipped 7% post-election.
Fox appears to be moving in the right direction with LA to Vegas. The midseason comedy launched Tuesday to 3.8 million viewers and a 1.1 rating among A18-49, the net’s highest-rated premiere night since premiere week.
Kathy who? CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper & Andy Cohen was its most-watched New Year’s Eve special ever, and topped cable nets in the late night time slot. Versus last year’s Cooper/Kathy Griffin pairing, the show was up +8% in total viewers (to 3.28 million).
The season 3 premiere of History’s Hunting Hitler on Tuesday was the strongest season opener ever among total viewers (1.9 million, +36% vs. season 2 premiere) and A25-54 (818,000, +42%).
Tuesday’s Season 6 premiere of Married at First Sight was the highest rated telecast of the series on Lifetime in key demos, and outperformed last season’s premiere among total viewers (+12%), A25-54 (+29%), W25-54 (+27%), A18-49 (+31%) and W18-49 (+36%).
A&E’s Intervention: The Heroin Triangle debut on Tuesday saw double-digit growth in total viewers (+17%), A25-54 (+16%) and A18-49 (+17%) versus Intervention’s 2017 average.
CBS daytimer Let’s Make a Deal 1 delivered 3.46 million viewers and Let’s Make a Deal 2 drew 4.02 million, the best weekly Live+SD averages in almost 2 years.
Nippon TV boasts it was the Japanese ratings champ for the fourth consecutive year, topping the chart in All Day (6a-12a, 8.2%), Prime Time (7p-11p, 12%) and Golden Time (7p-10p, 12.4%).
Top 12 Broadcast Programs Among A18-49 ratings/share for the week of December 25, 2017
ABC: Primetime New Year’s Eve 5.0/20
ABC: Primetime New Year’s Eve 3.1/13
FOX: The OT 3.0/12
ABC: NBC Christmas Special 1.8/7
FOX: Steve Harvey Live at Times Square 1.8/7
NBC: How the Grinch Stole Christmas 1.6/6
CBS: Big Bang Theory 1.5/6
CBS: Big Bang Theory 1.4/6
CBS: Young Sheldon 1.4/6
CBS: 60 Minutes 1.3/5
NBC: Ellen’s Game of Games 1.3/5
NBC: NBC Movie Special 1.3/5
Broadcast Evening News Shows Weekly Average Ratings week of December 25, 2017
ABC World News Tonight 9.371 million total viewers; 1.6/6 and 1.896 million A25-54
NBC Nightly News 8.719 million total viewers; 1.7/7 and 1.472 million A25-54
CBS Evening News 6.854 million total viewers; 1.2/5 and 1.475 million A25-54
Broadcast Morning News Shows Weekly Average Ratings week of December 25, 2017
NBC: Today 4.068 million total viewers; 1.1/11 and 11.317 million A25-54
ABC: Good Morning America 3.924 million total viewers; .9/9 and 1.132 million A25-54
CBS: This Morning 3.203 million total viewers; .7/6 and 785,000 A25-54
Late Night Shows Weekly Average Ratings week of December 25, 2017
CBS: The Late Show 2.195 million total viewers; 0.32/2 among A18-49
NBC: The Tonight Show 2.189 million total viewers; 0.48/3 among A18-49
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live 1.711 million total viewers; 0.36/2 among A18-49
NIELSEN SOCIAL CONTENT RATINGS: Top Series and Specials by Total Interactions for the week of December 25, 2017
Program, Total Interactions (000), Facebook (000), Twitter (000)
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest (ABC) 1855, 898, 957
WWE Monday Night RAW (USA) 545, 386, 159
New Year’s Eve with Steve Harvey: Live From Times Square (Fox) 404, 267, 137
New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen (CNN) 386, 162, 224
WWE Smackdown! (USA) 297, 194, 103
The 40th Annual Kennedy Center Honors (CBS) 240, 180, 60
Doctor Who (BBCA) 191, 93, 98
Ridiculousness (MTV) 127, 116, 12
Countdown to 2018 (Fox News) 118, 98,, 20
All American New Year (Fox News) 103, 75, 28
Source: Nielsen. Uniques and Interactions are a measure of total relevant U.S. social media activity grossed across Facebook and Twitter from three hours before through three hours after broadcast, local time. Includes primetime and late fringe programming with metrics available across social platforms on Broadcast and National Cable and excludes sports events.
Live + Same Day Viewers AA (millions): Tuesday, January 2, 2017 time period averages
Source: NTI, Galaxy as dated Live+SD
CBS: 11.29 million
NCIS 13.92, Bull 10.99, NCIS: New Orleans 8.95
ABC: 3.84 million
The Middle 6.28, black-ish 4.03, Modern Family 3.24, Kevin (Probably) Saves the World 2.63
FOX: 3.80 million
Lethal Weapon 4.59, LA to Vegas 3.75, The Mick 2.29
CW: .75 million
The Flash .82, Legends of Tomorrow .68
Tuesday A18-49 Rating: NBC 2.0/7, CBS 1.2/5, FOX 1.1/4, ABC 1.0/4, CW .2/1
EXECUTIVE MOVES
Julie DeTraglia has been promoted from Head of Ad Sales Research to Head of Research at Hulu. In her expanded role, DeTraglia will oversee all of the company’s research teams including ad sales, consumer marketing and user experience.
Jocelyn Diaz is leaving her position as Executive Vice President, Original Programming at Epix, which went from a joint venture among MGM, Lionsgate and Paramount to MGM ownership last year. “Jocelyn has done a wonderful job leading Epix’s introduction of original scripted programming, which has been an important part of the network’s growing popularity with viewers,” new Epix President Michael Wright said in a statement. “We sincerely appreciate and thank her for her efforts and we wish her well as she leaves us to pursue other opportunities.”
Global Road Entertainment appointed Kelly Campbell as Vice President, Business Affairs, Unscripted and Alternative. Campbell joins the company from Kleinberg Lange Cuddy & Carlo, where she represented entertainment clients in the television business.
Brian Weiss has been promoted to Vice President of Strategy & Distribution at Cooper Media. Weiss had served as the Director of Distribution and Business Development for Justice Network since 2014. Also upped was John Kiser, to Programming Manager; Kiser served as the Programming & BeSAFE Coordinator for Justice Network since 2014.
This Day in History: 1893 – President Cleveland granted amnesty and pardon to Mormons for the offense of engaging in polygamy.
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question: Which cop series featured a drug lord named Armadillo? The Shield (2002-2009). Kudos to: Ken DuBow-Bob’s Your Uncle/LA, David Garber-Loyola Marymount University/Playa Vista, CA, Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station, TX, Maria Neil-Turner/Atlanta, Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC, Phyllis McQuillan-MSG Networks/NYC, Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA, David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/Burbank (Correction to Monday’s Trivia Q: Crystal McKellar’s character on The Wonder Years was a one-time love interest of Kevin’s, not his older brother’s.)
Today’s Trivia Question: Which sitcom made mention of fictional docu-series Heroes on Patrol? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: A limit of four correct answers from each time zone will be selected.).
Answer to Our Last Anagram: Prohibit Germs = Bright Promise. Kudos to: Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA, Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Deerfield Beach, FL, Calvin Caltvedt, Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank
Classic Sitcom Anagram: Deathly Fad Maims (Email [email protected]; first three respondents with the correct answer who aren’t in trivia will be posted in tomorrow’s newsletter.)