US PRIMTETIME TV RATINGS UPDATE

WEEK NO. 8:

In week number 8 (November 10-16), of the new fall tv season (which includes nights number 11 to 18 of the 28 day November sweeps) CBS attracted the largest prime time audience, extended its top rated network winning streak to seven consecutive weeks and delivering the largest average weekly audience of any network this season (12.13 million)

Hi-lights of individual program ratings, include:

CBS’s 60 Minutes featuring an interview with presidential-elect Barack Obama interview scored the show’s best results since 1999, becoming the top rated series of the week and attracting the largest audience among all programs broadcast so far this season. The record broadcast continues a strong season’s delivery for 60 MINUTES, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary and has made Nielsen’s weekly top 10 list in five out of eight weeks. 60 MINUTES was also top rated in week seven, representing the first time it has posted back-to-back No.1 weekly rankings since the weeks ending 12/27/92 and 1/3/93. Season to date, 60 MINUTES is averaging 15.7 million viewers, up 12 percent over last season. It is also up 9 percent in households, with 10.0 rating and 16 share. The broadcast ranks 9th on Nielsen’s Top 10 list in both viewers and households.

NCIS on CBS scored its largest average audience ever in its history (now in its sixth season).

The 42nd Annual CMA Awards on ABC won all 6 half-hours of Wednesday night in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, delivering ABC’s largest Wednesday audience and top Adult 18-49 rating on the night in 1 year – since 11/7/07 and maintaining viewership levels on a par with the 2007 telecast.

What follows are summaries of the weeks rating averages by network:

Source: Nielsen Media Research

Households:

CBS: 7.7 rating/12 share (no change),
ABC: 6.7/11 (- 1),
NBC: 4.8/ 8 (- 8),
Fox: 4.1/ 6 (-23),
CW: 1.4/ 2 (-26),
MNTV: 1.0/ 2 (+43)

Total Viewers:

CBS: 12.31 million (+ 3),
ABC: 10.47 (+ 1),
NBC: 7.74 (- 6),
Fox: 6.78 (-21),
CW: 2.09 (-30),
MNTV: 1.54 (+39)

Adults 18-49:

CBS: 3.3 rating/9 share (no change),
ABC: 3.1/ 8 (- 6),
NBC: 2.9/ 8 (- 6),
Fox: 2.7/ 7 (-21),
CW: 1.0/ 2 (-17),
MNTV: 0.5/ 1 (no change)

What follows are list of the week’s most popular programmes

Total Viewers:

1 60 Minutes (CBS): 25.10 million,
2 Sunday Night Football, Dallas at Washington (NBC): 19.27,
3 CSI (CBS): 19.05,
4 NCIS (CBS): 18.75,
5 Dancing With the Stars – Monday (ABC): 18.69,
6 Desperate Housewives (ABC): 16.84,
7 Dancing With the Stars Results Show (ABC) :16.52
7 The Mentalist (CBS): 16.52
9 The 42nd Annual CMA Awards (ABC): 15.90,
10 Grey’s Anatomy (ABC): 14.90,
11 Criminal Minds (CBS): 14.83,
12 Two and a Half Men (CBS): 14.50,
13 CSI: Miami (CBS): 13.81,
14 House (Fox): 13.06,
15 Survivor: Gabon (CBS): 12.88,
16 Cold Case (CBS): 12.28,
17 Without a Trace (CBS): 12.23,
18 The Amazing Race 13 (CBS): 12.13,
19 Sunday Night Pre-Kick (NBC): 11.92,
20 Eleventh Hour (CBS): 11.63,
21 CSI: NY (CBS): 11.62,
22 Ghost Whisperer (CBS): 11.57,
23 Bones (Fox): 10.87,
24 Samantha Who? (ABC): 10.40,
25 Dancing With the Stars Recap (ABC): 10.32,
26 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC): 10.31,
27 The Unit (CBS): 10.23,
28 The Big Bang Theory (CBS): 10.01,
29 Brothers & Sisters (ABC): 10.00,
30 ER (NBC): 9.90

“key demo” (Adults 18-49):

1 Sunday Night Football, Dallas at Washington (NBC): 7.4 rating/17 share,
2 60 Minutes (CBS): 6.3/16,
3 Desperate Housewives (ABC): 6.2/14,
4 Grey’s Anatomy (ABC): 5.7/13,
5 House (Fox): 5.5/14,
6 CSI (CBS): 5.1/12,
7 The 42nd Annual CMA Awards (ABC): 5.0/13,
8 Two and a Half Men (CBS): 4.9/11,
9 Sunday Night Pre-Kick (NBC): 4.6/12,
10 Dancing With the Stars – Monday (ABC):4.2/10
10 How I Met Your Mother (CBS): 4.2/10 each,
12 Family Guy (Fox): 4.2/ 9,
13 The Office (NBC): 4.1/10,
14 Survivor: Gabon (CBS): 4.0/11,
15 NCIS (CBS): 4.0/10
15 The Mentalist (CBS): 4.0/10
17 The Big Bang Theory (CBS): 3.9/10,
18 The Simpsons (Fox): 3.9/ 9,
19 Criminal Minds (CBS): 3.8/10,
20 Fringe (Fox): 3.8/ 9,
21 CSI: Miami (CBS): 3.7/10,
21 ER (NBC): 3.7/10,
23 Law & Order: SVU (NBC): 3.6/10,
24 Dancing With the Stars – Tuesday (ABC): 3.6/9,
24 Brothers & Sisters (ABC): 3.6/ 9,
26 Heroes (NBC): 3.6/8,
26 30 Rock (NBC): 3.6/ 8,
28 The Biggest Loser (NBC): 3.5/9,
28 Bones (Fox): 3.5/ 9,
30 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC): 3.5 /8,
30 The Amazing Race (CBS): 3.5/ 8

Sweeps to date

Meanwhile, midway through the November 2008 sweeps, CBS is the most-watched network with 470,000 more viewers than second-place ABC while ABC is first in adults 18-49 A all three networks are down over the same period in the November 2007 sweeps. The biggest loser is Fox, and is down by margins of 15 to 19 percent in many of the rating categories. The CW has also decreased by double-digit percentages.What follows are the final national results from Thursday, Oct. 30 through Wednesday, November 12 (with percent change versus the year-ago period in parentheses):

Total Viewers:

CBS: 11.33 million (- 8 percent),
ABC: 10.86 (- 5),
NBC: 8.11 (- 3),
Fox: 6.72 (-17),
CW: 2.22 (-24)

Adults 18-49:

ABC: 3.3 rating/9 share (-11),
NBC: 3.0/ 8 (- 8),
CBS: 3.0/ 8 (-14),
Fox: 2.7/ 7 (-16),
CW: 1.0/ 3 (-17)


SEASON-TO-DATE RATINGS REPORT (9/22/08-11/16/08)

2008-09 2007-08

HOUSEHOLDS
Rtg Sh Rtg Sh Chg
CBS 7.5 12 7.9 13 -5%
ABC 6.8 11 7.7 12 -12%
NBC 5.0 8 5.6 9 -11%
FOX 5.0 8 5.9 9 -15%


VIEWERS
(000) (000) Chg
CBS 11,913 12,435 -4%
ABC 10,613 11,718 -9%
FOX 8,106 9,511 -15%
NBC 7,969 8,870 -10%


A18-49
Rtg Sh Rtg Sh Chg
CBS 3.3 9 3.6 10 -8%
ABC 3.3 9 3.9 10 -15%
NBC 3.0 8 3.5 9 -14%
FOX 3.0 8 3.5 9 -14%