Tuesday’s Numbers [09.16.2008]
By fred | September 17, 2008
Last night was a very big night for Fox, and it didn’t disappoint! Fox was the clear winner of the night, both in total viewers – averaging 13.9 million viewers while CBS, coming second, was only at 7.9 million – as well as on the demo, with a 5.3 where NBC, coming second then, only pulled a 2.7
Needless to say after a bad Monday, the week is suddenly looking much better for Fox, and it’s all thanks to the great doctor House ! Oh sure, Fringe performed very well, with an amazing retention rate (93% in total viewers!) but don’t be fooled, House is what got them here. For its season premiere House grabbed the attention of 14.4 million viewers and got a 5.6 on the demo, making the medical drama the most-watched program of the night, both in viewers and on the demo.
Sure, last season opened with 18.3 million viewers (and a 7.8 on the demo), but it was a bit later and at a different time (September 25 at 9.00), we still have less people watching TV at the moment. Plus, looking at the half-hour details, House managed to grow from 13.4 million to 15.4 million viewers in its second half-hour, making it an even bigger comeback.
Meanwhile on The CW, 90210 managed to stay stable with 3.3 million viewers back, and even grew on the demo from 1.7 last week to 1.8 this time.
At 9.00 and boosted by America’s favorite cranky doctor, Fringe was way up from its pilot, with 4.4 million more viewers, up to 13.4 million viewers and a 5.2 on the demo (up from 3.2 last week). Again, that’s a great improvement and a really good retention from House, now we’ll have to see how it goes next week after viewers discovered Fringe - will they still stick around?
Looking at half-hour details, Fringe isn’t as strong as House, as the show lost 1.1 million viewers between its first and second half-hour (from 13.9 million to 12.8 million viewers).
What this whole thing tells us is that, maybe, Fox’s scheduling decision wasn’t the right one. They should have gone for a one-hour series premiere instead, and have Fringe makes its debut last night, right after House season premiere. Fringe would then have had a much stronger start, though of course what really matters is what happens in the following weeks…
Meanwhile on The CW, things weren’t so bright for Privileged, loosing half a million viewers since last week down to 2.4 million viewers. I’d say it’s actually not that bad and almost all new series see a drop after their pilot episode, but the 1.1 on the demo is really not good, and quite a drop from lead-in’s 1.8
All numbers of the night below :
| Tuesday, September 16th | ||
| Show | Network | Viewers (18-49) |
| 8.00 | ||
| House | Fox | 14.4 M (5.6) |
| NCIS (R) | CBS | 9.6 M (1.8) |
| Biggest Loser | NBC | 7.4 M (2.9) |
| Wipeout | ABC | 6.2 M (2.1) |
| 90210 | The CW | 3.3 M (1.8) |
| 9.00 | ||
| Fringe | Fox | 13.4 M (5.2) |
| Biggest Loser | NBC | 8.2 M (3.4) |
| Big Brother | CBS | 7.6 M (2.7) |
| Wipeout | ABC | 5.5 M (1.8) |
| Privileged | The CW | 2.4 M (1.1) |
| UFOs: Seeing Is Believing | ABC | 5.0 M (1.7) |
| 10.00 | ||
| Without A Trace (R) | CBS | 6.3 M (1.6) |
| UFOs: Seeing Is Believing | ABC | 6.0 M (2.1) |
| Law & Order: SVU (R) | NBC | 5.7 M (2.0) |
| Global | Adults 18-49 | ||
| Fox | 13.9 M | Fox | 5.3 |
| CBS | 7.9 M | NBC | 2.7 |
| NBC | 7.1 M | CBS | 2.0 |
| ABC | 5.8 M | ABC | 2.0 |
| The CW | 2.9 M | The CW | 1.4 |
Posted in Numbers/Ratings
Shows: 90210, Fringe, House, Privileged
