Ratings Chart Attack!

Waltzing into one of the lowest-rated times of the year (right before Independence Day), ABC’s “Dance Machine” made little splash during its Friday premiere, placing last in its time slot and tying for the lowest-rated show of the night.

“Machine” racked up a 1.0/4 in the 18- to 49-year-old demo, according to preliminary Nielsen data.

“Duel” tied that rating and “20/20” ended the night with a 1.3/4, down 19% from its last showing two weeks earlier. ABC finished Friday in fifth place with a 1.1 rating/4 share.

NBC placed first for the night with a 1.5 rating/5 share, bolstered by a new “Dateline” (1.6/6), off a tick from the previous week.

The CW, with a 1.4 rating/5 share, took second thanks to an on-par “Smackdown” (1.4/5). Fox and CBS tied for third with a 1.2 rating/5 share.

Fox’s cop block on Saturday gave it the win with a 1.6 rating/6 share. NBC’s 1.0 rating/4 share was good for second, ABC took third with a 0.9 rating/3 share and CBS was fourth with a 0.8 rating/3 share.

On Sunday, Olympic track and field trials (1.6/5) and a new “Dateline” (2.2/6) boosted NBC to a win with a 1.9 rating/6 share. Repeats dominated the rest of the schedule, as ABC was second with a 1.6 rating/5 share, Fox placed third with a 1.5/5 and CBS took fourth with a 1.4/4.

CBS did air a new episode of “Million Dollar Password” (1.7/5), up two-tenths of a percentage point from the previous week. CBS ordered six more episodes of “Password” last week.

The CW was fifth with a 0.3 rating/1 share.

On an incredibly ho-hum Thursday, with only two shows breaking a 2.0 in the 18-49 demographic, Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance?” dominated the night, beating its closest competition by 43% in the preliminary Nielsen ratings.

“Dance” posted a 3.0/9, down a tick from last week. Also down a tick was “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” (1.8/6), giving Fox a win with a 2.4 rating/8 share.

NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” (2.1/7) grew one-tenth of a ratings point from last week. “Fear Itself” (1.5/4) stayed flat, and NBC placed second with a 1.9 rating/9 share.

“Swingtown” (1.9/6) on CBS slid again for its fourth straight week, dipping 10%. CBS ended the night with a 1.7 rating/6 share.

An update of “Hopkins 24/7,” “Hopkins” (1.6/5) debuted last night on ABC, which grabbed a 1.1 rating/4 share. “Hopkins” placed second in its hour against originals on both CBS and NBC.

The CW placed fifth with a 0.5 rating/2 share.

After some blah-ish summer starts, NBC’s “Baby Borrowers” arrived yesterday with a solid ratings premiere, second in the Peacock’s summer only to “America’s Got Talent.”

“Borrowers” posted a 2.8/8 in the adults 18-49 demo, according to preliminary Nielsen research. The show placed a close second to the highest-rated show of the night, just behind Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance?” (3.0/10).

NBC rounded out the night with “Deal or No Deal” (1.6/6), down 27%, and “Celebrity Circus” (2.0/7), flat from last week. NBC finished second with a 2.1 rating/7 share.

Fox unsurprisingly took the night with “Dance,” which dipped 9% from last week. Fox ended the night with a 3.0 rating/10 share.

ABC ended another season of “Wife Swap” (1.7/6), on par with last week, while “Supernanny” (1.4/4) dropped 18%. “Primetime: Crime” premiered in its time period to a 1.8/5. ABC finished third with a 1.7 rating/5 share.

CBS was in repeats, ending with a 1.5 rating/5 share, while The CW finished fifth with a 0.7 rating/2 share. “Farmer Wants a Wife” ended its season, posting a 1.0/3, two ticks up from last week but around average for the show.

ABC’s “Wipeout” and “I Survived a Japanese Game Show” didn’t fall down during their premieres Tuesday night, coming out of the gate with solid summer numbers.

“Wipeout” averaged a 3.6/12 in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen research. That tied “Hell’s Kitchen” (3.6/10) as the highest-rated show of the night.

“Wipeout” increased over its time period’s last summer season premiere, “Just for Laughs,” by 24%. “Laughs” had its season premiere in mid-July 2007.

“Japanese Game Show” rang in with a 3.1/9, improving over its time period’s last summer debut, “Shaq’s Big Challenge,” by 72%. However, it dropped 14% from its lead-in.

ABC finished the night with the season premiere of “Primetime: The Outsiders” (2.5/7), a tick down from its season start in February 2007. ABC won Tuesday with a 3.1 rating/9 share.

NBC debuted “Celebrity Family Feud” to a 2.3/8, increasing the time period’s previous four-week average by 28%. The revived game show scored the time period’s highest numbers in 10 weeks.

“America’s Got Talent” (3.0/9) dipped 19% from its summer start last week, but still gave NBC second place with a 2.8 rating/8 share for the night.

Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen” (3.6/10) declined 10%, giving Fox a third-place finish with a 2.4 rating/7 share.

CBS placed fourth with a 1.4 rating/4 share and The CW was fifth with a 0.6 rating/2 share.

New reality shows tied old scripted programs as the kings of the hill in the ratings last night, as new episodes of ABC’s “Bachelorette” and “The Mole” matched CBS’ Monday-night lineup of reruns.

ABC pulled in a 2.2 rating/7 share in the 18-49 year old demographic, the same as CBS, according to preliminary Nielsen Media Research numbers.

“The Bachelorette” (2.5/8) and “The Mole” (1.6/5) placed near their previous season averages. Meanwhile, a rerun of CBS’ “Two and a Half Men” (3.0/9) was the highest-rated show of the night.

Fox posted 2.1 rating/6 share, placing a close third with repeats. NBC trailed Fox with a 1.8/5. NBC’s “American Gladiators” at 1.7/5 tied its lowest rated original episode while the network’s “Nashville Star” (1.9/5) continues to hover near the 2.0 mark for its third week on broadcast.

The CW’s0.5 rating/2 share took fifth place.

On Univision, which scored a 1.7 share/5 rating for the night, “Al Diablo con los Guapos” (1.8/6) fell 10% week-to-week, while “Fuego en la Sangre” (1.9/5) and “Cristina” (1.6/4) improved slightly.

(Editor: Baumann)

ABC’s Friday airing of the Daytime Emmys saw the awards telecast hit its lowest ratings ever, while Saturday’s broadcast premiere of “Camp Rock” drew solid numbers in key teen and kid demos.

“The 35th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards” fell 40% from last year’s show to a 1.2 rating/4 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demo, according to preliminary Nielsen data. The broadcast preview of SoapNet’s “MVP” (0.6/2) followed, ending up the lowest-rated show of the night.

ABC finished fifth with a 1.0/4.

Fox’s (1.4/5) showing of “Planet of the Apes” (1.4/5) took a narrow victory for the network Friday, while CBS, NBC and The CW ended with a three-way tie for second (1.3/5).

“The Wonderful World of Disney: Camp Rock” gave ABC so-so numbers in the 18-49 demographic on Saturday (0.9/3), but in the Jonas Brothers-fueled movie’s key demos, the show returned great ratings: a 2.3 in 2-11, a 3.1 in 6-11, a 3.2 in 9-14 and a 2.6 in 12-17. ABC’s touting the showing as “Wonderful World of Disney’s” best appearance in those demos since a December 2006 airing of “The Santa Clause 2.”

In the 18-49 demo, however, Fox (1.7/7) unsurprisingly took first with its police block. NBC (1.1/5) placed second with women’s gymnastics Olympics trials (1.1/4), ABC was third (0.9/3) and CBS (0.8/3) brought up the rear.

NBC (2.1/6) stuck with gymnastics trials (2.0/6) and “Dateline” (2.3/6) on Sunday, gaining a nightly win. Fox (1.7/5) finished second, ABC (1.6/5) took third and CBS placed fourth with “Million Dollar Password” (1.5/5) falling 29% off its previous two-episode average. The CW (0.3/1) was fifth.

New summer series “Swingtown” on CBS and “Fear Itself” on NBC aired for the first time without competition from dominating NBA Finals, but continued to slide or post lackluster ratings Thursday.

In its third week, “Swingtown” declined 9% week-to-week, ending with a 2.1 rating/6 share in the 18-49 year old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen data.

“Swingtown” has fallen 25% from its premiere. CBS placed second with a 1.8/6.
Meanwhile, NBC’s “Fear Itself” stayed steady from last week with its 1.5/5. “Last Comic Standing” improved 18% to a 2.0/6, landing right near its average. The network pulled a 1.7/5 for the night.

First place Fox’s (2.5/8) Thursday night of question-mark themed shows increased slightly over last week. “So You Think You Can Dance?” ran away with the night, showing a 3.0/9, an increase of one tick over last week. “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” (1.9/7) also improved a tenth of a percent.

ABC (1.0/3) repeated at fourth place and The CW (0.7/2) placed fifth.

(Editor: Baumann)

NBC’s “Celebrity Circus” slipped off its tightrope act week-to-week, dropping 13% in the ratings from last week’s fair debut, but sealed up a second-place finish for the Peacock Wednesday.

“Circus” ended up with a 2.0 rating/6 share in the 18- to 49-year-old rating demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings. “Deal or No Deal” (2.1/7) dropped a tick from last week. NBC ended the night with a 2.1/6.

Fox (3.2/10) handily led the night with “So You Think You Can Dance” (3.2/10), which fell 6% from last week’s showing.

The rest of the pack aired repeats, with the pecking order as ABC (1.7/5), CBS (1.6/5) and The CW (0.7/2).

Game six of the NBA Finals dominated Tuesday night in the ratings as much as the Boston Celtics lorded over the Los Angeles Lakers during the game, the last of the series.

ABC (4.5/13) won the night by 45%, as game six pulled down a tentative 5.2 rating/14 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen research.

This year’s final game leapt up 53% over last year’s preliminary numbers for the Spurs/Cavs game four, which decided that series. The 5.2/14 is expected to rise because live programming is more volatile in preliminary numbers. For example, Sunday’s game five increased 33% between fast nationals and final numbers.

NBC (3.1/9) and Fox (3.1/9) tied for second, as NBC debuted the third season of “America’s Got Talent” (3.6/10). Tying this summer’s premiere numbers of “So You Think You Can Dance,” “Talent” fell 16% from last summer’s opener.

It should be noted that last year’s “Talent” opener faced weaker competition in the form of repeats and “The Alma Awards” on ABC. “Deal or No Deal” led in the night with a 2.1/7.

Fox’s “Moment of Truth” (2.4/8) held steady from last week, while “Hell’s Kitchen” (3.9/11) declined 7%, but still placed as the second-highest-rated show of the night.

CBS (1.3/4) ranked a solid fourth with “AFI’s 10 Top 10” (1.3/4), dropping 32% from last June’s “AFI” special.

The CW (0.5/1) placed fifth with repeats.

“The Bachelorette” improved slightly over last week in Monday’s ratings, but the only two networks with original programming placed a solid third and fourth last night.

ABC’s “Bachelorette” jumped 14% from last week to post a 2.5 rating/7 share in 18-49, the best showing this season since the program’s premiere in mid-May. A special 8 p.m. showing ranked a 1.8/6, while “The Mole” dropped a tick to a 1.5/4. ABC placed third with a 1.9/6.

NBC (1.7/5) was the only other net to trot out original programming, as the second week of “Nashville Star” on broadcast pulled in a 1.8/5, an 18% dip from last week. “American Gladiators” also slid one-tenth of a point to a 1.9/6. “Dateline” brought up the rear for the night with a 1.4/4.

At the front side of the network pack, Fox (2.5/7) placed first with “House” and “Bones” reruns and CBS (2.2/6) took second.

The CW (0.4/1) placed fifth.

CBS’ presentation of the Tony Awards hit a sour note and sank to at least a 17-year low last night, while Game Five of the NBA Finals handily led ABC to a nightly win.

“The 62 Annual Tony Awards” posted a 1.1 rating/3 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen research, the lowest score for the awards since at least 1991. Year-to-year, the Tony Awards were up 5% in total households. CBS (1.1/3) finished fourth Sunday.

ABC (4.3/13) dominated the night with Game Five of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, pulling a tentative 5.5/15. That’s on par with Game Two the previous Sunday, but the game could see a big bounce in ratings once national ratings return.

NBC (2.9/9) brought in a nice ratings take with the final round of golf’s U.S. Open, posting a 3.9/13. Against last year, the Open is up 63%, but the 2007 event started earlier in the afternoon.

Fox (1.6/5) and The CW (0.4/1) aired repeats.

As for Friday and Saturday, original programming was in short supply.

The CW and ABC tied for first Friday with a 1.3/5, thanks to The CW’s “Friday Night Smackdown!” (1.3/5) and ABC’s “20/20” (1.6/5), which led the night.

CBS took third (1.2/5), NBC scored fourth (1.1/4) and Fox (0.9/3) brought up the rear.

Fox (1.7/7) captured Saturday with its police shows. NBC (1.4/5) nabbed second with the third round of the U.S. Open (1.5/6), while ABC (1.2/5) placed third and CBS (1.0/4) ended fourth.

In the battle of the series premieres, CBS’ “Swingtown” topped NBC’s “Fear Itself,” but the first game of the NBA Finals stood as MVP in the ratings Thursday.

The first faceoff between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics brought in a tentative 4.0 rating/12 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen research. Because it’s a live event, those numbers are approximate.

Stacking up against last year’s NBA Finals’ Game One, which pitted the Cleveland Cavaliers against the San Antonio Spurs, this year’s series kickoff was up 8%. The game was preceded by a special “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (2.9/10) and “NBA Countdown” (3.4/11), sending ABC to a 3.7/11 for the night.

Fox’s (3.3/10) “So You Think You Can Dance?” dipped 8% from last week, but placed second for the night.

Leading in with reruns of “CSI,” CBS (2.3/7) premiered “Swingtown” (2.7/8) at 10 p.m. The racy drama was up 17% over the average in that time period last summer, when it was home to “Shark” and “Without a Trace” repeats.

NBC (2.1/6) also premiered “Fear Itself” (2.0/6) at 10 p.m., while “Last Comic Standing” (2.3/7) increased 21% over last week. Three weeks deep into this season, “Standing” is off 22% from last year’s average, when the show ran on Wednesday.

The CW (0.6/2) placed fifth with repeats.

Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance?” continues to hold steady, topping another night, while Game Six of the Stanley Cup Finals handily trumped last year’s trophy-deciding game on Wednesday.

“Dance” averaged a 3.5 rating/11 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers. That’s on par with last week, which was on par with the show’s season premiere. Fox finished first with a 3.5/11 for the night.

NBC’s (3.0/9) coverage of Game Six of the Stanley Cup Finals (3.0/9) is up 131% over last year’s Game Five, in which the Anaheim Ducks won the Cup. Live ratings are more volatile, however, and an increase in the ratings may occur once final numbers are released.

CBS (1.7/5) and ABC (1.7/5) tied for third with repeats, save for ABC’s “Men in Trees” (1.4/4), which was down a tick from last week.

The CW finished fifth with a “Top Model” repeat and “Farmer Wants a Wife” (0.7/2), down 22%.

Facing essentially zero original competition Tuesday, Fox nabbed an easy victory in the ratings with new episodes of “Moment of Truth” and “Hell’s Kitchen.”

“Moment of Truth” pulled in a 2.7 rating/6 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demo, down 10% from last week’s summer start, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers. “Kitchen” held steady at a 4.4/12. Fox finished first with a 3.6/11, beating second-place CBS (1.7/5) by 112%.

The only other original network programming that aired last night was an episode of “Most Outrageous Moments” (1.6/5) on third-place NBC (1.6/5). “Outrageous” fell a tick from last week.

ABC (1.3/4) ended up fourth and The CW was fifth (0.6/2).

Odds and Ends:

A light early summer Friday for the English-speaking broadcast nets allowed Univision to take the No. 1 slot. On May 30, Univision claimed first place in the ratings with an average 1.7/6, beating top networks ABC and CBS by 21%.

ABC’s “The Mole” dug itself into a hole during its premiere, netting a series low and placing last in its time period in the ratings Monday.

According to preliminary Nielsen data, “Mole” averaged a 1.9 rating/5 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, off 42% from its most recent summer start, which was way back in 2002.

The last time "The Mole" actually premiered was Jan. 7, 2004, scoring a 3.6/9. The current airing was off 47% from that level.

ABC aired some "flash teases" to drum up interest in the show, tagging three frames of the "Mole" logo onto the end of ABC commercials. ABC hoped to catch people's eyes during DVR playback.

The Tiffany Network’s decision to air mixed martial arts raised some eyebrows, but CBS’ “EliteXC Saturday Night Fights” spiked the Eye’s average rating in men 18-34 by 271% on Saturday.

“Fights” scored a 1.9 rating/6 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers. In men 18-34, the battles did a 2.6/10, 271% better than CBS’ demo average in that time period (9-11 p.m.) during the entire 2007-08 season.

The preliminary numbers do not factor in the show’s hyped headline fight, Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson, which aired at 11:30 p.m. CBS averaged a 1.5/5 in the 18-49 demographic, its strongest performance since NCAA basketball coverage in April.

Despite CBS’ good fortune in the young demo, NBC and Fox actually tied for first place on Saturday among 18- to 49-year-olds, pulling in a 1.6/6.

NBC aired Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals (1.7/6), improving 183% from last year’s Game 3, which also aired on a Saturday.

Fox also improved Saturday, as new episodes of “Cops” (1.3/6) and “America’s Most Wanted” (1.7/6) increased 18% and 31% from last week.

ABC placed fourth on Saturday with a 1.1/4.

On Friday, ABC's airing of the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee (1.1/4) stumbled from last year’s Thursday telecast, dipping 45%. ABC placed third on Friday behind NBC (1.5/5) and CBS (1.4/5). The CW was fourth with a 1.1/4, followed by Fox with a 0.9/3.

NBC (1.8/6) captured Sunday with “Most Outrageous Moments” reruns and “Dateline” (2.1/6). Close behind with a 1.7/6, Fox placed second with animation repeats. CBS (1.6/5) took third, premiering “Million Dollar Password” (2.2/7). ABC (1.2/4) was fourth and The CW (0.3/1) was fifth.