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Syndication Ratings: A wave of rising ratings

Jul 29, 2002  •  Post A Comment

Syndicated players came out swinging despite disruptions from the baseball All-Star Game as access series scored large gains for the week ending July 14. Meanwhile, the late-night and rookie races heated up as the weather grew warmer.
Four of the six relationship strips were up for the week as Telepictures’ “Elimidate” continued to put pressure on its competitors. The series drew an all-time high, the only series to do so for the week, rising 6 percent to a 1.8 household rating. It also hit high marks among men 18 to 34 and among teens with scores of 1.8 and 2.2, respectively. Among adults 18 to 34 the series drew a 1.4 score.
The household rating for “Elimidate” moved the series into a tie for second place among the rookie crop for the week as it solidified its standing within the relationship ranks. Universal’s top-ranked “Blind Date” ballooned 11 percent to a 2.1, matching its best rating of the season. The series also earned a 1.6 in its key adults 18 to 34 demographic.
Telepictures’ “Change of Heart” rose 7 percent to a 1.5 in households; Universal’s “The 5th Wheel” dipped 7 percent to a 1.4. “Rendez-View” rose 11 percent to a 1.0, while Columbia’s “Shipmates” was even at 0.9.
Among rookies, Twentieth’s “Texas Justice” remained on top despite slipping 11 percent to a 1.9. It still edged out Universal’s “Crossing Over With John Edward” at a 1.8, a rise of 13 percent, and topped “Elimidate’s” 1.8 and NBC’s game show “Weakest Link” at a 1.7.
Among the access crowd, all four newsmagazines and each of the top five off-network sitcoms rose for the week. Paramount’s “Entertainment Tonight” gained 7 percent with a 4.9. “Inside Edition” rose 12 percent to a 2.9, “Extra” nabbed a 2.4 for a 20 percent increase and “Access Hollywood” grew 29 percent to a 2.2.
Among off-net sitcoms “Friends” topped the pack, growing 17 percent to a 6.3. “Everybody Loves Raymond” gained on “Seinfeld” with an 11 percent jump to a 5.1, only a tenth of a point behind “Seinfeld’s” 5.2.