Turner Network Sales is saying “Yeah, baby” when it comes to “rolled up” or aggregated ratings, making the argument to advertisers that its recent multiple runs of movies such as “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” on TBS and “The Mummy” on TNT, if cumed, would have ranked them among the top-rated shows on television for the week they were telecast.
Advertisers could have “gotten as many impressions [with `The Mummy’] … as `CSI’ delivered that week at a significantly reduced cost,” said Jack Wakshlag, Turner Broadcasting’s chief researcher. “A movie like `Austin Powers’ … would have been a top 10 show that week. It’s another way to try to go after broadcast dollars by trying to promise [advertisers] big numbers in a fairly short span of time.”
“The Anna Nicole Show” and “Austin” aired in the same initial pattern, two plays back to back on Sunday night followed by two more back to back on Tuesday. How did Anna Nicole do in her matchup with the shagadelic International Man of Mystery?
Mr. Wakshlag said that, compared with the third and fourth telecasts of “Austin Powers,” the second two “Anna Nicole” premiere-episode telecasts were down steeply, particularly in the target 18 to 49 demo, with almost 2.8 million viewers in the category tuning in for the first play on Sunday, but only about 530,000 in the demo on hand for the first play on Tuesday. That compares with just over 2.8 million viewers in the demo for the first Sunday play of “Austin Powers,” with just over 1.2 million for its first play on the following Tuesday.
Curiousity brings people into the door, he said of “Anna,” “but this show is a long way from being a sustainable hit.”