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‘Simple Life 2’ Finale Shines, but CBS Still Dominates

Aug 10, 2004  •  Post A Comment

According to Nielsen Media Research, the season finale of “The Simple Life 2” helped Fox win the week of Aug. 1 to 8 among adults 18 to 34, but among other key demos CBS was still king.

Thanks to its “CSI” franchise, Monday night comedies and reality entries “Big Brother 5” and “Amazing Race 5,” CBS won the week in households, adults 18 to 49 and adults 25 to 54 and ranked No. 2 among adults 18 to 34. The network also won the week in viewers, clocking in at 8.6 million, followed by NBC with 6.5 million viewers, ABC with 5.3 million, Fox with 5.0 million, UPN with 2.9 million and The WB with 2.3 million.

NBC was No. 2 for the week among adults 18 to 49 and adults 25 to 54, with help from “Who Wants to Marry My Dad,” “Crossing Jordan,” “Dateline” and original episodes of “Last Comic Standing” on Tuesday and Saturday.

Fox’s Wednesday night “The Simple Life 2” finale at 9:30 p.m. and the second-to-last episode at 9 p.m. were the No.1 and No. 2, programs of the week, respectively, among adults 18 to 34, adults 18 to 49 and teens. The finale episode was ranked No. 10 for the week among total viewers.

Fox’s summer reality entry “Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy” was the highest-rated program on Tuesday night among teens and men 18 to 34, and tied for No. 1 spot among adults 18 to 34.

UPN’s reality success story “Amish in the City” didn’t play as well its second week as it did for its premiere, but the Wednesday night entry is still a net plus for the network. “Amish” outperformed UPN’s 2003-04 broadcast season average in its time period in all key adult and female demos, and scored third in its 8 p.m. time period among adults 18 to 34 (1.5/6), women 18 to 34 (2.0/7) and men 18 to 49 (1.3/5).

The WB’s “Blue Collar TV” followed its premiere with another strong performance, garnering a second-place finish in its Thursday 8 p.m. time period among adults 18 to 34 (2.1/8), women 18 to 34 (2.5/9) and adults 18 to 49 (2.1/7). The show also did well in its Friday repeat performance, ranking No.1 in its time period among adults 18 to 34 (1.4/6) and men 18 to 34 (1.0/5).

ABC’s Tuesday 8 p.m. run of “Extreme Makeover” gave the network its best adults 18 to 49 (2.8/9) and adults 18 to 34 (2.5/9) numbers since January. New family series “The Days” continues to do well among teens on Sundays, ranking No.1 for the night in the demo.