Tiger Wood’s dramatic come-from-behind playoff victory at the U.S. Open on Monday, June 16 wreaked havoc on daytime syndicated shows, with pre-emptions from the tournament and viewer interest in the golf drama leading to a down week in the ratings.
Only four of 12 talk shows and three of the 11 court shows showed week-to-week audience growth, according to Nielsen Media Research data for the week ending June 22.
Among the programs gaining ground in the traditionally low-rated summer months were genre leaders “Oprah” and “Judge Judy.”
Among the talk shows, CBS’ “Oprah” once again proved her mettle, taking the crown and growing 5% to a 4.2 rating. Other gainers included CBS’ “Montel Williams,” up 9% to a 1.2, NBCU’s “Steve Wilkos” up 13% to a 0.9, and NBCU’s “Martha Stewart” up 14% to a 0.8.
CBS’ “Dr. Phil” fell 13% to a new season low of 3.3, Warner Bros.’ “Ellen” declined 11% to a 1.6, and CBS’ “Rachael Ray” dropped 12% to a new season low of 1.5.
Among the court brethren, CBS’ “Judge Judy” scored as the only court program among the top half of the bracket to show improvement, up 5% to a 4.5. Other series to show improvement included Sony’s duo of “Judge David Young” jumping 13% to a 0.9, as well as “Judge Maria Lopez,” which gained 14% to a 0.8.
(Editor: Baumann)