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Ratings: It’s Official—Fox Wins 18-49 Demo

May 22, 2009  •  Post A Comment

Fox has officially claimed its fifth consecutive win among adults 18-49 for the 2008-09 TV season, while CBS wrapped up the season as the most-watched broadcast network for the sixth time out of the last seven years.
With “America Idol” to bolster the second half of the season, Fox finished with a 3.6/8 among adults 18-49. The network edged out No. 2 CBS (3.1/8) by 14% even though Fox posted a 16% decline year-over-year. While CBS ranked second among the networks, it was the only one of the major four to post increases in the demo (+3%). Both ABC (2.9/8) and CBS (2.8/7) trailed closely behind, posting 3% and no losses, respectively.
Among total viewers, CBS finished first with 11.76 million for the season, up 11% over last. Again, CBS was the only one to post any yearly gains. Fox finished second with 9.80 million viewers, down 13% from last year, which ABC (8.95 million) and NBC (7.84) rounded off the rest, both posting a 3% decrease over last year.
Fox’s “Idol” finished the season as the top two shows. Wednesday night editions ranked at the top in both the demo and total viewers (9.8/24, 26.69 million), while Tuesday episodes tied for first in the demo and placed second in total viewers (9.8/25, 26.12 million).
ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” (5.7/13, 15.66 million) and “Grey’s Anatomy” (5.6/13, 14.52 million) gave the network a strong boost, coming in as the top two scripted shows among adults 18-49, placing 4th and 5th, respectively, among all programs.
CBS led the pack of scripted shows in total viewers, with “CSI” (5.2/12, 19.03 million), “NCIS” (3.8/10, 17.84 million) and freshman series “The Mentalist” (3.9/9, 17.45 million), each placing 4th, 5th and 6th respectively. The network also had the top performing comedy, “Two and a Half Men” (5.1/12, 14.98 million), which placed 8th in the demo and 10th among total viewers.
NBC’s Sunday Night Football coverage (6.2/15, 16.27 million) broke the top ten in both categories as well, ranking 3rd in the demo and 8th among total viewers.
The top 10 regular shows for the 2008-09 series played out as follows:

Top Ten Programs Based on Average A18-49 Rating (2008-09)
Rank
Program
Network
Rating
Share
1
American Idol (Wednesday)
Fox
9.8
24
1
American Idol (Tuesday)
Fox
9.8
25
3
NBC Sunday Night Football
NBC
6.2
15
4
Desperate Housewives
ABC
5.7
13
5
Grey’s Anatomy
ABC
5.6
13
6
House
Fox
5.4
14
7
CSI
CBS
5.2
12
8
Two and a Half Men
CBS
5.1
12
9
Lost
ABC
5.0
12
10
Dancing With the Stars
ABC
4.9
12

 

Top Ten Programs Based on Total Viewers P2+ (2008-09)
Rank
Program
Network
Total Viewers (millions)
1
American Idol (Wednesday)
Fox
26.69
2
Ameircan Idol (Tuesday)
Fox
26.12
3
Dancing With the Stars
ABC
20.32
4
CSI
CBS
19.03
5
NCIS
CBS
17.84
6
The Mentalist
CBS
17.45
7
Dancing with the Stars (Results)
ABC
16.76
8
NBC Sunday Night Football
NBC
16.27
9
Desperate Housewives
ABC
15.66
10
Two and a Half Men
CBS
14.98

 

Source: Nielsen Media Research.

One Comment

  1. Do you mean NBC trailed? Otherwise, CBS trailed behind CBS with a 2.8/7…
    Paragraph 2:
    “While CBS ranked second among the networks, it was the only one of the major four to post increases in the demo (+3%). Both ABC (2.9/8) and CBS (2.8/7) trailed closely behind, posting 3% and no losses, respectively.”
    *Is it time to re-hire the person that used to proof online articles?

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