weekly syndication ratings

The game show led all of syndication for the first time in five months in the session ending Nov. 15, which was the first week after the death of its beloved host Alex Trebek.

Ratings were down across genres as preemptions for election coverage took their toll in the session ending Nov. 8.

Judge Judy was the biggest gainer, surging 16% from the previous week to a new season high 5.9 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating, and outperforming all syndicated shows in households. Also posting ratings increase were Hot Bench, People’s Court and Judge Mathis.

The sophomore talker unleashed the largest leap of all syndicated shows in the session ending Oct. 25, skyrocketing 29% to a new season high 0.9 in households and shooting up 33% in the key women 25-54 demo.

It grows 4% week to week to a 5.5 to lead the game shows and all of syndication in the session ending Oct. 18. Dr. Phil tops the talkers, while Kelly Clarkson posts a 13% gain, the only member of the chat pack to advance.

Despite being blacked out in numerous markets for French Open tennis, football and coverage of President Trump’s post-COVID diagnosis return to the White House from Walter Reed, Barrymore shot up 20% from the prior frame to a 0.6 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating in the week ending Oct. 11.

Live with Kelly and Ryan’s 12% ratings gain and Wendy Williams’ 13% boost were unusual in first run. Most other shows across the genres were hard-pressed to post week-to-week gains in the session ending Oct. 4.

Among the shows debuting in the week ending Sept. 27 were Kelly Clarkson and Ellen DeGeneres, which rebounded 50% from the prior frame’s all-time low to a 1.2 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen household rating.

In the syndication season’s first week, Judge Judy jumped 6% from the prior venue to an eight-week high 5.7; Tamron Hall kicked off its second season with a 33% increase to a nine-week high 0.8; and rookie Drew Barrymore Show debuted with a 0.7, the third-highest pure talk show premiere since 2017.

For the week ending Sept. 6, the between-season session leading into Labor Day weekend, Judy rose 2% to a four-week high 5.6 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating, and crushed the other court shows for a remarkable 1,250^th week in a row — or every week for the past 24 years.

Reports on the two storms — Laura and Marco— along with updates on the pandemic, blistered numerous daytime shows with preemptions in the week ending Aug. 30. On top of that, many programs were bumped for four days of coverage of the Republican National Convention coverage.

The show’s triumph came despite its airing in relatively lightly viewed daytime periods and being hit with months of massive coronavirus coverage preemptions. It gave the wildly popular jurist first place in first-run syndication for a remarkable 11^th year in a row with a 6.2 full-season rating as of the week ending Aug. 23, the latest for which national ratings are available. That was nearly triple the full-season rating of any other strip in the daypart.

Dr. Phil was mostly immune to the carnage, giving back 5% to a still-potent 1.8 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating, and easily leading the yak pack for the eighth time in nine weeks despite being in repeats on all five days.

Despite being in repeats on all five days, syndication’s top talker leapfrogged over the previous week’s leader, Live with Kelly and Ryan, and finished first for the 191^st time in the past 205 weeks in the session ending Aug. 9.

The talk show featured a widely-praised tribute to late co-host Regis Philbin on July 27 and, on July 31, an encore presentation of the “Regis Farewell Celebration Special” from Nov. 8, 2011, pushing it up 19% in the week ending Aug. 2.

Judge Judy increased its audience by 214,000 to more than 8 million daily viewers, and jumped to its second-biggest rating since May with a 2% advance to a 5.7 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating. That was followed by Judy’s progeny Hot Bench, which bagged a nine-week high 2.1, forging ahead 5% for the week and 11% from last year despite numerous preemptions for pandemic coverage.

Magazines as a genre showed some life in the week ending July 19 with none falling back. First run’s overall winner was Family Feud, which turned in a 5.8 in households.

The top shows by genre in the week ending July 12 were Dr. Phil (talk), 25 Words or Less (rookies), Judge Judy (courtrooms), Family Feud (games) and Inside Edition (magazines).

In the week ending July 5, the yak pack king climbed 6% to a 1.9 with five days of repeats, topping the chat fests for the third straight week and the 187^th time in the last 200 weeks.

In the week ending June 28, the freshman talker jumps 14%, making it the only talk show moving up — despite being in repeats on three of the five days.

Its 8% gain in the week ending June 21 was the most of the four first-run syndicated shows that managed week-to-week advances.

In the week ending June 14, the freahman talker jumps 25% even though it was in reruns for four days.

Inside Edition inched up 4% to a 2.6 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating, followed closely by big-sister show Entertainment Tonight, which jumped 9% to a 2.5. In the key women 25-54 demo, Inside and ET were up 25% and 11%, respectively.

In the lightly viewed Memorial Day frame ending May 31, Her Honor dipped just 2% to a still-hefty 5.8 and extended its winning streak in the category to 1,236 weeks.

Disruptions due to pandemic coverage kept the lid on with only four talkers, two courtrooms, one game and no magazines advancing during the week ending May 24.

Almost everything else in first run was hard-pressed to improve at all amid pandemic preemptions during the week ending May 17.

Entertainment Tonight grew 4% for the week ending May 10 and 8% for the past two weeks to a three-week high 2.8 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating, tying sister show Inside Edition for the category lead. Next in line, Access Hollywood, was also a force, surging 8% for the week and 18% for the past two weeks to an eight-week high 1.3.

The veteran quizzer hosted by Alex Trebek jumped 11% to a 7.0 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating, while Family Feud — which had been first or tied for first in the genre for the past three weeks — had no answer, slipping 3% to a 6.9.

It was able to hold onto its category lead during the week ending April 26, while many first-run shows posted declines.

The race for game show supremacy ended in a dead heat in the session ending April 19 as the previous week’s winner, Family Feud, fell slightly, while Jeopardy moved up just enough to make it interesting. Feud backed off 3% from its highest rating in more than two years scored in the previous week to […]

In the week ending April 12, it took over sole possession of first place among game shows for the first time in 16 weeks with a 6% leap from the prior frame to a news season high 7.4 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating, its best performance since January of 2018.

Although most daytime shows were shredded by massive preemptions for coronavirus news coverage throughout the session ending April 5, Live with Kelly and Ryan was a standout, holding on to almost all of its large increase in the previous frame and easily topping the talkers for a second straight week. The morning show favorite improved […]

The wildly popular daytime staple went ballistic in the week ending March 29, with a 2.6 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating, up 24% from last year at this time and its strongest performance since the week of Dec. 25, 2017.

There were lots of double-digit ratings increases for first-run syndicated shows across multiple genres in the week ending March 22.

Five of the top seven shows in the genre post week-to-week gains in the frame ending March 15, three in double digits.

The frame ending March 8 was a challenging one for most syndicated programs as it included Super Tuesday, the biggest day of the 2020 primaries with one-third of all delegates awarded in 14 states and one territory.

Only six first-run shows post week-to-week ratings gains in the session ending March 1 that was overflowing with breaking news.

Despite airing repeats on all five days, the already renewed for year two courtroom jumped 13% to a 0.9 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating, one of the few shows to make an upward move in the week ending Feb 23.

Both talk shows and entertainment magazines benefit from their Academy Awards stories and followups.

Despite being missing in many markets due to the Senate arguments and the president’s response to the acquittal, Judy jumped 10% to a three-week high 6.5 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating, and was the top gaveler for the 1,220^th straight week in the session ending Feb. 9.