Syndies Win Big With Oscars Coverage

Even though ratings for this year’s Academy Awards telecast sank to an all-time low, several heavyweight syndicated shows were able to score with coverage of Hollywood’s biggest night in the session ending Feb. 16.

Highly regarded rookie Tamron Hall, for example, was one of the very few strips to clock a double-digit increase, jumping 11% to a 1.0 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating. Of course, Hall hosted the official Oscar’s red carpet show for the ABC network and took viewers behind the scenes on her talker’s Feb. 10 telecast, which skyrocketed 33% to a 1.2 single-day rating, matching its season high.

Elsewhere in daytime, Live with Kelly and Ryan featured its ninth annual After Oscar Show the morning following the kudocast, which shot up 14% to a 2.4 single-day rating.

For the week, Live tied its highest Nielsens of the season with a 5% spike to a 2.2. That was second only to perennial top talk show Dr. Phil, which grew 4% to a 2.6 and led the category for the 176^th time in the past 180 weeks.

Live and Phil were the only two of the top seven veteran talkers moving up from the week before. Phil McGraw was also honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last Saturday.

Ratings Goliath Judge Judy again chewed up all competition, easily outperforming every other syndicated show in the household ratings while plowing ahead 6% to a five-week high 6.9.

In access, most entertainment magazines did well to hold their own in the face of the week’s dramatically lower PUT levels and the worst Academy Awards viewership in history.

Daily Mail TV was up the most, climbing 14% to a four-week high 0.8. The show, which is known to cover stories from around the globe also rose 14% to a 0.8 for its next-day Oscars stories on Feb. 10 and surged 29% to a 0.9 on Feb. 12 with its bombshell exclusive on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Meanwhile, Entertainment Tonight was the No. 1 magazine of any type for the sixth week in a row with a steady 3.0, which equaled its season high and a 13% advance to a 3.4 for its Oscar recap coverage.

Access Hollywood was another stalwart performer in its wheelhouse with next-day Oscars coverage hanging tough at a 1.4, its second-biggest rating of the year. Access also jumped 14% to a 1.6 for its telecast the day after the awards.

Also of note, the big guns at Extra exceeded expectations with extensive Academy Awards reports, holding its season-high 1.0 and leaping 10% to a 1.1 for its coverage.

The week’s top-rated daytime talk shows in the women 25-54 demo were:

• Dr. Phil (1.1, +10% from the week before)
• Live with Kelly and Ryan (0.9, unchanged)
• Ellen DeGeneres (0.8, -11%)
• Kelly Clarkson (0.6, unchanged), tied with Maury (0.6, -14%) and Wendy Williams (0.6, -14%)
• Steve Wilkos (0.5, unchanged)

In the household rating rankings that follow, % change is from the previous week; * indicates a new season-high rating; ** indicates a new season low; NC indicates no change from the previous week; NA means not applicable.

TALK SHOWS

Dr. Phil (CTD) 2.6 4%+

Live with Kelly and Ryan (Disney-ABC) 2.2 +5%

Ellen DeGeneres (WBDTD) 1.9 NC

Wendy Williams (Debmar-Mercury) 1.3 NC

Maury (NBCU) 1.2 NC

6. Rachael Ray (CTD) 1.1 NC

Steve Wilkos (NBCU) 1.0 NC

Dr. Oz (Sony) 0.9 +13%

The Real (WBDTD) 0.6 -14%

The Doctors (CTD) 0.5 NC

Jerry Springer (NBCU) 0.3 -25%

FIRST-RUN ROOKIES

The Kelly Clarkson Show (NBCU) 1.3 NC

25 Words or Less (CTD) 1.1 +10%

Tamron Hall (Disney-ABC) 1.0 +11%

Judge Jerry (NBCU) 0.8** -11%

America Says (Sony) 0.7 -13%

Personal Injury Court (MGM) 0.6 NC

Mel Robbins (Sony) 0.5 NC

Protection Court (Trifecta) 0.3 NC

COURT SHOWS

Judge Judy (CTD) 6.9 +6%

Hot Bench(CTD) 2.1 NC

People’s Court (WBDTD) 1.4 NC

Judge Mathis (WBDTD) 0.9 -10%

Divorce Court (20th Television) 0.6 -14%

Caught in Providence (Debmar-Mercury) 0.4 -20%

GAME SHOWS

Jeopardy (CTD) 6.5 +2%

Wheel of Fortune (CTD) 6.2 -2%

Family Feud (Debmar-Mercury/FMNA) 6.0 -2%

Funny You Should Ask(Entertainment Studios) 0.5 NC

OFF-NET CRIME

Dateline M-F (NBCU) 1.1 -8%

Live PD: Police Patrol (Sony) 0.9 -10%

Chicago P.D. (NBCU) 0.8 NC

MAGAZINE SHOWS

Entertainment Tonight (CTD) 3.0 NC

Inside Edition (CTD) 2.9 +4%

Access Hollywood (NBCU) 1.4 NC

TMZ (WBDTD) 1.1 -8%

Extra (WBDTD) 1.0 NC

Daily Mail TV (CTD) 0.8 +14%

Celebrity Page (Trifecta) 0.2 NC

OFF-NET SITCOMS

Big Bang Theory (WBDTD) 3.2 -6%

Last Man Standing (20th Television) 2.0 -5%

3. Modern Family (20th Television) 1.5 -6%

Two and a Half Men (WBDTD) 1.3 -7%

The Goldbergs(Sony) 1.2 -8%

Family Guy (20th Television) 1.2 NC

Black-ish (Disney-ABC) 1.0 NC

Seinfeld (Sony) 1.0 NC

Mike and Molly (WBDTD) 0.9 -10%

Mom (WBDTD) 0.9 -10%

OFF-NET WEEKLY HOURS

Dateline Weekly (NBCU) 3.0 -12%

NCIS: New Orleans (CTD) 1.4 NC

Law & Order: SVU (NBCU) 1.3 -13%

Chicago P.D. (NBCU) 1.2 -8%

Castle (Disney-ABC) 1.0 +11%

Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBCU) 0.9 -10%

Madam Secretary (CTD) 0.9 +13%