‘Dr. Phil’ Strong As February Sweep Starts

Dr. Phil’s exclusive interview with Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, the perpetrator of the Manti Te’o fake girlfriend hoax, drew 4,823,000 viewers on Jan. 31, which was the first day of the February sweep.

The bombshell interview was up 17% from Phil’s season-to-date average, making it the most-watched episode of the season.

Overall, Phil was the week’s No. 1 talk show by a substantial margin among households for the 17^th time this season with a 3.2 rating, despite being off 3% from the week before. Phil was also first in the women 25-54 demo for the week ending Feb. 3.

Among shows not yet nationally rated, the most recent metered market averages show the new game show Let’s Ask America (WBDTD) holding steady, with its four-week average at a 1.9 rating/4 share, which was up 19% from its premiere week in September.

Access Hollywood Live (NBCU) scored a 1.2/4, even with its four-week average, while growing 18% in top market New York compared to last year at this time.

In the household rating rankings that follow, an asterisk indicates a new season high rating; % change is from the previous week; NC indicates no change from the previous week.

TALK SHOWS

1. Dr. Phil (CTD) 3.2 -3%

2. Ellen (WBDTD) 2.8 NC

2. Live with Kelly and Michael (Disney-ABC) 2.8 NC

4. Dr. Oz (Sony) 2.6 +4%

5. Maury (NBCU) 2.4 NC

6. Katie (Disney-ABC) 2.0 -9%

7. Steve Harvey (NBCU) 1.6 NC

7. Rachael Ray (CTD) 1.6 NC

7. Steve Wilkos (NBCU) 1.6 NC

10. Jerry Springer (NBCU) 1.5 NC

11. The Doctors (CTD) 1.4 NC

11. Wendy Williams (Debmar-Mercury) 1.4 -7%

13. A Anderson Live (WBDTD) 1.2 NC

14. Ricki Lake (Twentieth) 0.7 -13%

14. Jeff Probst (CTD) 0.7 NC

16. Trisha (NBCU) 0.6 NC

16. Jeremy Kyle (Debmar-Mercury) 0.6 NC

FRESHMEN TALKERS

1. Katie (Disney-ABC) 2.0 -9%

2. Steve Harvey (NBCU) 1.6 NC

3. Ricki Lake (Twentieth) 0.7 -13%

4. Jeff Probst (CTD) 0.7 NC

5. Trisha (NBCU) 0.6 NC

MAGAZINE SHOWS

1. Entertainment Tonight (CTD) 3.8 NC

2. Inside Edition (CTD) 3.3 NC

3. TMZ (WBDTD) 2.1 NC

4. Access Hollywood (NBCU) 1.9 +6%

5. Extra (WBDTD) 1.6 +7%

6. OMG Insider (CTD) 1.4 NC

7. Dish Nation (Twentieth) 1.0 NC

COURT SHOWS

1. Judge Judy (CTD) 7.4 +3%

2. Judge Joe Brown (CTD) 2.5 -4%

3. People’s Court (WBDTD) 2.0 +5%

4. Judge Mathis (WBDTD) 1.6 NC

5. Judge Alex (Twentieth) 1.5 NC

6. Divorce Court (Twentieth) 1.4 NC

GAME SHOWS

1. Wheel of Fortune (CTD) 7.8 NC

2. Jeopardy (CTD) 6.9 -1%

3. Family Feud (Debmar-Mercury) 5.3 +4%

4. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (Disney-ABC) 2.6 NC

5. Baggage (GSN) 1.1 NC

OFF-NET SITCOMS

1. Big Bang Theory (WBDTD) 7.7 -5%

2. Two and a Half Men (WBDTD) 5.6 NC

3. Family Guy (Twentieth) 3.7 -10%

4. How I Met Your Mother (Twentieth) 2.7 -13%

5. Seinfeld (Sony) 2.4 NC

6. King of the Hill (Twentieth) 2.3 -4%

OFF-NET WEEKLY HOURS

1. Law & Order: SVU (NBCU) 4.0 -5%

2. House (NBCU) 2.7 -4%

3. Law & Order (NBCU) 2.6 -16%

3. Criminal Minds (CTD) 2.6 NC

5. CSI: Miami (CTD) 2.5 -4%