‘Dr. Phil’ Takes Top Talk Slot For Week, Season

Dr. Phil, which will finish the 2014-15 season in first place among talk shows for the fourth year in a row, was also the top talker in the session ending Aug. 23, a week in which almost all shows were in reruns.

Phil was up 4% to a 2.6 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating for the week, while averaging more than 4.4 million viewers for the season, according to the most current ratings.

Live with Kelly & Michael, which was on tape with repackaged shows on three of the five days, was right behind Phil in second place with a 2.5 for the week. Live was also the No. 2 talker for the season with more than 3.9 million viewers, its strongest showing in eight years.

For the week, Maury rose 6% to a third-place 2.9, while Ellen DeGeneres, at an unchanged 1.7, and Steve Harvey, at a steady 1.5, rounded out the top five.

Season-to-season, Harvey recorded the most improvement among the top five talkers, growing 6% to more than 2.5 million daily viewers on average.

In access, Inside Edition, at a 3.0 for the week, squeaked by sister show Entertainment Tonight at a 2.9 and led the magazine field for the first time in two months. But, ET was easily the No. 1 magazine for the entire season with a 3.3 most-current rating.

For the week, the biggest gainers among the top six magazines were:

• Access Hollywood, which was up 7% to a 1.6.
• Extra, which surged 8% to a seven-week high 1.3.
• The Insider, which advanced 9% to a 1.2.

Among game shows for the week, Family Feud was tops once again with a 6.2. For the entire season, Wheel of Fortune, with a most-current 6.7, took game show honors. However, Feud has been the No. 1 game for nine of the past 11 weeks.

Judge Judy was the highest rated show overall for the ninth consecutive week with a 6.6, and the No. 1 program in syndication for the sixth straight year with a 7.0 most-current rating for this season.

In the metered markets, the T.D. Jakes test run which began Aug. 17 declined 33% from to its lead-ins and fell 27% from its time periods to a 0.8 rating/2 share average after two weeks.

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

• Maury (1.2, +8% from the week before), tied with Dr. Phil (1.2, unchanged) and Live with Kelly & Michael (1.2 -7%)
• Steve Wilkos (0.9, unchanged)
• Ellen DeGeneres (0.8, -11%)
• Wendy Williams (0.7, -13%), tied with Jerry Springer (0.7, unchanged)

The 2014-15 season’s top-rated daytime talk shows in the women 25-54 demo, according to the most current national ratings, were:

• Dr. Phil (1.7, -5% from last year)
• Live with Kelly & Michael (1.5, -6%), tied with Ellen DeGeneres (1.5, -11%)
• Maury (1.4, +7%)
• Wendy Williams (1.2, +9%)
• Steve Wilkos (1.0, 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 mean not applicable.

TALK SHOWS

1. Dr. Phil (CTD) 2.6 +4%

2. Live with Kelly & Michael (Disney-ABC) 2.5 -4%

3. Maury (NBCU) 1.9 +6%

4. Ellen DeGeneres (WBDTD) 1.7 NC

5. Steve Harvey (NBCU) 1.5 NC

6. Steve Wilkos (NBCU) 1.3 -7%

6. Jerry Springer (NBCU) 1.3 NC

6. Dr. Oz (Sony) 1.3 +8%

9. Rachael Ray (CTD) 1.2 NC

9. Wendy Williams (Debmar-Mercury) 1.2 NC

11. Meredith Vieira (NBCU) 0.9 NC

11. The Real (WBDTD) 0.9 NC

11. The Doctors (CTD) 0.9 NC

14. The Better Show (Meredith) 0.1 NC

INTERNET VIDEO

1. Right This Minute (MGM) 1.3 NC

COURT SHOWS

1. Judge Judy (CTD) 6.6 -1%

2. Hot Bench (CTD) 2.0 NC

3. People’s Court (WBDTD) 1.7 NC

4. Judge Mathis (WBDTD) 1.4 NC

5. Divorce Court (Twentieth) 1.3 NC

6. Paternity Court (Orion Television) 1.2 NC

7. Judge Faith (Trifecta) 0.8 NC

MAGAZINE SHOWS

1. Inside Edition (CTD) 3.0 +3%

2. Entertainment Tonight (CTD) 2.9 -3%

3. TMZ (WBDTD) 1.8 NC

4. Access Hollywood (NBCU) 1.6 +7%

5. Extra (WBDTD) 1.3 +8%

6. The Insider (CTD) 1.2 +9%

7. Dish Nation (Twentieth) 1.0 NC

8. OK! TV (Trifecta) 0.2 NC

9. Intelligence for Your Life (IFYL) 0.1 NC

GAME SHOWS

1. Family Feud (Debmar-Mercury/FMNA) 6.2 +2%

2. Wheel of Fortune (CTD) 5.9 +2%

3. Jeopardy (CTD) 5.7 -3%

4. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (Disney-ABC) 1.7 NC

5. Celebrity Name Game (Debmar-Mercury/FMNA) 1.3 NC

OFF-NET SITCOMS

1. Big Bang Theory (WBDTD) 5.2 +4%

2. Modern Family (Twentieth) 3.3 +6%

3. Two and a Half Men (WBDTD) 2.9 +12%

4. Family Guy (Twentieth) 2.5 +4%

5. Mike and Molly (WBDTD) 2.2 +5%

6. How I Met Your Mother (Twentieth) 1.9 +6%

6. Seinfeld (Sony) 1.9 NC

8. The Cleveland Show (Twentieth) 1.8 NC

9. The Middle (WBDTD) 1.7 NC

10. King of the Hill (Twentieth) 1.5 NC

OFF-NET WEEKLY HOURS

1. Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBCU) 5.5 +12%

2. Law & Order: SVU (NBCU) 3.2 +10%

3. Blue Bloods (CTD) 2.3 +5%

4. Castle (Disney-ABC) 2.0 +11%

5. The Mentalist (WBDTD) 1.7 -6%

6. The Good Wife (CTD) 1.6 +14%