After a of couple stagnant weeks, the frame ending May 1 saw some life returning to first-run syndication as ratings began moving up. Among the big movers outside the talk genre was Family Feud, the week's No. 1 show overall, up 16% to a 7.1.
WEEKLY SYNDICATION RATINGS ROUNDUP
May Sweep Starts, Talk Shows Take Off
Talk shows, led by Live with Kelly & Michael, were the strongest performers in the week ending May 1, which included the first two days of the important May sweep survey period (April 28-May 25).
Live’s ratings rocketed 20% from the prior session to the top of the talk show ranks, and surged 24% from last year, the greatest annual improvement of any daytime strip, scoring a new season-high 3.6 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating. The show was also No. 1 among women 25-54, climbing 21% to a 1.7 in the key demo.
The ratings fireworks were ignited by co-host Kelly Ripa’s return to the program on April 26 after staying off the show for four days following the announcement that co-host Michael Strayhan had been selected to join Good Morning America in the fall.
Usual top talker Dr. Phil, which had finished first for the past 16 weeks (including one tie), heald steady at a 3.1.
In third place, Ellen DeGeneres came to life after two straight declining sessions with a 14% advance to a 2.5.
Other members of the yak pack having a big week included:
BRAND CONNECTIONS
- Steve Harvey, which jumped 6% to a five-week high 1.9 and grew 13% among women 25-54.
- Wendy Williams, which spurted 13% to a 1.8.
- Rachel Ray, which rallied 15% to a 1.5 and also posted the second-largest year-to-year improvement in talk, climbing 15%.
- Dr. Oz, which advanced 15% to a nine-week high 1.5.
- The Doctors and The Real, which both rose 11% to a 1.0.
Among the rookies, Crime Watch Daily maintained its stranglehold on the freshman field, averaging well over 1.3 million daily viewers and leading the rookie category for the 33rd week in a row with a steady 1.0.
In access, The Insider had the sharpest weekly growth among magazines, leaping 18% to an eight-week high 1.3.
Sister show, Entertainment Tonight led the genre for the 23rd consecutive frame with a steady 3.3, which was up 3% from last year.
Extra led the field in annual growth with an 8% increase to a 1.4.
At the top of the overall chart, Family Feud easily blew away the game shows, shooting up 16% to a 7.1, and just squeaking by usual overall No. 1 Judge Judy, by one-tenth of a rating point. However, Judy, which was in reruns for most of the week, still grew 4% to a 7.0.
The week’s top-rated daytime talk shows in the women 25-54 demo were:
- Live with Kelly & Michael (1.7, +21% from the week before)
- Dr. Phil (1.5, +7%)
- Ellen DeGeneres (1.3, +18%)
- Wendy Williams (1.2, +9%)
- Maury (1.1, unchanged)
- Steve Harvey (0.9, +13%), tied with Steve Wilkos (0.9, 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. Live with Kelly & Michael (Disney-ABC) 3.6* +20%
2. Dr. Phil (CTD) 3.1 NC
3. Ellen DeGeneres (WBDTD) 2.5 +14%
4. Steve Harvey (NBCU) 1.9 +6%
5. Wendy Williams (Debmar-Mercury) 1.8 +13%
6. Maury (NBCU) 1.6 NC
7. Dr. Oz (Sony) 1.5 +15%
7. Rachael Ray (CTD) 1.5 +15%
9. Steve Wilkos (NBCU) 1.4 NC
10. Jerry Springer (NBCU) 1.2 NC
11. The Real (WBDTD) 1.0 +11%
11. The Doctors (CTD) 1.0 +11%
13. Meredith Vieira (NBCU) 0.8 NC
DAYTIME ROOKIE SHOWS
1. Crime Watch Daily (WBDTD) 1.0 NC
2. FABLife (Disney) 0.8 +14%
3. Crazy Talk (NBCU) 0.5 NC
COURT SHOWS
1. Judge Judy (CTD) 7.0 +4%
2. Hot Bench (CTD) 2.4 NC
3. People’s Court (WBDTD) 1.8 -5%
4. Judge Mathis (WBDTD) 1.5 NC
5. Divorce Court (Twentieth) 1.2 NC
6. Judge Faith (Trifecta) 0.9 +13%
MAGAZINE SHOWS
1. Entertainment Tonight (CTD) 3.3 NC
2. Inside Edition (CTD) 3.0 NC
3. TMZ (WBDTD) 1.8 NC
4. Access Hollywood (NBCU) 1.6 NC
5. Extra (WBDTD) 1.4 NC
6. The Insider (CTD) 1.3 +18%
7. Dish Nation (Twentieth) 1.0 NC
8. Celebrity Page (Trifecta) 0.3 NC
GAME SHOWS
1. Family Feud (Debmar-Mercury/FMNA) 7.1 +16%
2. Wheel of Fortune (CTD) 6.6 +5%
3. Jeopardy (CTD) 6.1 +3%
4. Celebrity Name Game (Debmar-Mercury/FMNA) 1.4 +8%
5. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (Disney-ABC) 1.3 NC
INTERNET VIDEO
1. Right This Minute (MGM) 1.2 +9%
OFF-NET SITCOMS
1. Big Bang Theory (WBDTD) 5.4 +2%
2. Modern Family (Twentieth) 3.0 NC
3. Two and a Half Men (WBDTD) 2.7 +4%
4. Family Guy (Twentieth) 2.0 NC
4. Mike and Molly (WBDTD) 2.0 NC
6. Two Broke Girls (WBDTD) 1.9 -5%
7. Seinfeld (Sony) 1.8 NC
8. How I Met Your Mother (Twentieth) 1.6 NC
8. The Cleveland Show (Twentieth) 1.6 -6%
10. King of the Hill (Twentieth) 1.3 -7%
OFF-NET WEEKLY HOUR DRAMAS
1. Law & Order: SVU (NBCU) 4.5 NC
2. The Closer (WBDTD) 2.9 NC
3. Blue Bloods (CTD) 2.0 +11%
4. Castle (Disney-ABC) 1.7 +6%
5. Scandal (Disney-ABC) 1.6 +14%
6. The Good Wife (CTD) 1.3 NC
6. The Mentalist (WBDTD) 1.3 NC
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