Among those doing well in the week ending April 29 were most of the talk shows as well as the courtrooms, newcomers Anderson, Access Hollywood Live and three of the magazines.
WEEKLY SYNDICATED RATINGS ROUNDUP
Syndie Talkers Start Strong In May Sweep
Daytime strips were hot as the May Sweep (April 26-May 23) got underway in the week ending April 29. Courtroom queen Judge Judy (CTD) was the highest rated show in all of syndication and rookie champ Anderson (WBDTD) scored its best ratings since February.
Talk Shows
Six of the top seven talkers were up from the week before in the session, which included the first two weekdays and the first weekend of the sweep. The only top talker unable to grow was Maury (NBCU), in fifth place.
Leader Dr. Phil (CTD) solidified its position as heir to Oprah, winning the weekly talk show race for the 26th time this season with a 7% improvement in households to a 3.0, and a 13% increase among women 18-34.
Dr. Oz (Sony) was up 4% to a 2.7; Live with Kelly (Disney-ABC)recovered 4% to a 2.4 after dropping to a season low in the prior frame and landed in a third-place tie with Ellen DeGeneres (WBDTD), which was up 14% to a 2.4. Maury was flat at a 2.3; but The Doctors (CTD) rose a healthy 13% to a 1.7, its strongest rating in eight weeks; and Rachael Ray (CTD) rallied 7% to a 1.5.
First-Run Freshmen
BRAND CONNECTIONS
Anderson was the top newcomer in first run for the 33rd consecutive week with a 7% advance to a 1.5. Jeremy Kyle (Debmar-Mercury) and We the People with Gloria Allred (Entertainment Studios) were unchanged at 0.6 and 0.4, respectively. In latenight, the recently renewed Excused (CTD) maintained its 0.6 rating.
Another recently renewed show, slow rollout Access Hollywood Live (NBCU), scored double-digit demo gains across the board in its 17 metered markets compared to the same week last year. Its best top markets were Los Angeles, where it ballooned 67% in households to a 1.0 rating/3 share, and Chicago, where it zoomed 50% to a 1.2/5.
Court Shows
Judge Judy dominated the court shows and everything else in syndication, growing 3% from the week before to a 6.8, its highest rating in seven weeks. In addition, Judy was up 10% among women 18-49.
Judge Joe Brown (CTD) climbed 4% to a 2.7; People’s Court (WBDTD) added 5% to a 2.0; Judge Alex (Twentieth) was flat at a 1.6; Judge Mathis (WBDTD) was up 7% to a 1.5; and Divorce Court (Twentieth) gained 15% to a 1.5.
Magazine Shows
Magazine king Entertainment Tonight (CTD) dipped 3% to a 3.5. Inside Edition (CTD) inched up 3% to a 3.1; TMZ (WBDTD) was flat at a 1.9; Access Hollywood (NBCU) was on par with the prior week’s 1.8; The Insider (CTD) jumped 7% to a 1.6; and Extra (WBDTD) also surged 7% to a 1.5 in households and 25% in the women 18-34 demo.
Game Shows
Among game shows, Wheel of Fortune (CTD) picked up 3% from the week before to a 6.7 and was second to Judy overall in syndication. Jeopardy (CTD) tacked on 2% to a 5.7; Family Feud (Debmar-Mercury) picked up 3% to a 3.0; while Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (Disney-ABC) got a 4% dividend and earned a 2.6.
Off-Net Sitcoms
In off-net syndication, sitcom topper Big Bang Theory (WBDTD) declined 3% to a 6.5, finishing in third place overall behind Judge Judy and Wheel of Fortune. Two and a Half Men (WBDTD) slipped 2% to a 5.5; Family Guy (Twentieth) was flat at a 4.1; How I Met Your Mother (Twentieth) fell 13% to a new season low 2.6; while Seinfeld (Sony) and Everybody Loves Raymond (CTD) were unchanged at 2.5 and 2.3, respectively.
Among the new sitcoms following Big Bang, 30 Rock (NBCU) eased 8% to a 1.2 in late fringe; while It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Twentieth) and Till Death (Sony) were flat at 1.2 and 0.6, respectively.
Off-Net Weekly Hours
Criminal Minds (CTD) held onto the lead among off-net weekly hours with a 3.0, which was unchanged from the week before. Law & Order (NBCU) was a close second, holding steady at a 2.9; Monk (NBCU) perked up 4% to a 2.5; Without a Trace (WBDTD) rebounded 10% to a 2.3; and Numbers (CTD) tallied a sharp 22% gain to a 2.2.
Comments (0)