OPINION: Silk Purses From Sow's Ears - ABC Spins Daytime Ratings
Below is the actual press release issued through ABC Medianet announcing Nielson Ratings for the Week of 11/9 thru 11/13/09 followed by the actual ratings with my annotations and analysis.
Friday, November 20, 2009
ABC Television Network
PRESS RELEASE - PRESS RELEASE - ENTERTAINMENT -
ABC Daytime ratings
Fringe Ratings Report: ABC Daytime Programming
Week of November 9, 2009
Delivering its Largest Weekly Audience in Over 2 Years in Women 18-34, "General Hospital" is the Week's No. 1 Program in Daytime in the Key Demo
"General Hospital's" Garners a 9-Month High in Women 18-49, With This Week "All My Children's" and "One Life to Live's" Most-Watched Week in 5 Months
"General Hospital," "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" Deliver at Their Highest Levels in Total Viewers in Over 7 Months
ABC Airs 3 of Daytime's Top 5 Programs in Women 18-49,
With All Shows Placing Among the Top 5 in Women 18-34
ABC Daytime
* The week's No. 1 program in Daytime in Women 18-34 (412,000/1.2 rating), this week ranked as "General Hospital's most-watched week in more than 2 years - since week of 9/17/07.
* "General Hospital" hit a 9-month high in Women 18-49 (976,000/1.5 rating - since week of 2/2/09), while "One Life to Live" (806,000/1.2 rating) and "All My Children" (752,000/1.1 rating) hit a 5-month high in the target measure -- since week of 6/8/09 and 6/1/09, respectively.
* "General Hospital" (2.82 million), "All My Children" (2.75 million) and "One Life to Live" (2.69 million) all deliver their largest weekly audiences in Total Viewers in more than 7 months - since week of 3/23/09.
* In Women 18-49, ABC aired 3 of Daytime's Top 5 programs: "General Hospital" (No. 2 - 1.5 rating/976,000), "The View" (No. 3T - 1.4 rating/924,000) and "One Life to Live" (No. 5T - 1.2 rating/806,000).
* In Women 18-34, all ABC shows positioned among Daytime's Top 5: "General Hospital" (No. 1 - 1.2 rating/412,000), "The View" (No. 2T - 1.1 rating/357,000), "One Life to Live" (No. 5T - 0.9 rating/314,000) and "All My Children" (No. 5T - 0.9 rating/299,000).
Following are the Daytime Lineup averages, plus Top 5 Programs Ranks - Week of November 9, 2009:
Daytime Rank: Total Viewers Women 18-49 (Rtg/000s)
No. 1 CBS 3.62 million No. 1 NBC 1.4/912,000
No. 2 NBC 3.06 million No. 2 ABC 1.3/865,000
No. 3 ABC 3.03 million No. 3 CBS 1.1/732,000
Top 5 Daytime Programs in Women 18-49 (rank based on rating)
Program Net Rtg/000s
The Young & the Restless CBS 1.7/1.14 million
General Hospital ABC 1.5/976,000
The View ABC 1.4/924,000
Days of Our Lives NBC 1.4/912,000
One Life to Live ABC 1.1/806,000
Source: NTI, Live + Same Day: Week of 11/9/09. All ranks based on rating unless otherwise noted..
ABC Media Relations:
Marianne Fleschman (818) 460-7277 marianne.fleschman@abc.com
Catherine Lord (818) 460-6628 catherine.lord@abc.com
Ratings For The Week of 11/9/09
Numbers are based on Live+Same Day ratings
(Compared to Last Week/Compared to Last Year)
Total Viewers
1. Y&R 4,915,000 (+81,000/+39,000) More than 2 million more total viewers than GH this week and every week for the past several years.
2. B&B 3,276,000 (+134,000/-205,000)
3. DAYS 3,055,000 (+189,000/+385,000) DOOL boasts the biggest gain in total viewership from same time last year. Contrary to dire predictions, since jettisoning some of their long-time "super-couples" & fan favs like John & Marlena, DOOL has thrived. Unlike any other soap, DOOL is up more nearly 400,000 viewers this week in contrast to same time last year. Realistically, DOOL could overtake B&B at anytime for the number 2 slot.
4. GH 2,818,000 (+36,000/-71,000) Only 65,000 total viewers separate GH from AMC who just fired their Head Writer, Chuck Pratt.
5. AMC 2,753,000 (+177,000/+70,000) More than 177,000 more viewers than prior week & 70,000 more than same time last year. Compared to GH with only 36,000 viewers from the previous week and a net loss of 71,000 viewers from same time last year.
6. OLTL 2,692,000 (+242,000/-220,000)
7. ATWT 2,452,000 (-96,000/-83,000)
Women 18-49 Viewers (The Women 18-34 sub-category of this larger Women 18-49 demo is the category touted by the ABC Press Release for its outstanding performance.)
1. Y&R 1,139,000 (+16,000/+69,000)
2. GH 976,000 (+57,000/-17,000) I suppose, it is good GH is only DOWN 17,000 from same period last year in comparison to both Y&R and DOOL, both of which have gained in this demo from same time last year.
3. DAYS 912,000 (+43,000/+81,000)
4. OLTL 806,000 (+84,000/-160,000)
5. AMC 752,000 (+51,000/-107,000)
6. B&B 717,000 (+13,000/-102,000)
7. ATWT 614,000 (-10,000/-34,000)
Women 18-34 Rating
1. GH 1.2/7 (+.1/+.1)
2. DAYS 1.1/7 (+.1/same)
2. Y&R 1.1/7 (same/+.2)
4. AMC 0.9/6 (same/same)
4. OLTL 0.9/6 (same/same)
6. B&B 0.7/4 (same/same)
7. ATWT 0.6/3 (same/same)
*Above is the demo of which ABC seems so proud. Considering the broader Women 18-49 demo, it appears GH does slightly better among Women 18-34 than among Women 35-49. I have never understood the focus on the younger 18-34 demo in this category. Half of the women in the 18-34 demo, i.e. those from 18-25 are just out of high school or college and settling in to their first job, struggling to pay rent, or saving for a home, etc. In the current economic environment, many in this demo are struggling to obtain credit for homes, cars, etc. Their disposable income is limited. In contrast, from an advertisers' perspective, women in the older sector of this demo (35-49) would likely be out of school, working, perhaps raising a family, and therefore have more money to spend on a larger variety of products and services they need for home and family. Regardless, the economy or their age, everyone from every demo (except perhaps Girls 12-17) buys food, paper products, personal hygiene, and cleaning supplies. Therefore, I don't understand the greater emphasis on the Women 18-34 demo.
For the SEASON September 21, 2009 through November 15, 2009
Women 18-49 Rating
1. Y&R 1.8
2. DAYS 1.5
2. GH 1.5
4. OLTL 1.2
5. AMC 1.1
5. B&B 1.1
7. ATWT 0.9
Source: Soap Opera Network
Final Thoughts:
Notwithstading ABC's irrationally exuberant press release, less than 400,000 viewers separate GH from the lowest-rated soap on television. In contrast, more than 2 MILLION viewers separate GH from the highest-rated Y&R.
With the lone exception of CBS's ATWT, all of ABC's line-up is trails BEHIND both CBS & NBC in total viewership
GH actually lost viewers relative to same time last year and had the smallest weekly gain of all soaps except ATWT. DOOL is wiping the floor with GH, which just a year ago would have been unthinkable. Even AMC is gaining quickly on GH, and AMC has just fired their Head Writer, and simultaneously faces the upheaval of cross-country relocation, and loss of key characters. Yet, AMC is the only ABC soap posting a net gain of viewers this week over same time last year.
GH did not hit the 3 million viewer mark a single day last week; in fact OLTL is the only ABC soap to exceed 3 million viewers on even a single day last week.
Perhaps my inital "irrationally exuberant" characterization is too restrained for the ABC Press Release. Those folks in the Disney-ABC Public Relations department deserve an enthusiastic "Huzzah" for their enormous cajones in trying to spin a silk purse out of this sow's ear. Huzzah!
0 comments (discuss):
Post a Comment