"Schindler's List" and "Asteroid, Part 2" have flattened the Feb. 17-23 primetime Nielsens opposition, ensuring a huge NBC win as the February sweeps head into their final days.
"List" posted heroic numbers with its 210-minute, commercial-free broadcast premiere Sunday. It was the best adults 18-49 score by any theatrical film on any net since "Jurassic Park" (May 7, 1995), with an estimated 65 million viewers watching at least some of the telecast. That's more than double the number that saw "List" in U.S. movie theaters.
Those results, combined with Monday's staggering "Asteroid" impact, propelled NBC to its widest weeklong 18-49 margin of victory in a February sweeps in the nearly 10 years of Nielsen's peoplemeter measurement.
With just two days left to count in the February sweeps, NBC's victory is assured, but ABC scored well enough in Feb. 17-23 results to give it at least an outside shot at second place in the sweeps' households and 18-49 races. The powerful Friday and Saturday films "The Flintstones" and "The Bodyguard," plus the second-best numbers this season for both "PrimeTime Live" and "20/20" pushed ABC back toward sweeps respectability last week.
In households, ABC, CBS and NBC are all running down 6% from their year-ago sweeps scores, but the pivotal demographic results show NBC roughly equaling its powerful '96 results while ABC and CBS remain down significantly.
Through Monday of this week, those sweeps averages are: NBC, an 11.6 rating, 19 share (down 6% compared to results for the same period last year); CBS, 9.8/16 (down 6%); ABC, 9.5/15 (down 6%); Fox, 7.9/13 (even). Among adults 18-49, the demographic most avidly sought by advertisers, sweeps averages are: NBC, a 7.8 rating (up 1%); Fox, 5.9 (up 2%); ABC, 5.5 (down 8%); CBS, 4.4 (down 10%).
Fox is wrapping its strongest sweeps ever, apparently headed to second in the key 18-49 race, a competitive third in adults 25-54, an easy second in adults 18-34 (where it's currently tied with NBC for first when counting just Fox's 15 hours on the air) and a clear first in teens.
CBS must hope for a big finishing kick from tonight's Grammys or it'll end the month with fourth-place finishes in most key demos and the largest year-to-year losses of any net. So far this month, CBS is down by 10% in adults 25-54 and 18% among adults 18-34. The Eye is likely to salvage second place in households, a measure that does not always translate to advertising revenue.
Last week, WB equaled its best Wednesday mark in 15 weeks and posted its best Sunday rating in 18 weeks.
Adults 18-49 results for the Feb. 17-23 week were: NBC, 8.6/22 (up 16%); ABC, 6.2/16 (down 5%); Fox, 5.7/15 (up 8%); CBS, 4.1/11 (down 11%); UPN, 2.1/5 (down 13%); WB, 1.4/3 (down 13%).
Monday
Fox's "Melrose Place" (9.0 rating, 14 share in homes) and an hourlong "Married ... With Children" (8.2/13) led Monday of this week (24) in adults 18-49, narrowly topping NBC.
ABC got attractive household figures for "Happy Birthday, Elizabeth" (11.0 rating, 17 share) and John Stossel's "Freeloaders" news special (11.2/20), enough to win the night in homes, but the demo skew was elderly and ABC finished a weak fourth in adults 25-54.
The sagging fortunes of CBS and "David Letterman" were exemplified by the 30% falloff (vs. year-ago results) for the Feb. 24 Letterman spec (8.6/15). NBC's "Lance Burton, Master Magician" spec (8.3/13) also experienced a 27% year-to-year nosedive.
WB's "Savannah" wrapped its season with a two-hour 2.5/4, best for that struggling soph since Dec. 2.
Sunday
"Schindler's List" led NBC to its best non-sports 18-49 rating on a Sunday since Nov. 1, 1992.
Despite "List," ABC erupted for its second-best Sunday 18-49 average of the season with its volcano movie and documentary. Fox was second for the night in that demo, where it's up a staggering 47% this February vs. last.
CBS' part one of "Night Sins" managed just the sixth best first-episode rating among the seven multiple-parters aired this season.
WB's "Steve Harvey" snagged its highest rating ever.
Saturday
ABC roughed up the competition with "The Bodyguard," which grabbed ABC's second-best Saturday 18-49 average this season. After having gone more than 13 months without a Saturday win in that demo, ABC movies won three of four during the sweeps. CBS took the night in households.
NBC's "Screen Actors Guild Awards" continued to head south, fading by 7% compared to its year-ago tally. It was the lowest rating among the seven awards shows on ABC, CBS and NBC so far this season, more than 5 ratings points behind "The Golden Globes" and "The People's Choice Awards." At 8 p.m., "Bloopers" stumbled to its lowest rating since July 24, 1993.
Friday
ABC earned its most decisive Friday victory since last June as "The Flintstones" rolled to the Alphabet's heftiest Friday 8-10 p.m. rating in more than two years (since Jan. 20, 1995). "20/20" contributed its second-best numbers of the season.
Fox's up-and-down rookie "Millennium" is down again, last week slipping to its second-lowest firstrun 18-49 rating to date. The Feb. 21 episode managed barely half the year-ago "X-Files" 18-49 rating in that slot, down a blood-curdling 46% from the '96 "X-Files" score.
Thursday
NBC's killer lineup surged to the strongest nightlong rating of the sweeps.
Wednesday
Fox won its second non-sports Wednesday among adults 18-49 this season as "Party of Five" surged to its highest 18-49 rating ever and "Beverly Hills, 90210" managed its best since Feb. 28, 1996. It was Fox's highest non-sports Wednesday rating in the 18-49 demo since Jan. 3, 1996.
ABC took the night in households. A Mark Fuhrman interview helped "PrimeTime Live" to its second-highest rating of the season.
NBC's "Chicago Sons" is beginning to look like a pretty average rookie, last week merely equaling its 18-49 lead-in from "Wings" while slot rival "Coach" built on its lead-in by 10%.
CBS' "Pearl" failed to come to life despite a Ted Danson guest appearance, holding just 76% of its 18-49 lead-in from "The Nanny." "Murder In My Mind" followed with CBS' lowest Wednesday-pic rating this season.
Tuesday
ABC enjoyed an easy Tuesday win in key demos, though rugged sweeps competition took its toll on "NYPD Blue," which equaled its lowest firstrun rating ever (Daily Variety, Feb. 20). NBC's "Caroline in the City" also slipped to its worst original-episode rating to date.
Monday
"Asteroid" smashed all competition last Monday (17), virtually clinching the sweeps for NBC. In its two nights, "Asteroid" expanded the Peacock's February households lead by 40% (Daily Variety, Feb. 20). Fox's "Melrose Place" scored a season-high 18-49 rating.
Each rating point represents an estimated 970,000 households, or 1% of the country's TV homes. The share is the same sort of percentage, except that it's measured against only the households in which TV is being watched during the timeslot involved.
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