CBS, WB off to hot start
UPN, ABC see decrease
Start to the season was not kind to UPN, however, as year-to-year "Enterprise" declines contributed to losses of 25% or more across the board. And ABC, whose struggling Thursday drama "Push, Nevada" could get an early shove off the sked, was down nearly 20% -- although its year-to-year comparisons figure to hold up better in the coming weeks.
Fox, which has delayed the launch of some of its key series until after postseason baseball, was basically flat year-to-year and ran fourth in 18-49.
NBC, the dominant network in demos last season, rode boffo season-premiere numbers for "Friends" and winning perfs from several new series to opening-week victories in adults 18-49 and 25-54 -- but CBS is beginning to breathe down its neck. The Peacock net's advantage over the second-place Eye was 17% in adults 18-49 and just 9% in adults 25-54.
The two nets are clearly far ahead of the network pack at this time, combining for the week's top 10 programs in both adults 18-49 and total viewers. "Friends" led the way with an average aud of 34 million and a 16.6 rating/41 share in adults 18-49.
For CBS, which also drew the largest overall primetime aud last week (13.9 million), hot start marks its most competitive demo finish in 11 years. The "CSI" franchise, "Survivor" and its Monday comedies lifted the Eye to a first-place finish in men 25-54 as well.
Eye's "CSI" and "Everybody Loves Raymond" delivered their largest overall premiere auds, a feat also accomplished this fall by vets like NBC's "Friends" and the WB's "7th Heaven" and "Gilmore Girls."
CBS also can be encouraged by its weeknight performance in the 10 p.m. hour, where its dramas have delivered year-to-year gains of more than 30% in key demos, while NBC and ABC are both off by double-digit percentages. This is a key part of the net's strategy to boost late news ratings at its local affils.
The WB, paced by some net records for the second-season preem of "Smallville," was up 50% or more in key demos year-to-year and, in a reversal of last season, defeated UPN in both adults 18-34 and adults 18-49.
Net's new series "Everwood" is playing well on Monday, "Charmed" is boosting Sunday and its Friday comedies, including the new "What I Like About You" and "Greetings From Tucson," spiked up in week two.
There are a couple of caveats to the big gains at both the Frog and the Eye, though. CBS didn't have "Survivor," the finale of "Big Brother" or a Sunday NFL overrun on its sked last season, nor did the WB have its potent Tuesday lineup or its Friday comedies.
Still, both nets figure to have the best shots at consistently showing year-to-year gains this season.
Overall, it was a good week for broadcast television, as the six nets combined for a 52 share of the primetime aud (up from last year's 51) while basic cable slipped 1 share to 40.
Sunday
There appears to be no stopping HBO's "The Sopranos" (10.97m, 5.7/13 in A18-49), which held up very well despite season premieres from ABC' "Alias" (11.13m, 5.0/11) and NBC's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (15.79m, 4.9/11). "Sopranos" led the hour in all key demos, while "CI" was on top in total viewers.
Perf by "Alias," while down from last year, was admirable given its weak lead-in from movie "Prince William" (1.9/6 in 18-49). And "Law & Order: CI" was up 9% vs. its year-ago bow.
NBC, which won the night, saw a very strong start for nostalgic drama "American Dreams" (13.91m, 4.7/12 in 18-49), which easily led its 8 p.m. hour, and a strong second-place finish at 10 from "Boomtown" (13.45m, 4.9/12).
And the WB's "Charmed" greatly improved the net's performance at 8, placing third in adults 18-34 (2.7/8).
Saturday
Network preem of "The Green Mile" (10.56m, 4.0/11 in A18-49) gave ABC a victory on the night and its best Saturday movie scores in a year.
Friday
Preem of new CBS drama "Hack" won its 9 p.m. hour in total viewers (12.89m) and was second to NBC's "Dateline" in adults 18-49 (3.3/11). News wasn't as good for the debuting "Robbery Homicide Division" on CBS or "That Was Then" on ABC (Daily Variety, Sept. 30).
The WB's laffer lineup improved from premiere week, including a 28% climb in adults 18-34. "What I Like About You" led the way with a timeslot-winning 2.3/10 in 18-34 at 8 -- up 28% from its week-earlier preem. And at 9:30, "Greetings From Tucson" (1.8/7 in 18-34) improved 50% or more in most key categories.
Thursday
How dominant are NBC and CBS on this night? Combined, their programs accounted for seven of the week's top 10 shows in 18-49.
Against this two-headed monster, ABC's "Push, Nevada" (4.45m, 1.3/3) fell precipitously in its second Thursday try (Daily Variety, Sept. 30).
Wednesday
ABC's "My Wife and Kids" and NBC's "The West Wing" were the standout returning shows, while Fox's "Cedric the Entertainer Presents" and "Fastlane" held up well in their second tries (Daily Variety, Sept. 27).
UPN's "Enterprise" (4.84m, 2.4/7 in A18-49), while up slightly from its season preem, was drawing roughly half the ratings of its second episode last year. And at 9, net's "Twilight Zone" declined a steep 35% week-to-week in 18-49 (1.3/3 vs. 2.0/5).
Tuesday
NBC's "Frasier" and the WB's "Smallville" soared, overshadowing solid preems for NBC's "In-Laws" and "Hidden Hills" (Daily Variety, Sept. 26).
Monday
Series bow of "CSI: Miami" and season preem of "Everybody Loves Raymond" helped CBS dominate in 18-49 and total viewers. ABC, with "Monday Night Football," won the night in adults 18-34, while UPN's comedy block delivered year-to-year gains of 15% in adults 18-34.
