Weddings a gift for NBC, ABC
Peacock, Eye finish in virtual first-place tie in overall aud
A wedding on "Will & Grace" has boosted NBC to another weekly primetime ratings victory in all key demos, while a proposal on "The Bachelor" has vaulted ABC to strong second-place finishes and its best numbers of the season.
NBC and CBS finished in a virtual first-place tie in overall aud, with the Eye eking out a 20,000-viewer edge, according to Nielsen Media Research.
The Peacock net, with boffo Thursday scores for "Friends" (12.6/32 in adults 18-49), "ER" (12.3/31) and the one-hour wedding episode of "Will & Grace" (11.8/27), captured the Nov. 18-24 frame in adults 18-49 (5.2/14), adults 25-54 (5.9/14) and adults 18-34 (4.7/14) -- the net's best showing since premiere week.
Net also received a jolt from its Monday lineup, as "Third Watch" hit a season high in 18-49 (5.3/12), and on Tuesday from "Frasier" (7.5/18), which delivered best-since-premiere scores with its continued storyline of Niles' health problems.
ABC, which won the frame among viewers under 50, delivered its best weekly 18-49 rating (4.9) since January and its largest overall aud (12.5 million) since the week of the Academy Awards in March.
Two-hour finale of "The Bachelor" crushed its competish on Wednesday and ranked as the week's No. 1 program in women 18-49 (16.4/35). Net also did well with "Monday Night Football" (7.6/20 in adults 18-49) and on Sunday with a pair of movies.
Season-to-date, ABC has pulled to within a tick of second-place CBS in 18-49 and is the only major network up year-to-year in adults 18-34.
Fox moved into a tie with CBS for third in adults 18-49 thanks to victories on Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday. "The Simpsons," despite facing tough competish for young viewers on Sunday, delivered its largest aud since March 2001 (17.38 million) and was the No. 1 program of the week among teens (11.0/31) and men 18-34 (11.5/30).
The Eye continues to perform well on its two nights of "CSI" (Monday and Thursday) and also fared better than usual on Friday (a "CSI" repeat). Net's biggest sweeps specials, "Victoria's Secret" and "Martin and Lewis," failed to create much excitement among viewers.
The WB delivered its best weekly 18-49 rating ever (2.3/6), thanks in part to a Sunday lift from "The Wizard of Oz" (3.1/7) and a special one-hour episode of "Reba" on Friday (1.8/6).
UPN, despite continued gains with its Monday comedies, remained well behind the WB in 18-34 and was down 15% vs. the same week a year ago.
Monday
CBS captured Nov. 25 in adults 18-49 and total viewers, led by "Everybody Loves Raymond" (20.53m, 6.8/16 in A18-49) and "CSI: Miami" (18.83m, 6.7/17).
The WB's "7th Heaven" (9.06m) and "Everwood" (6.96m) drew their largest auds since premiere week, and Fox's "Boston Public" grabbed its best 18-49 rating (4.4/11) in four weeks.
ABC won in male demos with "Monday Night Football" and NBC did decently with "Erin Brockovich" (4.3/11 in A18-49).
Sunday
Fox, led by "The Simpsons," "King of the Hill" and an NFL overrun, won in adults 18-49 on a night full of movies on the other nets.
ABC's "Pennsylvania Miners' Story" matched the season high for any made-for this season in 18-49 (5.0/12), getting the best of CBS' "Martin and Lewis" (4.4/10). ABC also did well with "Santa Clause" (5.9/14), which built to more than 19 million viewers by its final half-hour.
Despite tough competish on the broadcast nets, HBO's "The Sopranos" averaged a strong 11.12 million viewers and a 5.9/13 in adults 18-49.
Saturday
CBS delivered its largest aud on the night this season (10.3 million), with "The Agency" drawing its best 18-49 rating this fall (2.9/8).
Friday
NBC recorded another victory on the night, but CBS took a chunk out of the Peacock's lead by placing a repeat of "CSI" at 10 (11.60m, 3.6/11 in A18-49) that more than doubled the week-earlier rating of "Robbery Homicide Division." "CSI" also seemed to bring more viewers to the Eye's "Hack," which led its 9 p.m. hour in total viewers (10.55m) despite a fourth-place 18-49 finish (2.5/8).
A repeat of "Happy Gilmore" (3.0/10 in 18-49) gave Fox its best Friday this season, while ABC was aided by a second hour of "America's Funniest Home Videos" (3.5/11), which led at 9 in the demo.
Thursday
The "Will & Grace" wedding highlighted NBC's biggest victory on the night this season, while CBS was a strong second led by "CSI" and "Survivor" (Daily Variety, Nov. 25).
ABC saw its best Thursday delivery of the season led by "Primetime" (2.9/7 in 18-49) and "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" (2.6/7). Fox did better than usual at 9 with a repeat of "Stupid Behavior Caught on Tape" (2.9/7 in A18-49), but the WB couldn't get the word out for its preem of theatrical "Gossip," which drew just 1.7 million viewers and a 2 share in 18-34.
Wednesday
"The Bachelor" beat the pants off of CBS' "Victoria's Secret" spec, and NBC's "Ed" saw its largest aud of the season (Daily Variety, Nov. 22).
Tuesday
Fox won in adults 18-49 behind "24" (5.1/12), while CBS led in total viewers thanks to a big 55-plus aud.
Ratings were bleak for some of the new laffers, as NBC's "Hidden Hills" retained a lowest-yet 64% of its "Frasier" lead-in (4.8/12 vs. 7.5/18 in A18-49) and ABC's combo of "Life With Bonnie" (3.5/8) and "Less Than Perfect" (3.4/8) hit lows.
Monday
ABC won for a third straight Monday in adults 18-49 while CBS won for a ninth straight week in total viewers. The WB's "7th Heaven" topped Fox's "Boston Public" in persons 12-34 and total viewers.
