Prime-Time Ratings: Weekend Highlights (Mediaweek.com)

-Fridays Winners:
The Price is Right (CBS)

-Fridays Losers (Excluding Repeats):
Amnesia (NBC)

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-Ratings Breakdown:
CBS won this typically uneventful Friday, with a first-place finish in households, total viewers and adults 18-49. But not even cracking 8 million viewers in total or a 2-rating among adults 18-49 is nothing to boast about.

In the battle of the 8 p.m. game shows it was no contest, with CBS The Price is Right considerably ahead of the time period-premiere of NBCs Amnesia. Take a look:

Friday 8 p.m.
The Price is Right (CBS)
Viewers: 9.47 million (#1), A18-49: 2.2 rating/7 share (#1)

Amnesia (NBC)
Viewers: 5.10 million (#3), A18-49: 1.4/ 5 (#3)

Compared to its week-ago debut (Viewers: 7.44 million; A18-49: 2.4/ 7 on Friday, Feb. 22 at 9 p.m.), Amnesia dipped by a hefty 2.34 million viewers and 42 percent among adults 18-49. Did NBC really think this game show could anchor Friday after just one telecast?

Also airing from 8-9 p.m. was a repeat of Foxs Bones (Viewers: #2, 6.38 million; A18-49: #2, 1.6/ 5), which is scheduled to return in originals on Monday, April 28 at 8 p.m. ET, the first hour of the CWs departing Friday Night Smackdown! (Viewers: #4, 4.45 million; A18-49: #4, 1.3/ 5), and a repeat of Greys Anatomy on ABC (Viewers: #5, 4.19 million; A18-49: #5, 1.2/ 4). Overall, Friday Night Smackdown! averaged a consistent 4.69 million viewers and a 1.4/ 5 among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m.

At 9 p.m., leadership was mixed between a repeat of CBS Ghost Whisperer and a repeat of Foxs House as follows:

Friday 9 p.m.
Ghost Whisperer R (CBS)
Viewers: 7.04 million (#1), A18-49: 1.9/ 6 (#2t)

House R (Fox)
Viewers: 6.95 million (#2), A18-49: 2.1/ 6 (#1)

Also airing from 9-10 p.m. was the first hour of ABCs expanded 20/20 (Viewers: #3, 6.54 million; A18-49: #2t, 1.9/ 6), the first of two hours of NBCs Dateline (Viewers: #4, 5.95 million; A18-49: #4t, 1.6/ 5), and the second half of Friday Night Smackdown! on the CW (Viewers: #5, 4.93 million; A18-49: #4t, 1.6/ 5). The CWs loss will, no doubt, be MyNetworkTVs gain next season.

The second half of NBCs Dateline won the 10 p.m. hour, with 7.74 million viewers and a 2.3/ 7 among adults 18-49. Comparably, that beat the second hour of ABCs 20/20 (Viewers: #3, 6.53 million; A18-49: #2, 2.1/ 6) by 1.21 million viewers and 10 percent in the demo. Take a look at the two-hours of Dateline versus the two-hours of 20/20.

Friday 9-11 p.m.
Dateline (NBC)
Viewers: 6.85 million, A18-49: 1.9/ 6

20/20 (ABC)
Viewers: 6.54 million, A18-49: 2.0/ 6

I would call that a draw, wouldnt you?

Capping off the 10 p.m. hour was a repeat of CBS Numb3rs, with 7.32 million viewers and a 1.8/ 5 among adults 18-49.

Friday 2/29/08
Note: The following results are based on the fast affiliate ratings (Live Plus Same Day data).

Household Rating/Share
CBS: 5.2/ 9, Fox: 4.2/ 7, NBC: 4.2/ 7, ABC: 3.9/ 7, CW: 2.6/ 5

-Total Viewers:
CBS: 7.94 million, Fox: 6.67, NBC: 6.26, ABC: 5.76, CW: 4.69

-Adults 18-49:
CBS: 1.9 rating/6 share, Fox: 1.8/ 6, ABC and NBC: 1.7/ 5 each, CW: 1.4/ 5

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-Saturdays Winners:
Nothing

-Saturdays Losers (excluding repeats):
The night overall.

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-Ratings Breakdown:
Obviously, there is very little to say when the most-watched network of the evening averages just slightly above 6 million viewers. On that note, the perennial combination of Cops (Viewers: #1: 6.11 million; A18-49: #1: 2.1 rating/7 share) and Americas Most Wanted (Viewers: #2: 6.14 million; A18-49: #1: 2.0/ 6) led Fox to Saturday victory.

CBS opened the evening with a movie called Secondhand Lions (Viewers: 5.73 million; A18-49: 1.3/ 4 from 8-10 p.m.), followed by 48 Hours Investigates at a second-place finish in both total viewers (5.84 million) and adults 18-49 (1.4/ 5) at 10 p.m.

ABC may want to reconsider ever putting Jimmy Kimmel in primetime again, with repeat 10 p.m. special, Jimmy Kimmel Lives All-Star Salute to Jimmy Kimmel, at a mere (and last-place) 3.11 million viewers and a 1.3/ 4 among adults 18-49. Earlier in the evening on ABC was repeat movie Old School at 3.68 million viewers and a 1.4/ 4 in the demo from 8-10 p.m.

Capping off the evening was NBCs encore combination of Law A18-49: #4: 0.8/ 3), Law A18-49: #4: 1.3/ 4) and Law A18-49: #1: 1.5/ 5). I know what you are all thinking: overkill.

Saturday 3/01/08
Note: The following results are based on the fast affiliate ratings (Live Plus Same Day data).

Household Rating/Share
Fox: 3.7/ 7, CBS: 3.7/ 7, NBC: 3.6/ 7, ABC: 2.3/ 4

-Total Viewers:
Fox: 6.13 million, CBS: 5.77, NBC: 5.30, ABC: 3.49

-Adults 18-49:
Fox: 2.1 rating/7 share, ABC and CBS: 1.3/ 4 each, NBC: 1.2/ 4

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-Yesterdays Winners:
60 Minutes (CBS), NASCAR (Fox), Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC), The Simpsons (Fox), Oprahs Big Give (ABC)

-Potentially Promising:
Unhitched (Fox)

-Disappointing:
Here Come the Newlyweds (ABC)

-Yesterdays Losers (Excluding Repeats):
Big Brother 9 (CBS), Everybody Hates Chris (CW), Aliens in America (CW)

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-Ratings Breakdown:
Led by a solid performance by Oprahs Big Give, ABC led this first Sunday in March, with over a full rating point advantage above second-place Fox. The cluttered Oprahs Big Give debuted as the highest rated show of the evening, with a 9.8 rating/15 share in the overnights from 9-10 p.m. Comparably, that built by 20 percent from lead-in Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (#2: 8.2/13 at 8 p.m.). Keep in mind, however, that this was down by 19 percent from year-ago occupant Desperate Housewives (12.1/18 on March 4, 2007). If good intentions measured quality, I would be raving about Oprahs Big Give. But there was way too much going on in one episode -- it was frustrating to follow. A better idea would have been to feature teams of two in each episode, with the winning teams in subsequent weeks returning to go head-to-head in a two-hour season-finale face-off. For more on Oprahs Big Give, listen to todays PIPodcast at www.marcberman.tv.

Oprahs Big Give led into the series-premiere of the cutesy Here Come the Newlyweds, which won the 10 p.m. hour (6.8/12), but dropped by 31 percent from Oprah. And it decreased by 15 percent in the second half-hour (7.4/12 to 6.3/11) -- never a good sign.

Also on ABC was just renewed Americas Funniest Home Videos at a third-place 4.6/ 8 in the overnights from 7-8 p.m.

The third show to debut last night was sitcom Unhitched on Fox, which managed to hold 92 percent of its Family Guy lead-in. Unhitched debuted with a 4.5/ 7 in the overnights at 9:30 p.m. (versus a 4.9/ 7 for Family Guy), and is likely to flex some young adult muscle once the fast affiliate results are posted at PIFeedback.com. Also of positive note was growth of 22 percent from year-ago occupant The Winner (3.7/ 5 on March 4, 2007).

Earlier in the evening on Fox was NASCAR from 7-8 (#2, 6.7/12), followed by The Simpsons (#1t, 7.3/11) and King of the Hill (#3, 5.1/ 8) from 8-9 p.m. Given the loss of 28 percent for King of the Hill out of The Simpsons, maybe the time has come to retire this animated series.

CBS has a relatively uneventful Sunday with its combination of veteran 60 Minutes (#1: 9.0/15), grating Big Brother 9 (#4: 3.9/ 6), a repeat of Cold Case (#3: 5.4/ 8), and another repurposed episode of Dexter (#3: 5.1/ 9), which fits well out of Cold Case but is not exactly a breakout success. As for Big Brother, please CBS�this should be a summer option only.

NBC aired a two-hour edition of now underused Dateline (5.4/ 9 from 7-9 p.m.), the already overused Deal or No Deal (#2: 5.5/ 8), and a repeat of Law & Order: SVU (#2, 5.7/10). Oh, and yes�Law & Order: SVU is overused too!

Last, and very least of course, was the CWs line-up of a repeat of Americas Next Top Model (1.2/ 2), which is an improvement over former 7-7:30 p.m. occupant CW Now, Everybody Hates Chris (1.5/ 2), Aliens in America (1.0/ 1), a repeat of Girlfriends (1.1/ 2), and a repeat of The Game (1.1/ 2). For more news on Everybody Hates Chris, see TV Tidbits below.

Sunday 3/02/08
Note: The following results are based on the metered market ratings.

Household Rating/Share
ABC: 7.4/12, Fox: 5.9/ 9, CBS: 5.8/ 9, NBC: 5.5/ 9, CW: 1.2/ 2

-Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Sunday, March 3, 2007)
NBC: +10, ABC: -16, CBS: -34, CW: -40, Fox: -49

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Note: The fast national results for Sunday will be posted at PIFeedback.com by 12 p.m. ET. Go to the website, click on Ratings Box (the first category), then Last Nights Results, and Sunday, March 2, 2008.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

-- Marc Berman

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