National Ratings in Prime-Time: Week of October 26, 2009

Wed Nov 4, 6:22 PM ET

Led by games one through four of The Baseball World Series (New York Yankees vs. Philadelphia Phillies), it was a clean sweep for Fox, with a first-place finish in households, total viewers and the three key demos -- adults 18-49, adults 25-54 and adults 18-34. Compared to the year-ago week (when there was only the fifth -- and final -- game of Tampa Bay at Philadelphia in The World Series), Fox increased by as much as 54 percent in total viewers. Needless to say, the network is certainly hoping for a seven game series. Fox's advantage above second-place ABC in adults 18-49 (+78 percent) was the largest over the No. 2 network in the demo for a fourth quarter week in five years.

Other than The CW, which is still benefiting by low-rated Sunday being factored into the year-ago mix, erosion was the visible pattern. CBS, which was in full repeats from Monday through Wednesday, dipped by margins of 12 to 18 percent. The Eye net finished second in households and total viewers; third in adults 18-49 and adults 25-54; and fourth among adults 18-34. ABC, which lost steam as a result of the high-rated Texas at Texas Tech Saturday Night Football match-up one year earlier, finished second demographically and third in households and total viewers, with erosion of a less extensive six to 13 percent.

Minus Sunday Night Football in the mix (which was replaced by a repeat of theatrical National Treasure), troubled NBC came tumbling down, with losses of 29 to 33 percent in the three surveyed demos. Excluding a third-place finish among adults 18-34, NBC finished fourth across the board with the latest results for struggling 10 p.m. weeknight occupant The Jay Leno Show as follows:

The Jay Leno Show (NBC) � 10 p.m.
Monday � Viewers: 4.70 million (#69), A18-49: 1.3/ 4 (#72t)
Tuesday � Viewers: 6.06 million (#54), A18-49: 1.8/ 5 (#53t)
Wednesday � Viewers: 5.03 million (#64), A18-49: 1.5/ 4 (#66t)
Thursday � Viewers: 4.41 million (#73), A18-49: 1.5/ 4 (#66t)
Friday � Viewers: 4.98 million (#66), A18-49: 1.2/ 4 (#75t)

Grade: F

Particularly depressing for NBC was Notre Dame Football: Washington State versus Notre Dame at a miniscule 2.34 million viewers and 0.6 rating/2 share among adults 18-49 on Saturday. In the original specials department was NBC's Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space, which got some mileage in the Wednesday 8 p.m. half-hour with 6.96 million viewers and a 2.2/ 6 among adults 18-49.

Here are the final national ratings for the week of October 26, 2009 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago week in parentheses), followed by the freshman series results, and the top 30 rated programs of the week.

-Households:
Fox: 8.8 rating/14 share (+52), CBS: 6.2/10 (-15), ABC: 6.0/10 (- 6), NBC: 3.5/ 6 (-27), CW: 1.4/ 2 (- 7)

-Total Viewers:
Fox: 14.68 million (+54), CBS: 9.84 (-14), ABC: 9.45 (- 7), NBC: 5.59 (-26), CW: 2.24 (- 1)

-Adults 18-49:
Fox: 4. 8 rating/13 share (+41), ABC: 2.7/ 8 (-13), CBS: 2.3/ 6 (-18), NBC: 1.9/ 5 (-32), CW: 1.1/ 3 (+10)

-Adults 25-54:
Fox: 5.3/13 (+39), ABC: 3.3/ 8 (-13), CBS: 3.1/ 8 (-18), NBC: 2.2/ 5 (-29), CW: 1.0/ 2 (+11)

-Adults 18-34:
Fox: 4.2/13 (+31), ABC: 2.2/ 7 (- 8), NBC: 1.6/ 5 (-33), CBS: 1.5/ 5 (-12), CW: 1.3/ 4 (no change)

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Freshman Series Results (in order of total viewers)

Note: Hank (ABC), Mercy (NBC), Glee (Fox), Brothers (Fox) and the Sunday telecast of The Cleveland Show were pre-empted, while CBS' Accidentally on Purpose, NCIS: Los Angeles and The Good Wife, and Melrose Place on The CW were all repeats.

NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS) � Tuesday 9 p.m. ET (repeat)
Viewers: 11.09 million (#19), A18-49: 2.1/ 5 (#41t)

No grade for repeats

The Good Wife (CBS) � Tuesday 10 p.m. ET (repeat)
Viewers: 9.34 million (#27), A18-49: 1.8/ 5 (#53t)

No grade for repeats

Modern Family (ABC) � Wednesday 9 p.m. ET
Viewers: 9.33 million (#28), A18-49: 3.7/ 9 (#11t)

Grade: B+

FlashForward (ABC) � Thursday 8 p.m. ET
Viewers: 8.92 million (#31), A18-49: 2.7/ 7 (#29)

Grade: B-

The Forgotten (ABC) � Tuesday 10 p.m. ET
Viewers: 8.26 million (#34), A18-49: 2.0/ 5 (#45t)

Grade: C

Three Rivers (CBS) � Sunday 9 p.m. ET
Viewers: 7.70 million (#41), A18-49: 1.6/ 4 (#61t)

Grade: D+

Cougar Town (ABC) � Wednesday 9:30 p.m. ET
Viewers: 7.54 million (#42), A18-49: 3.2/ 8 (#23)

Grade: B

The Middle (ABC) � Wednesday 8:30 p.m. ET
Viewers: 6.49 million (#49), A18-49: 2.2/ 6 (#37t)

Grade: C

Accidentally on Purpose (CBS) � Monday 8:30 p.m. ET (repeat)
Viewers: 5.89 million (#56), A18-49: 2.1/ 5 (#41t)

No grade for repeats

Trauma (NBC) � Monday 9 p.m. ET
Viewers: 5.77 million (#59), A18-49: 1.9/ 4 (#51t)

Grade: F

Community (NBC) � Thursday 8 p.m. ET
Viewers: 5.32 million (#62), A18-49: 2.1/ 6 (#41t)

Grade: D

Eastwick (ABC) � Wednesday 10 p.m. ET
Viewers: 5.02 million (#65), A18-49: 1.8/ 5 (#53t)

Grade: F

The Vampire Diaries (CW) � Wednesday 10 p.m. ET
Viewers: 4.18 million (#75), A18-49: 2.0/ 6 (#45t)

Grade: A-

Melrose Place (CW) � Tuesday 9 p.m. ET (repeat)
Viewers: 770,000 (#86), A18-49: 0.4/ 1 (#85t)

Grade: no grade for repeats

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Top 30 Rankings

-Total Viewers:
Baseball World Series, Game 4: Yankees vs. Phillies (Fox): 22.76 million, Baseball World Series, Game 1 (Fox): 19.51, Baseball World Series, Game 2 (Fox): 18.90, Baseball World Series Game 4 Pre-Game (Fox): 17.81, Dancing With the Stars � Monday (ABC): 17.38, NCIS R (CBS): 16.70, The OT (Fox): 16.61, The Mentalist (CBS): 15.53, Baseball World Series, Game 3 (Fox): 15.40, CSI (CBS): 15.24, Dancing With the Stars � Tuesday (ABC): 15.20, Desperate Housewives (ABC): 14.08, Grey's Anatomy (ABC): 13.74, 60 Minutes (CBS): 12.94, Survivor: Samoa (CBS): 12.19, CSI: Miami R (CBS): 11.52, Two and a Half Men R (CBS): 11.41, The Amazing Race (CBS): 11.22, NCIS: Los Angeles R (CBS): 11.09, The Big Bang Theory R (CBS): 10.85, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC): 10.75, Castle (ABC): 9.99, Criminal Minds R (CBS): 9.89, The Biggest Loser (NBC): 9.67, Brothers & Sisters (ABC): 9.47, CSI: NY R (CBS): 9.46, The Good Wife R (CBS): 9.34, Modern Family (ABC): 9.33, Private Practice (ABC): 9.16, Cold Case (CBS): 9.02

-Adults 18-49:
Baseball World Series, Game 4: Yankees vs. Phillies (Fox): 7.8 rating/20 share, Baseball World Series, Game 1 (Fox): 6.3/17, The OT (Fox): 6.2/17, Baseball World Series Game 4 Pre-Game (Fox): 6.0/16, Baseball World Series, Game 2 (Fox): 5.8/16, Grey's Anatomy (ABC): 5.2/13, Desperate Housewives (ABC): 5.0/12, Baseball World Series, Game 3 (Fox): 4.7/16, The Office (NBC): 4.2/10, The Big Bang Theory R (CBS): 3.8/ 9, The Biggest Loser (NBC) and Survivor: Samoa (CBS): 3.7/10 each, Modern Family (ABC): 3.7/ 9, Dancing With the Stars � Monday (ABC), The Mentalist (CBS) and Private Practice (ABC): 3.6/ 9 each, Two and a Half Men R (CBS): 3.5/ 8, CSI (CBS): 3.4/ 8, Saturday Night Football (ABC): 3.3/12, NCIS R (CBS) and Brothers & Sisters (ABC): 3.3/ 9 each, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC) and The Amazing Race (CBS): 3.3/ 8 each, Cougar Town (ABC): 3.2/ 8, CSI: Miami R (CBS) and 30 Rock (NBC): 3.1/ 8 each, Dancing With the Stars � Tuesday (ABC): 3.0/ 7, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown R (ABC): 2.8/ 8, Law & Order: SVU (NBC): 2.8/ 7, FlashForward (ABC): 2.7/ 7, How I Met Your Mother R (CBS) and So You Think You Can Dance � Top 20 (Fox): 2.6/ 6

Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)

-- Marc Berman