Primetime Ratings: 'Biggest Loser' Tops Tuesday Night
NBC says it was the reality show's best debut performance yet
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/7/2009 6:35:00 AM MT
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NBC's premiere of Biggest Loser Couples was the night's top-rated show, according to Nielsen overnight ratings in the 18-49 demo.
The 8-10 p.m. show built strongly over its two hours, from a 3.7 rating/10 share in its first half hour to a 5/12 in its last, winning each of those half hours and powering NBC to a 4.3/11 on the night.
NBC said it was the best debut performance yet fot the show.
Biggest Loser topped the premieres of ABC's Homeland Security USA and the debut of Scrubs on the network (it moved there from NBC).
CBS was second on the night in the 18-49 demo with a 3.4/9, led by a solid showing from The Mentalist (3.9/10) at 9-10.
ABC was third with a 2.7/7 average. The premiere of reality show Homeland Security USA tied a repeat of Fox's House for third in the 8-9 time period with a 2.2/6, behind both Biggest Loser and NCIS on CBS. But given that the overnight ratings don't record (pun intended) time-shifted viewing from an audience with a 29% DVR penetration, that tie will likely be broken when such viewing is added in.
And even at a 2.7, ABC points out that Homeland Security improved the time period performance by 44% over the ratings for short-lived Opportunity Knocks (a 1.6/5) earlier in the season.
Back-to-back episodes of Scrubs at 9-10 did better for ABC, averaging a 3.1/7, 3.2/8, respectively, but still only good enough for third place in their respective time periods. ABC pointed out that teh first epispode at 9 was a 24% improvement in the demo over NBC's final airing of the show last May (a 3.1/7 on ABC vs. a 2.5/7 on NBC).
Fox was fourth with an all-repeat lineup of House and Fringe. The CW was fifth, with a 1.1/3 for 90210 (1.4/4) and Privileged (.8/2).
