CBS Surprises With 18-49 Sweeps Results
By Paige Albiniak -- Broadcasting & Cable, 11/17/2003
CBS has become the network to watch this November sweeps. As the ratings period reaches its halfway point, CBS can point to several early victories, the most important of which is notching its first weekly adults 18-49 win during a November sweeps since 1987, when Nielsen began using "people meters" to measure ratings.
With Fox falling apart early on, NBC still seems virtually guaranteed an 18-49 sweeps victory, but NBC and everyone else has been surprised by CBS's unexpectedly strong 18-49 performance. CBS's 18-49 victory for the week ended Nov. 9 was actually a tie—a 4.3 rating/12 share—with NBC, but, for CBS, which usually skews old, parity with NBC is unusual.
At No. 3, ABC trails NBC in the key demo by almost a full ratings point, followed by Fox, more than a half ratings point behind.
CBS also is winning viewers by a large margin, more than 3 million ahead of second-place NBC. And sweeps-to-date, CBS is winning adults 25-54, the network's key demo but one CBS usually loses to NBC.
Besides strong performances from its regular schedule, CBS has also aired several successful specials. The Country Music Awards earned its best ratings since 1996 in viewers, since 1998 in adults 25-54 and since 2000 in adults 18-49, and it improved on last year's performance by 14% in adults 25-54, by 2% in adults 18-49 and by more than 3 million viewers.
CBS also won its first November-sweeps Thursday night in adults 18-49 since 1987, with Survivor: Pearl Islands beating Friends in viewers on Nov. 13, although Friends remains prime time's top-rated comedy in the demo. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation went on to dominate the night in viewers and all key adult demographics.
Two Sunday-night TV movies, NBC's Saving Jessica Lynch and CBS's The Elizabeth Smart Story, fought it out, with Smart narrowly beating Lynch. Just over 16 million viewers tuned in to Smart; just under 15 million watched Lynch. Smart scored a 6.3/15 in adults 25-54 and a 5.4/14 in adults 18-49, making it the most-watched TV movie of the season and the top-rated movie in both adults 18-49 and adults 25-54. Lynch wasn't far behind, with a 6.3/13 in adults 25-54 and a 5.4/13 in adults 18-49.
More good sweeps news for CBS: During the week ended Nov. 7, new daddy David Letterman enjoyed a double-digit ratings increase over last year, as well as the most-watched Late Night With David Letterman broadcast in two years.
In that week, Late Night was up 23% year-to-year in households and 25% in viewers. The show also was up 18% in adults 18-34, 13% in adults 18-49 and 17% in adults 25-54. On Tuesday, Nov. 4, the day Letterman returned to the show after son Harry Joseph's birth, Late Night beat Jay Leno's The Tonight Show on NBC in households, viewers and adults 18-49.
So far, CBS is the only network to be up in viewers and adults 18-49 comparing this November sweeps period with last year's: 2% in viewers and 11% in adults 18-49. Every other network is down year-to-year in both categories.
