Live-Plus-Seven-Day Ratings: Family Guy Tops Time-Shifters

Fox, CBS Grab Eight of Top 10 Spots on Nielsen’s Debut List

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/9/2007 9:55:00 PM

NBC may have the new drama -- Journeyman -- about traveling to the past, but Fox and CBS dominate among the time-shifters in the 18-49 demo, according to early results from Nielsen Media Research’s “live-plus-seven-day” ratings for primetime shows, which include time-shifted viewing up to seven days after the initial airing.

Together, Fox and CBS combined for eight of the top 10 ratings gainers when live-only viewing was compared with the live-plus-seven-day numbers by a top ratings cruncher.

Topping the list of ratings gainers in the 18-49 demo was Fox’s Family Guy, according to ratings for the week ending Sept. 23.

The Fox animated series’ rating/share jumped from a 4.99 to a 6.18 when digital-video-recorder viewing was added in. CBS’ Survivor: China was No. 2 in terms of ratings gains in the demo, jumping from a 4.3/13 to a 5.38/16.

Coming in at No. 3 was Fox’s Prison Break (2.82/8 to a 3.67/10), followed by Fox’s Back to You (2.68/9 to a 3.43/11), CBS’ Big Brother 8 (2.79/7 to a 3.51/9), and Fox’s The Simpsons (4.34/12 to a 4.98/13).

ABC’s Come Rain or Come Shine broke up the CBS/Fox dominance at No. 7 (2.25/6 to a 2.87/7). Rounding out the top 10 were The CW’s America’s Next Top Model (2.11/7 to a 2.67/8), CBS’ Kid Nation (2.78/9 to a 3.27/10), and Fox’s ‘Til Death (2.44/7 to a 2.91/8).

Prison Break was the top show in terms of percentage rating gain, improving 30% when its DVR (or VCR for that matter) viewing was added in. The rest of the top 10 percentage gainers were Back to You (up 28%), Come Rain or Come Shine (also 28%), Top Model (up 27%), Big Brother (26%), Survivor: China (25%), Family Guy (24%), NBC’s My Name Is Earl (21%), ‘Til Death (19%), and The CW’s Gossip Girl (18%).