Syndication Ratings: 'Live' Leads Talkers for Third Week in a Row

Disney-ABC’s Live With Kelly led the talkers for the third week in a row in the week ended June 19, even after news coverage of the June 12 terror attack in Orlando caused disruption among stations’ typical programming line-ups. 

Live, which welcomed several guest co-hosts during the week after the May departure of Michael Strahan, was steady for the week at a 2.7 live plus same day household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research, and led all of talk among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54 with a 1.3. 

Meanwhile, CBS Television Distribution’s typical talk leader, Dr. Phil, dipped 4% to a 2.5 with a full week of repeats. 

Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres rebounded 16% to a 2.2 after falling to new season lows in the two prior weeks. NBCUniversal’s Steve Harvey stayed at a 1.7. NBCU’s Maury moved down 6% to a 1.5, tying Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, which was unchanged. NBCU’s Steve Wilkos remained at a 1.3. 

CTD’s Rachael Ray receded 8% to a 1.2. That tied Sony Pictures Television’s Dr. Oz, recently renewed for three more seasons on the Fox owned stations, which dropped 8% to match its all-time series low.

Related: Fox Renews 'Dr. Oz' Through 2018-19

NBCU’s Jerry Springer stayed pat at a 1.1. CTD’s The Doctors had talk’s second-biggest increase after Ellen, gaining 13% to a 0.9. Warner Bros.’ The Real and NBCU’s out-of-production Meredith Vieira both were flat at a 0.8 and 0.7, respectively. 

Warner Bros.’ Crime Watch Daily, the only freshman that will return in the fall, went into repeats for the entire week and dropped 11% to a 0.8. Disney-ABC’s FABLife and NBCU’s Crazy Talk were steady at a 0.7 and 0.4, respectively.

In the metered markets, three weeks into its four-week test on four Fox stations that began June 6, The Jason Show averaged a 0.5 rating/2 share. That was down 29% from its average lead-in and down 38% from its year-ago time period average. 

Related: Fox Stations to Test 'The Jason Show' in Three Additional Markets

Top 30 also debuted in a four-week tryout that began on June 6 and is airing on select Fox, Media General and Sinclair stations. After three weeks, Top 30 also was averaging a 0.5/2, down 38% from its lead-in and down 29% from its year-ago time period average.

Back in the national ratings, CTD’s Judge Judy was in repeats for most of the week and eased 12% to a 5.9, although managed to remain 4% ahead of last year at this time. 

CTD’s Hot Bench offered only encore telecasts all week, but still rose 4% to a 2.4. Bench also showed the most annual improvement of any syndicated strip, growing 20% from last year and remaining the fourth-ranked strip in daytime between only Judy, Live and Phil for the seventh consecutive week.

Warner Bros.’ People’s Court added 6% to a 1.8. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis and Twentieth’s Divorce Court were unchanged at a 1.3 and 1.1, respectively. Trifecta’s Judge Faith recovered 14% to a 0.8. Compared to last year at this time, every court show was up except DivorceCourt, which fell 15%.

Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud led the games for the eighth consecutive week, and continued to lead all of syndication among households even though it fell 3% to a 6.6. CTD’s Wheel of Fortune found the road somewhat rougher, fading 5% to a new season-low 5.5. CTD’s Jeopardy! weakened 2% to a 5.4. Debmar-Mercury’s Celebrity Name Game and Disney-ABC’s Who Wants to be a Millionaire both were flat at a 1.3 and 1.2, respectively. 

Year to year, Feud also led, advancing 12%, while Millionaire shed 25%, the most of any game.

MGM’s viral video show, RightThisMinute slowed down 9% to a 1.0, down 29% from last year at this time.

CTD’s Entertainment Tonight held steady for week at a 2.9 to lead the genre, down 3% from last year. CTD’s Inside Edition remained at a 2.7 for a third straight week, tumbling 10% year to year. Warner Bros.’ TMZ, which was just renewed by the Fox owned stations in a multi-year deal, dropped for the fourth week in a row, losing 7% to an almost five-year low 1.4, down 13% from last year at this time. 

Related: 'TMZ' Gets Three More Seasons on Fox O&Os

NBCU’s Access Hollywood retreated 7% to a new season-low 1.3 and was down 19% for the year. Warner Bros.’ Extra was the only magazine to resist the downtrend, holding steady for both the week and the year at a 1.3 and tying Access Hollywood for the first time since the week ending Dec. 28, 2014. CTD’s The Insider yielded 9% to a 1.0 and was off 23% from last year. 

Twentieth’s Dish Nation remained at its season low 0.8 and sagged 20% for the year, while Trifecta’s Celebrity Page, which replaced OK! TV in March, stayed at a 0.3 for the 12th consecutive week.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory faltered 4% to a new season-low 4.7, the off-net sitcom’s second new season low in a row. Twentieth’s Modern Family fell 7% to a new series low for the second week in a row, landing at a 2.6. Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men, Twentieth’s FamilyGuy and Warner Bros.’ 2 Broke Girls all stood pat at a 2.4, 2.1 and 1.9, respectively. Twentieth’s Mike & Molly managed a 6% increase to a 1.9, tying 2 Broke Girls. SPT’s Seinfeld stayed at a 1.7. Twentieth’s The Cleveland Show slipped 6% to a 1.6. Twentieth’s How I Met Your Mother moved down 6% to a 1.5. Twentieth’s King of the Hill was flat at a 1.4.

Paige Albiniak

Contributing editor Paige Albiniak has been covering the business of television for more than 25 years. She is a longtime contributor to Next TV, Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News. She concurrently serves as editorial director for The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.). She has written for such publications as TVNewsCheck, The New York Post, Variety, CBS Watch and more. Albiniak was B+C’s Los Angeles bureau chief from September 2002 to 2004, and an associate editor covering Congress and lobbying for the magazine in Washington, D.C., from January 1997 - September 2002.