'Queen Latifah' Opens With Solid First Week

After one week on the air, Sony Pictures Television's Queen Latifah averaged a 1.5 rating/4 share household average in the 56 metered markets, according to Nielsen Media Research. That's up 15% from its 1.3/4 year-ago time period average and 7% from its 1.4/4 lead-in in ratings, and even with share.

Latifah is syndication's second highest-rated talk debut, behind Disney-ABC's Katie, since SPT premiered Dr. Oz in 2009.

Among daytime's key demographic of women 25-54, Latifah at a 0.8/5 is up 60% over both its 0.5/3 lead-in and year-ago time period average.

On WCBS New York at 9 a.m., Queen Latifah was up 57% over last year to a 2.2/8 in households and up 120% to a 1.1/8 among women 25-54 to a 1.1/8. On KCBS Los Angeles at 2pm, the show grew 22% in households to a 1.1/4 and 100% among women 25-54 to a 0.6/5 compared to year-ago time period averages.

One of Latifah's biggest first-week performances came on KSAT San Antonio at 3 p.m., where the show averaged a 3.4/9 and finished first in its time period over such competitors as CBS Television Distribution's Dr. Phil and Warner Bros.' Ellen.

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.