Syndication Ratings: Magazines Shine in Light of Golden Globes

The Golden Globes shone a halo over the syndicated magazines in the week ended Jan. 22, with five out of six shows up for the week and three hitting season highs.

CBS Television Distribution's Entertainment Tonight set the pace at a 4.1 live plus same day household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research. That met its season high with a 5% increase from the prior week. ET's Golden Globe coverage on Monday, Jan. 16, sent the show's ratings up 13% to a 4.4. CTD's Inside Edition added 3% to hit a new season-high 3.4. NBCUniversal's Access Hollywood grew the most of any magazine, improving 10% to a new season-high 2.2, and gaining 20% to a 2.4 for its Golden Globe show on Monday. Warner Bros.' TMZ tacked on 5% to a 2.1. Warner Bros.' Extra grew 6% to a 1.7, with a 19% advance to a 1.9 on Monday, tying CTD's The Insider, which was unchanged but has shown growth over the past month.

Warner Bros.' closely-watched rookie talker, Anderson, continued its growth spurt, adding 7% in households for a series high 1.6 for the second week in a row. Anderson ratings have grown 33% in the past two weeks.
The other freshman first-run strips didn't have much to brag about. Debmar-Mercury's Jeremy Kyle improved 17%, or one-tenths of a ratings point, to a 0.7, while Entertainment Studios' We the People was flat at a 0.5. CTD's dating show, Excused, held steady at a 0.7.

The top veteran talkers were stable. CTD's Dr. Phil notched its 13th win this season at a 3.2, flat for the week but up 10% from last year at this time. Sony's Dr. Oz and Disney-ABC's Live! with Kelly each held steady at a 3.0 and 2.7, respectively.

In fourth place, NBCU's Maury added 8% to a new season-high 2.6. Warner Bros.' Ellen improved 4% to a 2.5. CTD's Rachael Ray finally backed off of its season high, easing 6% to a 1.7. CTD's The Doctors was flat at a 1.6, tying NBCU's Jerry Springer, which tacked on 7%. NBCU's Steve Wilkos shot up 15% to a new season-high 1.5, while Debmar-Mercury's Wendy Williams fell back to earth, dropping 14% to a 1.2. Sony's Nate Berkus, which will end its run after this season, sank 9% to a new season-low 1.0.

Warner Bros.' The Big Bang Theory secured its position as the top off-net sitcom, climbing 6% to a new season-high 7.4. Similarly, Warner Bros.' Two and a Half Men added 8% to a new season-high 7.1. Twentieth's Family Guy gave back 2% to a 4.2, while Twentieth's How I Met Your Mother increased 12% to a new season-high 3.8. Sony's Seinfeld remained at a 2.6. CTD's Everybody Loves Raymond declined 4% to a 2.5. Warner Bros.' Friends and Twentieth's King of the Hill were flat at a 2.3 and 2.1, respectively.

Among the new sitcoms, NBCU's 30 Rock added 7% to a 1.5 in late fringe, matching its season high. Twentieth's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia was unchanged at a 1.2. Sony's ‘Til Death dropped 14% to a 0.6.

CTD's court leader Judge Judy fell off 1% to a 7.5. CTD's Judge Joe Brown dipped 3% to a 2.9. Warner Bros.' People's Court improved 5% to a 2.2. Twentieth's Judge Alex added 12% to a new season-high 1.9. Warner Bros.' Judge Mathis and Twentieth's Divorce Court each were flat at a 1.7 and 1.6, respectively. CTD's Swift Justice had the largest gain among court shows, adding 15% to a 1.5. Entertainment Studios' America's Court picked up 11% to a 1.0.

Among the games, CTD's Wheel of Fortune dipped 1% to a 7.7, remaining syndication's top show in households. CTD's Jeopardy! inched up 2% to a new season high 6.4. Debmar-Mercury's Family Feud was flat at a 3.2. Disney-ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire strengthened 4% to a new season-high 2.7.

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.