Syndication Ratings: Season Lows the Norm as Summer Sets In

Plenty of preemptions and repeats drove most syndicated shows down for the week ending June 10, with many shows dropping to season lows.

CBS Television Distribution's Dr. Phil, in repeats, was the only first-run daytime strip to improve from the prior week, gaining 4% to a 2.6. Sony's Dr. Oz was flat at a 2.4. Disney-ABC's Live! with Kelly, which aired in originals, dropped 4% to tie its previous season-low 2.3 for the fifth week out of the past six. NBCUniversal's Maury also lost 4% to a fourth place 2.2. Warner Bros.' Ellen, also in repeats, declined 15% to a new season-low 1.7. Over the past two weeks, Ellen has lost 29% of its ratings, dropping from a 2.4 to a 1.7. CTD's The Doctors and NBCU's Jerry Springer each eased 7% to a 1.4. CTD's Rachael Ray receded 13% to a 1.3. NBCU's Steve Wilkos weakened 8% to a 1.2, tying Debmar-Mercury's Wendy Williams, which also dropped 8%.

Warner Bros.' Bethenny completed the first of a six-week test run on six Fox stations. After one week, the show averaged a 1.1 rating/4 share in the overnight metered markets, up 10% from its 1.0/4 lead-in and up 38% from its 0.8/3 year-ago time period average.

Bethenny, starring Real Housewife Bethenny Frankel, debuted on Monday, June 11, with a 1.5/5, dropping to a 1.0/3 on Tuesday through Friday. In four of the show's six markets -- Los Angeles, Dallas, Phoenix and Minneapolis -- Bethenny was flat compared to year-ago time period reruns of Sony's Nate Berkus and Twentieth's Divorce Court. However, the show was up 63% from last year at this time in New York and 88% in Philadelphia.

Warner Bros.' rookie, Anderson, in repeats all week, fell 14% to a 1.2 after being preempted in 36 markets throughout the week. Debmar-Mercury's Jeremy Kyle and Entertainment Studios' We the People both were flat at a 0.5 and 0.4, respectively.

CTD's Excused, also in reruns all week, yielded 14% to a 0.6.

CTD's court show leader Judge Judy dipped 2% to a 6.1, tying CTD's Wheel of Fortune to score the highest rating of any show in first-run, but a season low for Judy. In second place, CTD's Judge Joe Brown was flat at a 2.4. Warner Bros.' People's Court slumped 5% to a 1.8. Warner Bros.' Judge Mathis decreased 7% to a 1.4. Twentieth's Judge Alex hit a new season low, dropping 7% to a 1.3. Twentieth's Divorce Court and Entertainment Studios' America's Court both were unchanged at a 1.3 and 1.0, respectively.

Five of the six magazines were flat week to week. CTD's leader Entertainment Tonight dropped 3% to a new season low 3.2. CTD's Inside Edition, Warner Bros.' TMZ, NBCU's Access Hollywood, CTD's The Insider, Warner Bros.' Extra remained at a 2.8, 1.9, 1.7, 1.4 and 1.4, respectively.

Game shows also were largely stable, except Disney-ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, which fell 8% to a new season low 2.2. Otherwise, Wheel was flat at a 6.1. CTD's Jeopardy! bucked the overall trend to add 2% to a 5.3. Debmar-Mercury's Family Feud faded 3% to a 3.0.

Warner Bros.' The Big Bang Theory led all of syndication and the off-net sitcoms, although it dipped 2% to a 6.2. Warner Bros.' Two and a Half Men deteriorated 6% to a new season low 4.9. Twentieth's Family Guy and How I Met Your Mother both were unchanged at a 3.6 and 2.8, respectively. Twentieth's King of the Hill rose 4% to a 2.4. Sony's Seinfeld skidded 8% to a 2.2. CTD's Everybody Loves Raymond was flat at a 2.0, while Warner Bros.' Friends fell 5% to a 1.9.

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.