Syndication Ratings: Talk, Magazines See Increases in Mostly Steady Week

Talk and magazine shows were the most active genres in the otherwise mostly stable week ended Jan. 20.

CBS Television Distribution’s Dr. Phil held steady at its five-week high 2.9 for a second week in a row to lead the genre for the 124th week with five ties. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Phil was again first with a 1.3.

Disney’s Live With Kelly and Ryan and Warner Bros.’ EllenDeGeneres continued to battle for second with Live up 5% to a 2.3, matching its season high, and Ellen doing the same to match Live for a second straight week.

NBCUniversal’s Maury moved up 7% to a new season high 1.5. Rounding out the top five was NBCU’s Steve, which added 8% to a 1.3 despite being in reruns for part of the week.

NBCU’s Steve Wilkos was unchanged at a 1.2, tying CTD’s Rachael Ray, which improved 9%, and Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, which also picked up 9% with a week of guest hosts, including Page Six TV’s Elizabeth Wagmeister and Bevy Smith and CNN’s Don Lemon.

Related: Nick Cannon to Guest Host 'Wendy Williams'

Sony Pictures Television’s Dr. Oz increased 10% to a 1.1. Warner Bros.’ The Real and CTD’s The Doctors stayed at a 0.7 and 0.6, respectively, with The Doctors staying put for a sixth straight week.

Disney’s Pickler & Ben, produced by E. W. Scripps, bloomed 25% to a 0.5, matching its series high.

The syndicated run of NBCU’s out-of-production Jerry Springer remained at a 0.4 for the 19th consecutive week.

Related: 'Judge Jerry' Sold in 90% of U.S.

Among the newcomers, CTD’s panel talker Face the Truth and Debmar-Mercury’s Caught in Providence, renewed for season two, both were steady at a 0.8 and 0.6, respectively.

CTD’s JudgeJudy neared the six-month mark as syndication’s top show in households, leading all strips for a 25th straight week with one tie after a 1% dip to a first place 7.3.

CTD’s Hot Bench, daytime’s third-ranked show behind only Judy and Phil, and Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis and Twentieth’s Divorce Court all held firm at a 2.5, 1.5, 1.0 and 0.7, respectively.

Magazines were mixed after rallying in the prior two weeks with coverage leading up to and of the 76th annual Golden Globes. CTD’s Inside Edition edged ahead 6% to a 3.3 to lead the genre. Sister show Entertainment Tonight eased 3% to a 3.1. NBCU’s Access relinquished 7% from its season high set in the prior session to a 1.3, tying Warner Bros.’ TMZ, which was unchanged. Warner Bros.’ Extra held steady at a 1.1, tying CTD’s DailyMailTV, which posted a 10% gain for the week and a 38% increase over the past three weeks to match its series high.

Twentieth’s Page Six TV surged 17% to a 0.7, equalling its season high. Trifecta’s CelebrityPage registered a 0.2 for the 16th straight week.

Among game shows, it was status quo after last week’s shake-up. CTD’s Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! and Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud all were flat at a 6.7, 6.6 and 6.5, respectively.

Disney’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire appreciated 6% to match its season-high 1.7. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask remained at a 0.5 for the 26th week in a row.

Disney’s viral video show RightThisMinute stayed at a 1.3 for a second straight week.

On the police blotter, NBCU’s off-net strip Dateline remained at a 1.4. SPT’s off-A&E Live PD Police Patrol was unchanged at a 1.1. Off Investigation Discovery’s True Crime Files shot up 33% to a new season-high 0.4.

Meanwhile, NBCU’s scripted off-net police procedural Chicago PD held steady at a 1.0.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory climbed 4% to lead the off-net sitcoms at a 5.0. Twentieth’s Last Man Standing stood pat at a 2.3. Twentieth’s ModernFamily rallied 5% to a new season-high 2.2. SPT’s The Goldbergs stayed at a 1.6. Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men gained 15% to a 1.5. Twentieth’s Family Guy remained at a 1.4. Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly eroded 8% to a 1.1, tying Warner Bros.’ 2 Broke Girls, which held steady. Disney’s black-ish backtracked 9% to a 1.0, tying Warner Bros.’ Mom, which improved 11% and SPT’s steady Seinfeld.

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.