Re: Tuesday 3/30/10 ratings
Rob Jensen
>Next on ABC was demo friendly Lost at 10.06 million viewers (#3) and a
>4.0/10 among adults 18-49 (#2) at 9 p.m., followed by the return of V
>at 7.29 million viewers (#2) and a 3.0/ 9 in the demo (#2) at 10 p.m.
>Comparably, retention for V out of the 9:30 p.m. portion of Lost
>(Viewers: 9.89 million; A18-49: 4.0/10) was an acceptable 74 percent
>in total viewers and 75 percent among adults 18-49. Keep in mind that
>the final two minutes of Lost were factored into the first half-hour
>of V, leading to a loss at 10:30 p.m. as follows:
>
>V (ABC)
>10:00 p.m. � Viewers: 7.81 million; A18-49: 3.2/ 9
>10:30 p.m. � Viewers: 6.76 million; A18-49: 2.7/ 8
>Percent Change � Viewers: -13, A18-49: -16
I wonder how much of the loss in viewers between Lost and V was due to
the countdown clock alienating Lost fans. Also, it's clear that 10pm
Tuesdays is a black hole timeslot for ABC. They haven't been able to
launch anything there since NYPD Blue left the air. Really, in the
past 25 years, the only two shows that have developed following on ABC
in the 10pm Tuesday timeslot are NYPD Blue and China Beach. So from a
purely programming perspective, I'd either leave V there next season
just to have something that works creatively (not as well as it
could/should, but still, it works) or else completely ignore V's
ratings in the timeslot this season and instead renew it now and put
it in another timeslot in the fall. (9pm Tuesdays? 10pm Thursdays?)
IMO, despite V's flaws -- clearely surmountable flaws, IMO -- it's ABC
that's botched both the show's launch and its relaunch.
-- Rob