2018-19 season starts strongly for several top talk shows
Review based on a national syndicated rating report for the week ending September 9.
Although most syndicated shows will unwrap their new seasons later this month, three of the most-watched talkers unleashed their 2018-19 seasons and all got off to flying starts in the session ending September 9.
Live With Kelly and Ryan (six week high 2.1 live plus same day national Nielsen rating, up 11% from the week before) debuted the 30th season of the “Live” franchise and finished strongly behind only usual leader Dr Phil (2.7, down 4%). “Phil,” which was in repeats for part of the week, topped the talkers for the 105th consecutive frame even though its new season had not yet begun.
In third place, Ellen DeGeneres (premiere telecast rating 2.0, up 25%) started its 16th season on Tuesday, September 4.
Also coming up big was Steve Harvey’s Steve (premiere telecast 1.4, up 27%), which also unveiled its second season on Tuesday, September 4.
Face The Truth (premiere week ending Sept. 16), the sole new first run strip to debut this season, got off to a good start in many of the country’s largest DMAs. Although Hurricane Florence battered the show’s overnight ratings in some markets, the first weekly numbers included a 1.4/6 at 2am in Atlanta, up 27% from last year. In the top two markets, New York and Los Angeles, “Truth” improved its time periods by 100% and 25%, respectively, over last year.
Returning to the national ratings for the week ending September 9, several of entertainment magazines saw significant increases in the key W25-54 demo with coverage of the life and times of movie star Burt Reynolds, who died September 6.
For example, Entertainment Tonight (1.2 demo rating, up 9%), Access (0.6, up 20%), Extra (0.5, up 25%) and Daily Mail TV (0.5, up 25%) all scored sharp W25-54 increases despite running into preemptions for Thursday Night Football in many cases.
Back in the household ratings, Judge Judy (6.2, down 7%), which had not yet opened its new season and was partly in reruns, continued to be Nielsen’s number one rated syndicated show overall for the sixth straight week.
Check out these other Magid articles:
