Magazines spike as sweep nears end

Review based on a national syndicated rating report for the week ending November 18.

Magazines were on fire – with several shows seeing double digit increases and most clocking their strongest numbers of the season – as colder weather drove syndication higher in the session ending November 18, the third full week of the November sweep.

Entertainment Tonight (new season high 3.3 live plus same day national Nielsen rating, up 18% from the week before) set the pace in the genre with its best stats since March. Sister show Inside Edition (new season high 3.3, up 10%) landed in a tie with “ET.”

Access (four-week high 1.3, up 18%) climbed into third place, tying TMZ (1.3, up 8%).

Also coming up big Extra (new season high 1.2, up 9%) had its most impressive Nielsens in six months.

Daily Mail TV (new season high 1.1, up 10%) delivered its greatest rating score in 34 weeks and ballooned 25% among W25-54.

And Page Six TV (0.7) maintained its season high, while hitting personal bests in both New York and Los Angeles, up 33% and 16%, respectively, over its four-week averages.

Talk shows were another powerful category. Leader Dr. Phil (new season high 3.2, up 7%)charted its healthiest ratings since May and finished first in the group for the 115^th week in a row.

Ellen DeGeneres (new season high 2.4, up 4%) edged Live with Kelly and Ryan (2.3, up 10%).

Jumping into fourth place among talkers was Steve Harvey’s Steve (new season high 1.4, up 8%), which surged 17% in its target W25-54 demo and tallied its best ratings since February. Tying “Steve” in households were Wendy Williams (new season high 1.4, up 8%) and Maury (1.4, unchanged).

Presiding at the top of the entire chart was Judge Judy (new season high 7.7, up 3%) which outperformed all of syndication for a 16^th straight week with its most favorable Nielsen verdict in 40 weeks. Also of note “Judy’s” creation Hot Bench (new season high 2.5, up 9%) was the No. 3 show in daytime.