During this past season, we know that ratings for all three SciFi shows went down vs. last year. I've maintained the opinion that it was due to better competition. Here's an article on the very topic from the Wall Street Journal
Are Fridays Back From the Dead?
Network Ratings Rebound, but Broadcasters
Remain Reluctant to Invest in Weekends
May 11, 2006
Is Friday night returning from the grave?
After three years of steep ratings declines, the broadcast networks are making a comeback on Fridays. This season, the six networks are drawing about 38 million viewers on Friday nights, according to Nielsen Media Research, up about 19% from a year ago and near 2001-02 audience levels.
The gains can be primarily attributed to CBS, which has found success with its lineup of three dramas, "Ghost Whisperer," "Close to Home" and "Numbers." UPN's "Smackdown" on Friday also has boosted ratings on the night. NBC, ABC and Fox have improved as well, helped by the Olympics and some smart scheduling maneuvers.
This is good news for both viewers and the networks. The steady erosion was placing Friday night in danger of becoming a television wasteland on par with Saturdays, which most of the networks long ago gave up trying to program.
It wasn't always this way. Two decades ago, Friday was a hot night for broadcast television, featuring '80s hits "Dallas," "Dukes of Hazzard," "Falcon Crest" and "Miami Vice." In more recent years, ABC had a successful Friday night kids and family franchise, TGIF, and NBC hit pay dirt with the female-skewing "Providence."
But Fridays lost stature in the television industry, as more detailed ratings data allowed executives to see that the evening's audience was concentrated among older, and female viewers, two groups to whom advertisers feel they have plenty of access on other nights of the week.
At the same time, cable pounced. While Friday viewing on broadcast is up this season, it is still trailing its wired rival. This season, ad-supported cable is averaging 46 million viewers on Friday, up 20% over 2001-02. Leading the charge are such networks as USA and Sci Fi Channel, which run popular original shows on the night.
"[Broadcasters] opened the windows for others to move in," says Tim Brooks, head of research for Lifetime and co-author of "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Show."
Since the Friday-night broadcast audience is substantially smaller than Sunday-to-Thursday evenings, all of which average more than 50 million viewers, it is easy to see why the networks generally have succumbed to the temptation not to invest in programming.
But it is that very strategy that contributed to the evaporation of Saturday-night viewing, which has fallen to about 28.4 million viewers this season. Today, it often is a depository of rerun episodes from earlier in the week.
If a Friday show does show signs of breaking out, it is usually switched to another night so that it can reap bigger ad revenue. CBS's "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "CSI" became much bigger hits when they were moved earlier in the week, as did NBC's "Law & Order: SVU."
Shows on Friday "start win one hand tied behind their backs," says Preston Beckman, Fox's head of scheduling. Since the night isn't a top priority, programs scheduled there don't receive the same promotional push as shows on other nights.
Ratings leader CBS, however, has decided that it is sufficiently strong enough on other nights of the week to be able to pay attention to Fridays. The network has actively been trying to boost its Friday numbers, and now tops its rivals in both overall viewers and adults age 18-49. Even among adults age 18-24, it trails Fox by only a small margin, which is remarkable considering the median age of CBS viewers is nearly 52. "With a strong schedule you can afford to attack Friday," says Kelly Kahl, CBS's head of scheduling. While the night isn't high priority for advertisers, Mr. Kahl says that "if you're Home Depot or Macy's, that is a good night to talk to people."
Among CBS's competitors, NBC benefited from the Olympics and by moving "Las Vegas" to Friday from Monday. ABC lured viewers with "Dancing With the Stars," while Fox has improved by airing movies and sitcoms instead of the complex science-fiction dramas and soaps ("Firefly," "Pasadena") it ran over the last several years. UPN bet correctly that "Smackdown's" incredibly loyal audience for would follow the wrestling show to Friday, freeing up a Thursday slot for "Everybody Hates Chris."
There are rules for programming Fridays. "The less serialized a show the better because there is less consistency in the viewing," says Fox's Mr. Beckman. Network executives also say that they tend to air shows that emphasize entertainment over mental challenges on Fridays, when viewers are eager to relax at the end of the work week. "It is a great night for 'lay back, don't have to think' programming," adds Lifetime's Mr. Brooks.
Hopefully, this season's ratings growth isn't just an anomaly. Although Friday might not have the same audience potential as the other weeknights, the networks and viewers both could reap the rewards of more compelling programming.
The networks might reason that they are getting an adequate return on their limited Friday investment. The trouble is, if viewers perceive a halfhearted effort, they are less likely pay attention on any other night of the week. Between broadcast and cable, there are more than 80 million viewers sitting around on Fridays looking to be entertained. The broadcast networks would be smart to keep them in mind.
Network Ratings Rebound, but Broadcasters
Remain Reluctant to Invest in Weekends
May 11, 2006
Is Friday night returning from the grave?
After three years of steep ratings declines, the broadcast networks are making a comeback on Fridays. This season, the six networks are drawing about 38 million viewers on Friday nights, according to Nielsen Media Research, up about 19% from a year ago and near 2001-02 audience levels.
The gains can be primarily attributed to CBS, which has found success with its lineup of three dramas, "Ghost Whisperer," "Close to Home" and "Numbers." UPN's "Smackdown" on Friday also has boosted ratings on the night. NBC, ABC and Fox have improved as well, helped by the Olympics and some smart scheduling maneuvers.
This is good news for both viewers and the networks. The steady erosion was placing Friday night in danger of becoming a television wasteland on par with Saturdays, which most of the networks long ago gave up trying to program.
It wasn't always this way. Two decades ago, Friday was a hot night for broadcast television, featuring '80s hits "Dallas," "Dukes of Hazzard," "Falcon Crest" and "Miami Vice." In more recent years, ABC had a successful Friday night kids and family franchise, TGIF, and NBC hit pay dirt with the female-skewing "Providence."
But Fridays lost stature in the television industry, as more detailed ratings data allowed executives to see that the evening's audience was concentrated among older, and female viewers, two groups to whom advertisers feel they have plenty of access on other nights of the week.
At the same time, cable pounced. While Friday viewing on broadcast is up this season, it is still trailing its wired rival. This season, ad-supported cable is averaging 46 million viewers on Friday, up 20% over 2001-02. Leading the charge are such networks as USA and Sci Fi Channel, which run popular original shows on the night.
"[Broadcasters] opened the windows for others to move in," says Tim Brooks, head of research for Lifetime and co-author of "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Show."
Since the Friday-night broadcast audience is substantially smaller than Sunday-to-Thursday evenings, all of which average more than 50 million viewers, it is easy to see why the networks generally have succumbed to the temptation not to invest in programming.
But it is that very strategy that contributed to the evaporation of Saturday-night viewing, which has fallen to about 28.4 million viewers this season. Today, it often is a depository of rerun episodes from earlier in the week.
If a Friday show does show signs of breaking out, it is usually switched to another night so that it can reap bigger ad revenue. CBS's "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "CSI" became much bigger hits when they were moved earlier in the week, as did NBC's "Law & Order: SVU."
Shows on Friday "start win one hand tied behind their backs," says Preston Beckman, Fox's head of scheduling. Since the night isn't a top priority, programs scheduled there don't receive the same promotional push as shows on other nights.
Ratings leader CBS, however, has decided that it is sufficiently strong enough on other nights of the week to be able to pay attention to Fridays. The network has actively been trying to boost its Friday numbers, and now tops its rivals in both overall viewers and adults age 18-49. Even among adults age 18-24, it trails Fox by only a small margin, which is remarkable considering the median age of CBS viewers is nearly 52. "With a strong schedule you can afford to attack Friday," says Kelly Kahl, CBS's head of scheduling. While the night isn't high priority for advertisers, Mr. Kahl says that "if you're Home Depot or Macy's, that is a good night to talk to people."
Among CBS's competitors, NBC benefited from the Olympics and by moving "Las Vegas" to Friday from Monday. ABC lured viewers with "Dancing With the Stars," while Fox has improved by airing movies and sitcoms instead of the complex science-fiction dramas and soaps ("Firefly," "Pasadena") it ran over the last several years. UPN bet correctly that "Smackdown's" incredibly loyal audience for would follow the wrestling show to Friday, freeing up a Thursday slot for "Everybody Hates Chris."
There are rules for programming Fridays. "The less serialized a show the better because there is less consistency in the viewing," says Fox's Mr. Beckman. Network executives also say that they tend to air shows that emphasize entertainment over mental challenges on Fridays, when viewers are eager to relax at the end of the work week. "It is a great night for 'lay back, don't have to think' programming," adds Lifetime's Mr. Brooks.
Hopefully, this season's ratings growth isn't just an anomaly. Although Friday might not have the same audience potential as the other weeknights, the networks and viewers both could reap the rewards of more compelling programming.
The networks might reason that they are getting an adequate return on their limited Friday investment. The trouble is, if viewers perceive a halfhearted effort, they are less likely pay attention on any other night of the week. Between broadcast and cable, there are more than 80 million viewers sitting around on Fridays looking to be entertained. The broadcast networks would be smart to keep them in mind.
It was definitely my opinion that ratings for our three shows fluctuated a bit more than normal because of stiffer competition too.
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