Warner Bros.’ The Ellen DeGeneres Show is coming back for a second season, with NBC’s 14 owned-and-operated TV stations signing up for another year.
The NBC stations represent 30% of the country. Warner Bros. also has renewed the show in markets covering more than 60% of the country, including 19 of the top 20 DMAs.
"We couldn’t be more pleased with our partnership with NBC on Ellen," said Dick Robertson, president of Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. "This series has proved to be the right fit for them, attracting the upscale, young audience that watches their stations."
Ellen has performed well on the NBC O&Os in its first season, averaging a 2.8 rating/8 share during the November sweeps and improving its time periods by 22% year-to-year. The show also is giving the NBC stations four, five and six-year highs in its time period among women 18-34, women 18-49 and women 25-54, respectively.
Other station groups that have reupped Ellen for a second season include Gannett, Hearst-Argyle, Belo Corp., Post-Newsweek Co., Hubbard Broadcasting, Meredith Broadcasting and Emmis Communications.
The show also has received several second-season upgrades. In Portland, Ore., it is moving to Emmis’ KOIN-TV at 4 p.m. from Belo’s KGW-TV at 10 a.m. In Baltimore, it is moving from Scripps WMAR-TV at 1 a.m. to Hearst’s WBAL-TV at 11 a.m. In Orlando, Ellen is jumping to Hearst’s WESH-TV at 11 a.m. from Emmis’ WKCF-TV at 11 a.m. In Louisville, Ky., the show is migrating to Liberty’s WAVE-TV at 4 p.m. from Independence’s WDRB-TV at 2 p.m. And in New Orleans, the show is moving to Hearst’s WDSU-TV at 11 a.m. from Belo’s WWL-TV at 1:30 p.m.
The upgrades should make a difference in Ellen’s national rating come next season. Nationally, Ellen averaged a 1.6 in households for the week ending Nov. 23, considerably less than her 2-plus metered-market averages.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show is produced by Crazy Money Inc. in association with Telepictures Productions.
