Entertainment magazines benefited from the start of awards season, which launched with the January 10 return of the Golden Globes on NBC and the Critics’ Choice Awards on January 15 on The CW.
CBS Media Ventures’s Entertainment Tonight and Inside Edition led the pack with each at a 2.4 live plus same day national household rating, while Warner Bros.’s Extra hit a season-high 0.7 in the week ended January 15. ET climbed 4% for the week and 26% over the prior two weeks to hit its best household number since the week of Thanksgiving, while Inside Edition held at its season best for the fourth time in six weeks.
Extra improved 17% for the week and 40% for the past two weeks to tie Fox’s TMZ, which has held at its season high for three of the past four weeks, for fourth place among the magazines. Extra hits its highest ranking since the week of Halloween.
In third place, NBCUniversal’s Access Hollywood remained at its season high 0.8 for the fifth time in six weeks. Fox’s Dish Nation nibbled at a 0.2 for the 37th time in the last 38 regularly titled weeks (excluding World Cup soccer on Fox).
Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan remained the talk leader, rising 6% to a 1.7. Live has now led the category for 18 straight weeks. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live led with a 0.6, followed by CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil at a 0.5 and Disney’s Tamron Hall at a 0.4, marking a new demographic season high for Hall.
Dr. Phil, the only talker to tally an increase in the prior week, grew 15% to a second-place 1.5, matching its season high. NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson, the number-three talker, stood fast at a 0.9. Tamron Hall increased 14% for the week to a 0.8 to tie CBS’s flat Drew Barrymore (recently renewed for a fourth season). CBS’s Rachael Ray relished a 17% spike to a 0.7. NBCU’s trio of conflict talkers – Steve Wilkos, the out-of-production Maury and the Jerry Springer repacked court-and-talk combo – all stayed put at a 0.6, 0.5 and 0.3, respectively.
Debmar-Mercury’s renewed Sherri, starring Sherri Shepherd, returned to original episodes after three weeks of reruns and four weeks of retitled programs during the World Cup soccer tournament, rebounding 17% to a 0.7. That matched the year-ago rating for Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, the show Sherri replaced in many markets.
Warner Bros.’ Jennifer Hudson, recently picked up for another season, held steady at a 0.6 and rose 50% among women 25-54 from a 0.2 to a 0.3 to tie Sherri in the demo.
NBCU’s Karamo, hosted by Karamo Brown, hit a season-high 0.4 for a fourth consecutive week.
CBS’ Jeopardy! – which, along with its access partner CBS’ Wheel of Fortune, was just renewed on the ABC owned stations in a five-year deal – inched up 2% to a 5.9 to lead the games and all of syndication as usual. Wheel of Fortune stayed at a 5.4 to finish second for the sixth time in seven weeks, while Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud finished at a 5.0 for a third straight week. Fox’s 25 Words or Less lost 13% to a 0.7, tying Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno, which held for the fourth consecutive week.
CBS freshman game Pictionary, starring Jerry O’Connell, drew a 0.5 for a third week. Allen Media Group’s Funny You Should Ask accumulated a sixth straight 0.3.
Repeats of CBS’s Judge Judy led the court shows with a 4.4. CBS’s Hot Bench and Warner Bros.’s People’s Court settled for a stable 1.2 and 0.8, respectively. Warner Bros.’s Judge Mathis vaulted 20% to a 0.6. Fox’s Divorce Court dawdled at a 0.5 for the fourth week in a row. Wrigley Media’s Relative Justice eased 25% to a 0.3 to tie Allen Media Group’s court rookie We the People with Judge Lauren Lake, which stayed at that level for an eighth consecutive week.
Trifecta’s rookie true crime strip iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas captured a 0.5 for the fourth week in a row.
Warner Bros. long-running off-net sitcom leader The Big Bang Theory heated up 5% to a 2.0. Disney’s Last Man Standing slipped 9% to a 1.0. Disney’s Modern Family recovered 14% to a 0.8. Warner Bros.’s Two and a Half Men and Warner Bros.’s Young Sheldon both stayed at a 0.7. Sony Pictures Television’s The Goldbergs and Seinfeld, CBS newcomer The Neighborhood and Disney’s Family Guy all tied and stayed put at a 0.6. Finally, Disney’s Black-ish held at a 0.4 for the fourth time in five weeks. ■
