With the February sweeps drawn to a close, much of syndication was flat to down as shows headed into repeats in the week ended March 11.
Disney-ABC’s Live With Kelly and Ryanwas an exception to that rule, scoring the best weekly increase in talk with a 9% advance for the week and a 14% advance for the year to a 2.5 live plus same day household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research, marking the largest annual increase of any talker.
The strong performance was triggered by Live’s after-Oscar episode on March 5, which clocked a 2.7 national household rating.
The only talker to outperform Live was CBS Television Distribution’s Dr. Phil, which has led the category for 79 straight weeks with one tie.
Phil, fresh off winning talk’s February sweep for the seventh straight year, aired repeats on two of the five days and dipped 3% to a 3.2. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Phil also led with a 1.2.
Back in households, Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres sank 21% to a new season-low 1.9 after a week of reruns. An appearance on March 20 by HBO's John Oliver -- promoting his new children’s book, A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, which also pokes fun at Vice President Mike Pence -- could provide a lift for the show as it heads back into originals.
NBCUniversal’s conflict-talk leader Maury skidded 7% to a 1.4, matching its season low. CTD’s Rachael Ray rose 8% to a 1.3. NBCU’s Steve, after a week of reruns, eased 8% to a new season-low 1.2. NBCU’s conflict talker Jerry Springer slid 8% to a 1.1, equalling its season low and losing 15% from last year, tying Sony Pictures Television’s Dr. Oz, which flatlined at a 1.1 for a third straight week. NBCU’s Steve Wilkos weakened 9% to a new season-low 1.0, down 23% from last year.
Warner Bros.’ Crime Watch Daily With Chris Hansen slipped 10% to a 0.9, tying Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, which was in repeats due to the host’s illness but held steady for the week. Jerry O’Connell filled in for Williams for one week while she was out dealing with Graves’ disease; she returned to her show on March 19.
Related: 'Wendy Williams' Comes to Bounce
CTD’s The Doctors remained at its season-low 0.8. NBCU’s Harry, which will end after this season, declined 13% to a 0.7, tying Warner Bros.’ The Real, which remained at its season low and dropped 22% from last year.
Meanwhile, week two of The Raw Word With Dr. Michael Eric Dyson averaged a 0.3 rating/1 share on select Sinclair-owned stations, down 50% from its lead in and off 73% from its year-ago time period average. Among women 25-54, The Raw Word managed a 0.1/1, down 50% from lead-in and off 92% from last year at this time.
The Raw Word is preparing to host Oscar-winning rapper and producer Common, actor Tracy Morgan, and executive producer Ice-T on Friday, March 23, as well as rapper and actor Ludacris on Friday, March 30.
Related: Sinclair Gets Real With ‘The Raw Word’
Elsewhere, none of the first-run rookies improved. CTD’s DailyMailTV was flat at a 1.1 in households and a 0.6 among women 25-54. Twentieth’s Page Six TV gave back 13% to a 0.7 and 20% among women 25-54 to a 0.4.
Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask was unchanged at a 0.5 in households with a 0.2 among women 25-54. Disney-ABC’s Pickler & Ben, produced by Scripps and airing predominantly on Scripps-owned stations, stayed at a 0.3 in homes but fell 50% to a 0.1 in the key demo.
CTD’s Judge Judy, the February sweeps leader, remained syndication’s highest-rated show at a steady 7.3 for the week, improving 6% from last year.
CTD’s Hot Bench climbed 4% for the week and 14% from last year to a 2.5, tying Live as the third-highest strip in daytime behind only Judy and Phil.
Warner Bros.’ People’s Court sagged 6% to a 1.6. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis moved down 8% to a 1.1. Twentieth’s Divorce Court was unchanged at a 0.9, while Trifecta’s Judge Faith faltered 14% to a 0.6.
In access, the only magazine to improve was CTD’s Entertainment Tonight, which added 3% to a 3.2 to reclaim sole possession of the lead from CTD’s sister series Inside Edition for the first time since the week ending December 3, although the show has tied eight times for the lead since then. ET was buoyed by its Oscar show on March 7, which scored a 3.7 to match its second-highest rating of the season.
Inside Edition and Warner Bros.’ TMZ remained at a 3.1 and 1.4, respectively. NBCU’s Access relinquished 7% to a 1.3. Warner Bros.’ Extra held steady at a 1.2. Trifecta’s Celebrity Page stood pat at a 0.2.
CTD’s Jeopardy! tied Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud to lead games for the first time since the week of November 26. Jeopardy! edged ahead 2% to a 6.7, while Feud fell 3%.
CTD’s Wheel of Fortune remained in third at an unchanged 6.6.
Disney-ABC’s Who Wants to be a Millionaire moved up 6% to a 1.8.
Disney-ABC’s viral video show Right This Minute stayed at a 1.4, while NBCU’s off-net true- crime strip Dateline slumped 7% to a 1.3.
Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory led the off-net sitcoms even though it declined 4% to a 4.9. Twentieth’s ModernFamily faded 8% to a 2.3. SPT’s rookie The Goldbergs and Twentieth’s Last Man Standing both sank 6% to a 1.7. Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men skidded 6% to a 1.6, tying Twentieth’s Family Guy, which gained 14%. Warner Bros.’ Mike and Molly and 2 Broke Girls and Twentieth’s The Cleveland Show all remained at a 1.5, 1.2 and 1.1, respectively. SPT’s Seinfeld shrank 8% to a 1.1 to tie Cleveland.
Among the rookie off-net sitcoms, Warner Bros.’ Mom held at a 1.0 while CTD’s The Game lost 20% to a 0.4.
