Syndication Ratings: Syndies Fall Off as Summer Gets Started
Syndies started the summer season of repeats in the week ended June 3, with ratings for most shows settling down in the first week after the May sweeps. That week also included Memorial Day, summer's first holiday and a big travel time.
CBS Television Distribution's Dr. Phil led the talkers for the 31st time this season, although the show was mostly in repeats, dropping 17% to a 2.5 live plus same day household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research. Disney-ABC's Live! with Kelly, one of the few shows to remain in originals, added 4% to a 2.4, regaining second place and tying Sony's Dr. Oz, which fell 8%.
NBCUniversal's Maury declined 4% to a 2.3 and third place. Warner Bros.' Ellen decreased 17% to a 2.0. CTD's The Doctors and Rachael Ray both were steady at a 1.5, tying NBCU's Jerry Springer, which added 7%. NBCU's Steve Wilkos was flat at a 1.3, tying Debmar-Mercury's Wendy Williams, which tacked on 8%.
Warner Bros.' Anderson remained the top rookie, retaining last week's 1.4. Dembar-Mercury's Jeremy Kyle and Entertainment Studios' We the People both were flat at a 0.5 and 0.4, respectively.
CTD's late-night dating show, Excused, was the week's biggest gainer, growing 17% from the week before to a 0.7, also marking the show's highest rating in ten weeks.
CTD's Judge Judy ruled the court shows at a 6.2, in second place behind Warner Bros.' The Big Bang Theory in overall syndication and down 6% from the prior week. Twentieth's Judge Joe Brown declined 8% to a 2.4. Warner Bros.' People's Court dropped 5% to a 1.9. Warner Bros.' Judge Mathis and Twentieth's Judge Alex both were flat at a 1.5 and 1.4, respectively. Twentieth's Divorce Court shed 7% to a 1.3, while Entertainment Studios' America's Court climbed 11% to a 1.0.
Magazines declined across the board. CTD's leader, Entertainment Tonight, slipped 8% to a new season-low 3.3. CTD's Inside Edition softened 7% to a 2.8. Warner Bros.' TMZ weakened 5% to a 1.9. NBCU's Access Hollywood receded 11% to a 1.7. CTD's The Insider eased 7% to a 1.4, tying Warner Bros.' Extra, which yielded 13% to a 1.4.
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Game shows also fell. CTD's Wheel of Fortune slowed 5% to a 6.1 and third place in overall syndication. CTD's Jeopardy! also eroded 5% to a 5.2. Debmar-Mercury's Family Feud and Disney-ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire were unchanged at a 3.1 and 2.4, respectively.
Rookie Big Bang Theory was on top of both syndication and off-net sitcoms but fell off 3% to a 6.3. Warner Bros.' Two and a Half Men remained at a 5.2. Twentieth's Family Guy gave back 3% to a 3.6. Twentieth's How I Met Your Mother grew 4% to a 2.8. Sony's Seinfeld was steady at a 2.4. Twentieth's King of the Hill declined 8% to a 2.3. CTD's Everybody Loves Raymond ratcheted down 9% to a new season-low 2.0, tying Warner Bros.' Friends, which was flat.
Contributing editor Paige Albiniak has been covering the business of television for more than 25 years. She is a longtime contributor to Next TV, Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News. She concurrently serves as editorial director for The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.). She has written for such publications as TVNewsCheck, The New York Post, Variety, CBS Watch and more. Albiniak was B+C’s Los Angeles bureau chief from September 2002 to 2004, and an associate editor covering Congress and lobbying for the magazine in Washington, D.C., from January 1997 - September 2002.