Network C3 Ratings: Fox Wins, CBS Sees Ad Growth

by Wayne Friedman, Jun 22, 2009, 3:59 PM

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Fox has won this past season's commercial ratings crown, following up on winning its program-ratings title.

Fox had a 3.2 C3 rating (commercial ratings plus three days of DVR playback) among 18-49 viewers -- down 9% from a year ago, according to Magna's analysis, (part of IPG) of Nielsen Media Research data. Commercial ratings are the basis for virtually all national TV deals between TV programmers and advertisers.

CBS came in second place to Fox, and was the only network to see growth among commercials, rising 4% to a 2.6 rating. Many CBS shows, such as "NCIS," "How I Met Your Mother" and "CSI," all grew their respective C3 18-49 ratings versus a year ago. "NCIS" climbed 23% to a 3.2, "How I Met Your Mother" was up 21% to a 3.4 rating, and "Criminal Minds" was 14% higher to a 3.2.

The five broadcast networks' commercial average was down 8% to a 2.3 rating among 18-49 viewers, from a 2.5 rating a year ago. ABC came in at third place, off 4% to a 2.5 rating. NBC was next at a 2.3 rating, losing 8%, while CW dropped 22% to a 0.7 rating.

The good news for Fox: its C3 18-49 rating was 14% higher than its live rating -- a 3.2 versus a 3.0. Also, Fox's commercial ratings' drop was much less than its live program ratings.

Fox's C3 ratings were at a 3.2 among 18-49 viewers, down 9%. Its live program ratings were an average 3.0 among 18-49 viewers, down 22%. Similar Fox live-plus-same-day DVR playback ratings were down 18%.

"American Idol" is still Fox's biggest-rated show, but commercial and program ratings fell 12% in C3 to an 8.0 rating among 18-49 viewers. It dropped less -- 7% among 25-54 viewers to a 9.5 rating.

ABC's best performers year-to-year among C3 18-49 viewers were "The Bachelor," which rose 9% to a 3.5 rating, and "Saturday Night Football," which climbed 32% to a 2.5 rating. The network's bigger shows, such as "Desperate Housewives," fell 16% to a 4.6; "Grey's Anatomy" sank 17% to a 4.3 rating.

NBC's winners were "The Biggest Loser," with a 10% gain to a 3.4 C3 18-49 rating; "The Office," with a 6% hike to a 3.6 rating; and "30 Rock," up 11% to a 3.0 number.

The CW did well with "Supernatural," up 11% to a 1.0 C3 18-49 rating, and "Gossip Girl," with a big 43% improvement to a 1.0 rating. Among the young demographics 18-34, Fox slipped 10% to a 2.8. ABC and CBS were flat -- ABC ending with a 2.0 and CBS at a 1.7. NBC was down 5% to a 1.9, and CW dropped 11% down to a 0.8.

The big losers in C3 ratings were also the shows that lost in program ratings -- Fox's "Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles" lost 58% to a 1.6 C3 18-49 rating; NBC's "Deal or No Deal" also lost 58% to a 1.3 rating; ABC's "Pushing Daisies" went down 43% to a 1.6.

The least commercial ratings erosion for the broadcast networks among all demographics was with adults 50 plus -- much of this due to CBS' strong performance this year, growing 12% year-over-year for this viewer group. The five-network average was down 2% to a 4.0.

In looking at the broadcast-cable comparisons, the five-broadcast networks' 18-49 live-program-plus-same-day DVR playback rating was down 7% to a 10.8 rating. The ad-supported cable network average grew 3% to a 17.6.

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