As Fox goes on a one-month prime-time entertainment hiatus with the start of postseason Major League Baseball, the network is already up low double-digit percentages in its ratings and viewers,
reports Mediaweek. And if its strategy of rolling out new shows in August has yet to yield any breakout hits, it has a few doing well enough to make it through the entire season. And that, the
magazine notes, has Fox executives breathing easier. "As long as American Idol doesn't decline, they'll be right in the middle of the network races," said Steve Sternberg, executive VP of audience
analysis at Magna Global. Through the first 10 days of the new season, Fox ranked fourth in the 18-49 age group but was up 10 percent in ratings and by one share point over last season while averaging
1 million more viewers per night. "We new that when the other networks began premiering their shows, we would slip a bit. But our rhythm and purpose is different," says Preston Beckman, executive VP
of program planning and strategy for Fox.
Read the whole story at Mediaweek »
