• by Wayne Friedman , July 31, 2007

A midsummer analysis of the TV ratings landscape shows that little has changed since the end of the regular season in May--with Fox still in charge, and new cable shows making gains.

Fox is still ahead among key adult 18-49 and 18-34 viewers. CBS is tops among adults 25-54, adults 50 plus and total viewer categories, according to a Magna Global USA analysis.

Despite ABC's disadvantage in not having many reality show winners--"The Next Best Thing" and "American Inventor" only got 2.0 average ratings--and its serial programs not repeating well, Magna says the network still maintains many of its female viewers in the summer as compared to the regular season.

Comparing 44 weeks of the TV year (regular and summer seasons) from last September through July 22, ABC is down just 3% in live program ratings among females 12-34 and 18-34, versus the same period in 2006. And in the broader measure of women 18-49, it is only off 2%.

But for all adult viewers, ABC has taken the biggest hit in summer and regular season--dropping 14% to a 3.0 live program rating among 18-49 viewers.

NBC isn't faring much better, despite its two strong summer performing reality shows: "The Singing Bee" and "America's Got Talent." NBC is now down 10% among 18-49 viewers versus a year ago, to a 2.7 rating.

CBS and Fox have slipped somewhat less. CBS is only off 6% to 3.2 because of continued strength from reruns of its procedural crime dramas. "Big Brother"--although slipping from a year ago--continues to keep pace with Fox's reality effort, "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?"

Fox is down 5% to a 3.6 rating. Fox's two reality efforts--"So You Think You Can Dance" and "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?"--maintain summer fuel for viewers. Magna Global notes that Fox has actually gained ratings among some of its older demographics--adults 35-plus are up 5%, and adults 50-plus are up 11%.

CW wasn't around a year ago. So far, the first-year network has an average 1.2 rating in 18-49 viewers. By way of comparison, its two predecessor networks--WB and UPN--each got a 1.2 rating among 18-49 viewers.

CW's best performances came from 1.6 average ratings for each of its females 18-34 and 12-34 viewer groups. These ratings were also what WB and UPN each received a year ago.

Overall, the broadcast networks, on a live program ratings basis, are 12% below where they were last year--at a collective 12.1 rating among 18-49 viewers. As expected, ad-supported cable continues to gain; it's now 2% higher to a 15.8 number among 18-49 viewers.

This summer, the highest-rated show among 18-49 viewers on cable is TNT's "The Closer," averaging a 1.51 rating. USA's limited series "The Starter Wife" is next, grabbing a 1.42; TNT's new "Saving Grace" earned a 1.40; TBS' "The Bill Engvall Show" took in a 1.35; USA's "Burn Notice" came in at a 1.24; Lifetime's "Army Wives" earned a 1.23; USA's "Monk" got a 1.20; and USA's "Psych" came in at 1.19.

But Magna cautions that the numbers are still in flux.

"It is difficult to get a true apples-to-apples comparison with only partial time-shifted viewing data from last season and DVR penetration in Nielsen's sample," the report says. Magna said the Nielsen sample has only recently reached comparative levels to the population.