The Sked: Friday September 28 Ratings

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The first Friday of the new season was down 17% in the fast nationals from last year (4.9 rating with Adults 18-49 TOTAL for the four broadcast network versus 5.9 the same night in 2011).

CBS and ABC tied for first place last night, each with all of a 1.3 rating from 8-11 pm.  CBS is four tenths of a rating point behind last year’s pace and three tenths below our Friday projection for the network this fall.

ABC is up over last year’s first Friday (a night of mostly repeats) and fairly close to our fall projection for ABC Friday (within one tenth).

NBC (1.2 rating last night) and FOX (1.1) are way off last year’s pace and each slightly below our projections.  Another night of vanishing network viewers.

CBS stumbled out of the gate last night.  As the only network with three scripted hours on Fridays, CBS has a big investment on this difficult-to-program night.  The investment is not paying off.  Moving CSI: NY to 8 pm brought the show’s rating down half a rating point (down 28%) from last year’s premiere at 9 pm, but even worse the venerable spin-off under performed last year’s weak debut of A Gifted Man in the 8 pm time period.  But the night was absolutely ruined by Made in Jersey — a 1.1 rating, well below last year’s time period number, down from its lead in, and even below our modest forecast.  It’s over for the Jersey Girl.  CSI: NY will be back at 9 in two weeks to restore its rating somewhat and to provide more support for Blue Bloods at 10 pm.

In the 8 pm hour temporarily before shifting to 9 pm when the down-market comedies arrive in a few weeks, Shark Tank is doing relatively well (a 1.5 rating this week is only a tenth behind the highest-rated network show of the night, NBC’s Grimm).  Not shown on the table, a repeat Last Resort posted a 1.1 at 9 pm last night.

FOX ‘s Fringe, already a tough sell, collapsed last night with a terrible repeat lead-in.  When Touch premieres, things are going to improve only marginally on this night.

NBC Friday is performing as expected from 9-11 pm.  Grimm takes the prize as the highest-rated network show of the night (but not exactly a cause for a big celebration).  Obviously we are very bearish on the comedies that are yet to premiere, but anything like a 1.2 or 1.3 rating in the 8 pm hour could push NBC to a narrow victory on this low-rated night.