Ratings News - 17th November 2011 *Full Tables Added*

WEDNESDAY 11/16/11 OVERNIGHTS

Household
Rating/Share
Fox 7.5/12
CBS 7.3/12
ABC 6.3/10
NBC 4.5/ 7
CW 1.3/ 2

-Percent Change from the Year-Ago Evening (Wednesday 11/17/10):
Fox: +87, ABC: +21, CBS: - 4, NBC: -20, CW: -32

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-Winners:
The X Factor (Fox), Survivor: South Pacific (CBS), Modern Family (ABC), Criminal Minds (CBS)

-Honorable Mention:
The Middle (ABC), Suburgatory (ABC), Revenge (ABC)

-Losers (excluding repeats):
Up All Night (NBC), Happy Endings (ABC), America’s Next Top Model (CW)

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-Ratings Breakdown:
Fox led the Wednesday overnights, with two-hours of already renewed The X Factor at a healthy 7.5 rating/12 share from 8-10 p.m. Comparably, The X Factor outdelivered the year-ago combination of Human Target (4.2/ 7 on 11/17/10) and Hell’s Kitchen (3.9/ 6) by a hefty 87 percent. Here is the half-hour breakdown:

The X Factor (Fox)
8:00 p.m.: 7.1/11 (#1)
8:30 p.m.: 7.8/12 (#2)
9:00 p.m.: 7.5/11 (#2)
9:30 p.m.: 7.8/12 (#2)

Next was CBS, which trailed Fox by just two-tenths of an overnight rating point, with its combination of Survivor: South Pacific (#2: 7.1/11), Criminal Minds (#2: 8.1/13) and relocated CSI (#2: 6.8/11). While CSI is an improvement from failed year-ago occupant The Defenders (6.3/11 on 11/17/10), the eight percent gain is nothing spectacular. And Marg Helgenberger’s pending departure will not be beneficial. Survivor, meanwhile, was flat from one year earlier, while Criminal Minds dipped by 10 percent. Head-to-head, The X Factor beat Survivor by six percent.

As for Survivor, two more tribal councils crammed into one show were rushed again. Had Whitney won that second tribal, backstabber Cochran would have been sent packing.

Over at ABC, Modern Family, of course, was the standout with a dominant 9.1/14 at 9 p.m. Comparably, that finished as the highest rated show of the evening. From a creative standpoint, however, this was probably the weakest episode I have personally seen. Happy Endings at 9:30 p.m. continued to squander the lead-in support, with a fourth-place 4.9/ 8 at 9:30 p.m. and erosion out of Modern Family of 46 percent. One year-earlier, former time period occupant Cougar Town scored a similar 5.1/ 8 on 11/17/10 (out of an 8.6/13 for Modern Family).

Next on ABC was freshman drama Revenge, which perked up to a second-place 5.9/10 at 10 p.m. Comparably, that built from Happy Endings by 20 percent and year-ago Wednesday 10 p.m. special, 25 Years of Sexy: People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive! (3.4/ 6 on 11/17/10) by 74 percent.

Earlier in the evening on ABC was underrated The Middle (#3: 6.3/10), which is worthy of honorable mention opposite two non-scripted heavy hitters, and recent entry Suburgatory (#3: 5.8/ 9) from 8-9 p.m. Comparably, Suburgatory bested failed year-ago occupant Better With You (4.7/ 7 on 11/17/10) by 23 percent.

On NBC, sitcom Up All Night opened with a fourth-place 3.6/ 6 in the overnights at 8 p.m., which trailed the first half of an 8 p.m. edition of Dateline one year earlier (5.2/ by 31 percent. Up All Night will, however, be stronger in the young adult demos. Next was an encore telecast of Up All Night, which shifts to Thursday at 9:30 p.m. on Jan. 12, at a 2.7/ 4 (#4) at 8:30 p.m.

Harry’s Law on NBC perked up to a 5.3/ 8 at 9 p.m. (#4), followed by Law & Order: SVU at a third-place 5.2/ 9 at 10 p.m. As a reminder, Harry’s Law shifts to Sundays at 8 p.m. effective on March 21/

Last, and very least, was The CW care of a repeat of America’s Next Top Model (#5: 1.0/ 2 at 8 p.m.) and an original installment of the reality/competition (#5: 1.7/ 3 at 9 p.m.). Comparably, America’s Next Top Model dipped by 29 percent from its year-ago telecast at 8 p.m. (2.4/ 4 on 11/17/10).

Source: Nielsen Media Research

Source: Marc Berman@TVMediaInsights