Actually, Big Shots had higher ratings than UB (barely) and won the coveted 18-49 demos. I sit here now praying it doesn't get cancelled because that might mean UB will be next. And because I think Michael Vartan and Dylan McDermott are pretty (I'll hit the mute button during their scenes).

Really it seems no one is watching T.V. right now. Like Shuisfan1234 pointed out Private Practice only garnered 14 million viewers and it's the highest debut so far (and is likely going to stay that way). Bionic Woman did about the same amount. Both of these shows had tons of hype around them and yet only managed that amount. I think big part of it is DVR. You no longer have to schedule your time around a show you like. Thanks to DVR you can watch when it's convenient for you. At one time I heard that maybe networks will start factoring DVR ratings but I'm not sure if they do that.

I got sick of the way the network was screwing around with the UB schedule last season - several weeks of new episodes and then months of repeats. I finally just set the DVR to tape the new shows. I didn't watch the last five episodes until months after they aired, just before this season's premiere.

TV viewership may be down overall but I have to wonder if the on again, off again schedule lost them some viewers.

According to ABC MediaNet, Ugly Betty came second to Survivor again this week, with 9.8 million viewers. Now, that doesn't actually worry me too much (yet) because viewship is down on every channel at every time for every thing except new show premieres and sometimes even for those, too. Plus we easily beat the other networks (My Name is Earl/30 Rock only got only got 7.7, don't know about Fox). Still, I'm really hoping this doesn't continue. Where have all the TV watchers gone? I think we're safe from cancellation for at least a while, seeing as how if all shows with low ratings were cut off right now, there'd be nothing left. But I wan't a third season! (And a fourth and a fifth and a...)

Is there anyway to find out how many viewers DVRed a program? I know that I DVR Ugly Betty and tune in a few minutes late so that I can fast-forward through the commercials. I may have to start watching it live instead.

TV has been like this for years, though. The beginning of the season is top loaded with new episodes and then they go through periods of new episodes and reruns.

I think DVRs/Tivo and DVDs might be a reason why viewership is down. Instead of having to be in front of the TV at a certain time, viewers can watch shows at their convenience either at some other time during the week or all at once when the DVDs come out.

I'm sure the ratings companies must have the reporting families report a show as watched whether they watched it live or taped it and watched it later via any recording media.

Yep, I looked it up and Nielson has been including DVR'd shows in their ratings since 12/05.
http://www.nielsenmedia.com/nc/portal/site...000ac0a260aRCRD

BTW, unless you happen to be a Nielson family, it doesn't matter for a show's ratings whether you watch it live or recorded. They can't magically beam into your TV and count you in the ratings.

Same here. Give it some time im sure the ratings will improve.

Two totally different scenarios. Big Shots has Grey's Anatomy as its lead-in, a show that garners 20 million viewers every week on average. Ugly Betty does not have that liberty. The numbers for Big Shots are abysmal. It couldn't even retain 50% of Grey's audience this week. The show is pretty much going to get cancelled.

I'm a bit stunned at the viewer drop-off from the premiere, from 11.2 million to 9.8 million. I thought the premiere was really good, and the number would stabilize above 10 million based on positive buzz. The show needs to maintain and not drop further in the upcoming weeks.

The news is not great, but it's better than last weeks:

From Zap2It:


And we did better than last week. A tiny, tiny bit better, but it's a huge relief after that big drop after the premiere.

From Media Life Overnights:


I have no idea what this all means in terms of millions of viewers, but hopefully guest stars and the like can keep us moving- very slowly- upward.

Most everything I'm reading is saying that the overnights and even the weekly ratings are much less important this year as regards cancellation. The studio execs are interested in the numbers that include DVR viewing and also the "C3" numbers that measure if people are watching the commercials. Apparently it's going to take Nielson 3-4 weeks to issue those numbers. TIVO just issued numbers for the first week of the season...and the difference between the "regular" ratings and the live+ was dramatic.

Ulp. Is that a good or a bad thing?

This show is in NO danger of being cancelled AT ALL. It's a solid second in the timeslot, it's easily beating NBC and FOX. This is a DRASTIC improvement over what ABC did on Thursdays 2 years ago. Yes it's down from last year, but almost every show is. Ugly Betty has no lead-in, Big Shots has one of the biggest TV shows as a lead-in. There's a big difference. Also, Big Shots dropped 25% at the half-hour, Betty gained viewers in the 2nd half.

Trust me, this show is going nowhere. It just won Emmys last month and still has TONS of buzz. ABC has much bigger problems.

Opps. I wasn't trying to imply that the show was in danger of cancellation. It's doing great, especially in it's target demos (women between 18 and 34, and especially against Survivor. Plus it's getting all sorts of accolades for ABC. I was just saying that the importance of the overnights and weeklies have diminished, so nobody should get TOO unhappy (or happy) on the week-to-week. Don't take trends seriously until the DVR viewing is added into the numbers.

As I pointed out in an earlier post, DVR numbers are being taken into account.

I think it's only the 24-hour after showing DVR data that are reflected in the ratings that are generally reported. According to this article in the Baltimore Sun, the DVR+7 isn't available until two weeks after the show airs. That would mean that at best, the premire numbers wouldn't be available until the third show was aired.

The article does a pretty good job explaining the C3 number.

The live +7 ratings have been released for premire week. UB picked up an additional 1.6 million viewers when the additional DVR viewing was taken into account. That puts UB over 12 million viewers for the week. UB is one of the top 20 DVR-ed shows. I couldn't find a listing of where UB stood in the "final" ratings.

The top 20 DVR show listing is here.

Ugly Betty fell into third place this week, losing out to Fox's baseball coverage. I'm a bit pissed about it, but I, again, really wouldn't worry just yet.

A. It's championship baseball. With usual programming, UB beat out Fox's competition with ease

B. I for one couldn't watch last night's episode due to weather coverage, but while ABC kept it on doppler the whole hour, Fox kept showing the game like nothing was happening (I'm not sure whether I should be pissed at ABC for making me miss my show or Fox for putting sports and their ratings over safety, lol). I know there were storns all over the places, in a ton of states, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if that was a widespread thing.

Still, ratings need to get better. C'mon, ABC, promote! Promote!

ETA: And ABC MediaNet didn't even do a press release for the usual ratings fast facts today. That probably means something- hopefully about pre-emted interferences with the programming. *crosses fingers*

ETA 2: 9.7 million viewers. It's not good, but considering the circumstances, it's not really bad either. Let's wait til next week.

Anyone know how Ugly Betty is going to be effected by the WGA strike?

Sadly, it's probably in the same boat as most other currently airing shows. No episodes after January at the latest.

Source

I'm a little sad that the ratings for Ugly Betty seemed to have dipped quite a bit from last year, even after all the accolades after the first season. This is one of the few shows we always watch/record every week and I even have the first season DVD. (Other than The Wire it's the only show I bothered to buy DVDs for this year. Ugly Betty and The Wire - now that's a combo!)

Last night's ratings from pifeedback.com:


Unfortunately for UB, Survivor is experiencing a resurgence in the ratings and is coming in even higher than last year. I haven't been keeping track of the long-term DVR ratings (the ones that come out three weeks after the show airs) so hopefully that's helping UB to an even better ratings position. It would make sense that fans of both shows would watch Survivor live and DVR UB.

I just don't understand why Grey's Anatomy (which I stopped watching last year) gets nearly double or more of the viewership of UB just an hour later. I thought they were somewhat compatible shows and both seemed do well last year. At least this week's UB ratings are slightly up from last week.

Actually, Ugly Betty did very well last night. It increased by over 1 million viewers from the previous week, and obviously it is going to dip from last year, with the increment in the number of households with DVRs. Almost every show is down from last year, and UB is not going to be an exception. I'm just happy that they are increasing while the other breakout hit of 2006, Heroes, is dwindling, in both ratings and creativity, week in and week out.

UB has been picking up over 1 million viewer each week in the live +7. I think it's been in the top 20 timeshifted shows list every week this season. For the week of October 15-21, UB ratings increased from 9.21 to 10.52 million, an increase of 14.3%. Unfortunately, Survivor picked up an additional 2.2 millions and My Name is Earl picked up 1.2 million, so it's status quo.

For detailed ratings info, I've found this site to be the most helpful.

8:00 p.m.

CBS - Survivor: China Clips Show)
Viewers: 12.02 million (#1), A18-49: 3.8 rating/12 share (#1)

ABC - Ugly Betty
Viewers: 7.05 million (#2), A18-49: 2.0/ 6 (#3)

8:30 p.m.

CBS - Survivor: China (Clips Show)
Viewers: 11.27 million (#1), A18-49: 3.5/11 (#1)

ABC - Ugly Betty
Viewers: 8.00 million (#2), A18-49: 2.3/ 7 (#3)

We gained a lot of viewers at the half hour mark? That seems good. Though it's sad that even with a clip show, Survivor beats us by a mile.

I'm concerned that there were no previews for the next show. UB isn't out of episodes yet, is it?

They have four more left. The next one won't be aired until December 6 and I think they're saving the other three until January.

Yeah, they're re-running the season premiere. One more chance to see Santos!

I'm not really sure how this kind of thing works...Since the writers are on strike and not the actors, will the UB producers continue to throw together episodes, at least to wrap everything up for the shortened season, if the strike isn't resolved after the four remaining episodes air? I tend to doubt it, since it would be a ridiculous amount of work (producing and writing), but I was just wondering if it was feasible. They may just tweak the four scripts they have left to be season enders.

I really hope this writers strike doesn't affect the show's ratings (at least any more than any other show), and thereby its chances of getting renewed for another season.

There is a line that most producers will not cross when it comes to tweaking scripts. There is nothing "official", but apparently everybody understands just where the line is. (This from my SO, who is a member of WGA.) If the actors (or other guilds) think too much new writing has occurred, they could refuse to cross the picket lines. These people have to work together, so a producer that crosses the line in reworking a script may find themselves without support from the unions when they need it.

SO says that rumor is the strike may be over "soon". The writers don't really want to run their stike into the actors' and directors' contract negotiations, both of which come up in June 2008. Nobody really wants to lose the entire TV season. Plus the writers have won the PR battle and the ultmate PTB (not the guys doing the negotiations) apparently accept that what the writers are requesting is NOT unreasonable.

Probably not unless they already had a contingency 'season wrap-up' plan already written. Most series will have completed production on the episodes before they know whether or not it will be the last episode of the season or not. In the case of Ugly Betty, its showrunner, Silvio Horta, also happens to be the show's head writer. He's WGA and won't be writing. In fact, I think I read an interview with him in which he said he was unsure of how much he'd participate in putting the final touches on the shows that hadn't yet been completed.

That's kind of good, b/c if we can't get a full season this year, I'd rather have the remaining epi's left as they are with no tweaking instead of something rushed and cobbled together just to wrap up storylines. It'd be better just to resume everything next season, I think, and hopefully viewership won't plummet.



The PTB are just going to end up losing a buttload more money in the long run than if they just pay the writers what they're due. I have a feeling everything will get squared away in no time.

The January 3rd airdate for the first of the 3 remaining new episodes has been pushed to January 10th, so viewers have "something new" to watch every Thursday of the month. Hey AMPTP, if you can last without scripted shows, why are you trying to spread them out?

Hehe, good point :) I, too, smell a lame-ass bluff.

Source

From Ausiello (After the Strike: When Your Favorites Will Return!):
Assuming the strike ends very soon as currently expected, of course.

From today's Ausiello:



So, more episodes and its been renewed, which I hadn't heard previously.

This is news to me! Good!

Five new episodes to start airing on April 24. Yay!

Edit: Never mind.

Due to NBC shifting their line-up, I realize I like Ugly Betty more than the 8-9 sitcoms, so UB gets my DVR & I'll be watching NBC online Friday or over the weekend.

http://pifeedback.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6...451/m/198101711




Not has bad as the for some of the returning shows, but while every one is loosing viewers across the board. UB is loosing them in the demo.

The 3rd Season will premiere Thursday September 25 at 8pm. Source.

Can't wait. I'm annoyed it's starting soooooo late though.


I agree. This has quickly become one of my favorite shows.

The Ugly numbers:
3.01 Viewers (Millons): 9.78 18-49 Rating/Share: 3.3/9 18-34 Rating/Share 3.5/11
3.02 Viewers (Millons): 8.58 18-49 Rating/Share: 2.6/7 18-34 Rating/Share 2.4/7

Ugly numbers indeed. Yikes, I hope that either the ratings pick up, or all shows suck this badly in the future. Although, I guess with the VP debate maybe people didn't think an episode would be airing. Hopefully when the full night with GA is on next week the numbers will pick up.

I had no idea "Bad Amanda" was the last episode for the year(2008). No holiday-themed episodes? :(

I heard they got behind in production or something.

I've heard that UB's ratings have been steadily rising this season. Can anyone confirm this?

Quite the opposite, sadly. Like GA after it, it's down about 25% over last year. It started out with 9.9 million, then dipped into the 8 millions, what back up in the mid 9's in November, then fell again at the end of the month. A few of those weeks, it was preempted by football in key markets, but it's still not pretty. It's officially "on the bubble." Here's for hoping for better ratings in the spring.

Yikes.

I'm hoping that since even Grey's has dropped (and tv viewership has declined overall), the bigwigs won't be so quick to cancel a show that is still a boon to the network. I'm hoping fervently for a complete fourth season. Maybe, dare I hope, a fifth--although they'll probably give it a new and less prestigious timeslot somewhere along the way.