Broadcasters Look to Competition Series to Ward Off a Summer Ratings Drought
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Competition series and a boomlet of retro game show revivals are being tasked with much of the heavy lifting this summer at the broadcast networks, which are looking to rebound from a soft spring.
The Big Four networks saw their deliveries of adults 18 to 49 in May fall 13% from a year earlier, according to Nielsen C3 ratings. ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox notching an aggregate 4.1 rating in primetime, down from a 4.7 C3 rating, which offers a rough estimate of commercial impressions in live and time-shifted viewing within three days of a program’s first showing.
While May marks the end of broadcast’s 35-week regular-season schedule, the month’s usual barrage of finales, cliffhangers and Very Special Episodes did nothing to boost the networks’ flagging ratings. The game-changing final episode of season 10 of “The Big Bang Theory” (which happens to be the highest-rated scripted show on network TV) delivered 20% fewer adults in CBS’s target 25-to-54 demographic than did the season 9 closer, while the conclusion of the third chapter of “Empire” was down 39% in Fox’s 18-to-49 target.
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