CBS’s challenge: Life after football: Thursday Night Football' has kept the network No. 2

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from:Media Life Magazine:

 

CBS has gotten a nice boost this fall from “Thursday Night Football,” which posted big gains over the network’s usual Thursday lineup and helped balance out declines by a handful of aging shows.

But with the NFL program’s seven-week run now over, the question is whether CBS can maintain that momentum without its No. 2 show.

Several lower-rated shows, such as “Two and a Half Men,” “Elementary” and “2 Broke Girls,” are returning to CBS’s lineup with “TNF” done.

While new shows including “Scorpion” and “NCIS: New Orleans” are doing well, returning programs such as “The Amazing Race,” “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “The Millers” have seen big decreases.

CBS’s schedule is usually very steady. If it can stop the bleeding on those shows, it should be able to hang on to second, but without primetime football it won’t catch NBC.

With the November sweep period slated to begin Thursday, here’s a look at where CBS stands so far this season.

Season-to-date ratings

CBS is averaging a 2.7 adults 18-49 rating and 8 share, up a tenth from last year and ranking second among the Big Four.

In total viewers, it is up 7 percent, to an average 8.96 million, good for first place.

Strengths

“Bang” remains the soul of CBS’s schedule. It lifts whatever shows air behind it into a hit, including new drama “Scorpion.” And even repeats of the comedy do better than most other sitcoms on broadcast.

“Thursday Night Football” averaged a strong 5.9 in 18-49s, ranking as CBS’s No. 2 program behind “Bang” (6.1). And the “NCIS”-“NCIS: New Orleans” combination has drawn big audiences in total viewers.

Weaknesses

“Millers” is weak without the “Bang” lead-in on Monday. “NCIS: LA” is also struggling now that it has been moved away from “NCIS,” while moving from Sunday to Friday has really hurt ratings for “The Amazing Race.”

And though “Madam Secretary,” “The Good Wife” and “CSI” do well among total viewers, the Sunday lineup is limp in 18-49s and not as strong as it could be in 25-54s.

Best programming move

Moving “Bang” to Mondays temporarily. “Scorpion” would never have gotten off to such a good start if “Bang” had not been airing in the hour before it.

Worst programming move

Moving “The Millers” from Thursday to Monday, away from “Bang.” The second-year comedy is not strong enough to stand on its own, and it could suffer a major ratings dive on Mondays before moving back to Thursday at midseason.

Biggest surprise

That all four new dramas were strong enough to get full-season pickups. That rarely happens for any network, especially with that many new shows. But all are posting solid numbers.

Grade

B-

CBS still has a lot of potential bumps over the next few weeks as its Thursday schedule rolls out and “TNF” becomes a distant memory. While the NFL did give the network a temporary boost, it wasn’t enough to move ahead of NBC into first.

And if aging shows continue to see ratings gains, CBS could need a shakeup at midseason.

 

 

:bang: :bang: :bang: :bang:

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Weaknesses

“Millers” is weak without the “Bang” lead-in on Monday. “NCIS: LA” is also struggling now that it has been moved away from “NCIS,” while moving from Sunday to Friday has really hurt ratings for “The Amazing Race.”

 

They don't call Friday Night the "Death Slot" for nothing.

[tvjay 6]

 

They don't call Friday Night the "Death Slot" for nothing.

 

Except for Blue Bloods which does great (from what I have read) on Fridays at 10p.

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Shark Tank's also done great for ABC. And, while they're in a different category, Dateline and 20/20 are seeing some of their best ratings in years. Saturday's dead, for sure, but Friday hasn't given up quite yet.

 

As for CBS, they better figure something out, because they're about to die on Mondays. Big Bang Theory was holding up the whole thing, and while they both have age (one more than the other), Dancing with the Stars and The Voice will bury CBS' line-up.