There's nothing "grey" about the anatomy of ABC's first week in the fall ratings books. Disney's
In fact, ABC claimed five of the top six slots last week, according to Nielsen Media Research, while CBS
This is a tremendous turnaround for the network. It used to dominate the fall ratings book. Between Monday Night Football and as many as four nights of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, two franchises were enough to give Disney a healthy start to the primetime season. However, weakness elsewhere in the network's programming was exposed when fans got burned out on the overexposed Millionaire quiz show. Then Disney decided to move its Monday gridiron contests over to ESPN.
But even more impressive than ABC's strong start is the shocker that NBC was the top draw for audiences in the coveted 18- to 49-year-old demographic group. NBC, which is majority-owned by General Electric
Strong starts don't imply strong finishes, though. News Corp.'s
And don't think that watching the ratings is strictly a couch-potato sport. Advertisers flock to popular shows like birds to a power line, so healthy ratings and strong ad revenue go hand in hand.
This season also has some compelling implications as digital distribution through Apple
In short, it pays to watch what everyone else is watching.
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