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Sunday 2/07/10

It was all about the Indianapolis Colts vs. the New Orleans Saints last night, with Super Bowl XLIV at a mammoth (and estimated) 46.4 rating/69 share in the overnights from 6:30-9:45 p.m., according to Nielsen Media Research data. Comparably, this was the highest rated Super Bowl in the metered markets in 23 years (47.8/68 for Super Bowl XXI: New York Giants vs. Denver).

The half-hour breakdown is as follows:

Super Bowl XLIV (CBS)

7:00 p.m. 45.0/69

7:30 p.m. 46.3/69

8:00 p.m. 45.3/67

8:30 p.m. 48.0/69

9:00 p.m. 49.8/70

9:30 p.m. 50.6/71

(As a reminder, results for any live sporting event are always approximate.)

Compared to Arizona vs. Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLIII on NBC (45.3/67 on Feb. 1, 2009), this was an increase of approximately 2 percent. Since that game averaged 98.73 million viewers based on the live-plus-same-day rating results, chances are Indianapolis vs. New Orleans will break the 100 million mark.

Leading out of Super Bowl XLIV was the post game at an estimated 42.8/62 in the overnights, followed by the series premiere/preview of nonscripted Undercover Boss at an approximate 22.5/36 from 10:15-11 p.m. Last year’s Super Bowl lead-out, NBC’s The Office, averaged a 14.4/24 in the overnights (which translated into 22.91 million viewers). Needless to say, results for Undercover Boss will be considerably higher.

Undercover Boss airs in its regularly scheduled time period, Sunday at 8 p.m. out of The Amazing Race, effective this week.

It was slim pickings elsewhere, of course. ABC filled the evening with the following rotation of nonoriginals:

ABC (Sunday):

7:00 p.m.—America’s Funniest Home Videos (R): 2.2/ 3 (#2)

8:00 p.m.—Modern Family (R): 1.9/ 3 (#2)

8:30 p.m.—The Middle (R): 1.7/ 2 (#3)

9:00 p.m.—Modern Family (R): 1.9/ 3 (#2t)

9:30 p.m.—Cougar Town (R): 1.9/ 3 (#2)

10:00 p.m.—Modern Family (R): 2.6/ 4 (#2)

10:30 p.m.—Modern Family (R): 2.5/ 4 (#2)

Fox aired two more burn-off episodes of sitcom ‘Til Death from 7-8 p.m. (#3, avg. 1.0/ 1), followed by repeats of The Simpsons (#3: 1.7/ 2), The Cleveland Show (#3: 1.5/ 2), Family Guy (#2t, 1.9/ 3) and American Dad (#3: 1.8/ 3). You know a show is a burn-off when original telecasts are scheduled opposite The Super Bowl!

Last were two repeat episodes of NBC’s The Biggest Loser at an average 1.2/ 2 in the overnights from 7-11 p.m.

In broadcast ratings for the week ended Jan. 24:

Among adults 18-49, Fox was first with an 8.8 average rating and a 23 share, followed by CBS at 2.4/6, ABC at 2.1/6, NBC at 1.7/4, Univision at 1.4/4, CW at 0.8/2, Telemundo and Telefutura at 0.5/1, Ion at 0.4/1 and Azteca at 0.1/0.

Top five English-language Big Five shows (18-49s): 1. Fox’s “NFC Championship” 21.3; 2. Fox’s “American Idol-Tuesday” 10.1; 3. Fox’s “American Idol-Wednesday” 9.9; 4. Fox’s “NFC Championship Postgame” 9.5; Tie-5. CBS’s “Two and a Half Men” and “The Big Bang Theory” 5.3.

Top five English-language Big Five shows (total viewers): 1. Fox’s “NFC Championship” 57.93 million; 2. Fox’s “American Idol-Wednesday” 26.85 million; 3. Fox’s “American Idol-Tuesday” 26.38 million; 4. Fox’s “NFC Championship Postgame” 23.83 million; 5. CBS’s “Two and a Half Men” 16.31 million.

Top five time-shifted English-language Big Five shows (18-49s, by Live+7 playback, week ended Jan. 3): 1. ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” 1.6 increase (up 27 percent); 2. Fox’s “Family Guy” 1.4 increase (up 30 percent); 3. ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters” 1.0 increase (up 24 percent); 4. Fox’s “The Simpsons” 0.8 increase (up 18 percent); 5. Fox’s “The Cleveland Show” 0.6 increase (up 17 percent).

Show on the rise: “NFC Championship” Fox, Sunday 6:40 p.m. The New Orleans Saints’ 31-28 overtime win over the Minnesota Vikings averaged 57.9 million total viewers, the most since the 1982 NFC title game between the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers.

Show on the decline: “CSI” CBS, Thursday 9 p.m. The long-running show slipped to a series-low 3.1.

TOP 5 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST Ranked on Households Week Ending January 24
#	PROGRAMS	Net	HOUSEHOLDS			PERSONS 2+
#	PROGRAMS	Net	Rtg%	Shr	(000)	#	Rtg%	(000)
1	FOX NFC CHAMPIONSHIP(S)	FOX	30.6	45	35154	1	19.8	57933
2	AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY	FOX	14.6	23	16773	2	9.2	26854
3	AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY	FOX	14.4	22	16575	3	9.0	26384
4	FOX NFC CHAMPIONSHIP-POST(S)	FOX	13.4	22	15343	4	8.2	23833
5	TWO AND A HALF MEN	CBS	9.6	14	11010	5	5.6	16310

January was a big month for cable.

USA won the monthly primetime crown among total viewers yet again, notching its best January ever with an average 3.27 million total viewers.

Many other networks also had their best-ever January or best month in more than a year, according to Nielsen data analyzed by Turner Networks.

No. 2 ESPN saw the biggest growth of any top-25 network, increasing its audience by half, while No. 3 Fox News Channel had its best month since the 2008 presidential election, averaging 2.94 million viewers, just 200,000 fewer than the month Barack Obama was elected.

A&E had its best January primetime in history among adults 18-34, 18-49, 25-54 and total viewers. HGTV scored its best January primetime household rating ever, a 1.1.

TruTV, the former Court TV, had its best month ever in primetime, ranking ninth among 18-49s, up 21 percent over last year.

Disney XD, formerly Toon Disney, had its best-ever January among boys 6-11 and 9-14 in total day.

MTV was up 25 percent over last year among 18-34s, ranking fourth on that measure. The network is up 40 percent over fourth quarter in its target 12-34s.

And 30-year-old Nickelodeon had its best month ever, averaging 2.4 million viewers on a total-day basis (Nick at Nite airs in primetime) and placing first on that measure, buoyed by a record 11.2 million viewers for the "iCarly" special "iSaved Your Life."

Top five networks in primetime (total viewers): USA, ESPN, Fox News Channel, TNT, TBS.

Top movie (18-49s): TBS’s “The Longest Yard” (Sunday, 8 p.m.) 1.74 million.

Top sporting event (total viewers): ESPN’s “2010 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl” (Sunday, 7:22 p.m.) 12.30 million.

Shows making the top 10 among 18-34s, 18-49s and 25-54s: ESPN’s “2010 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl” (Sunday, 7:22 p.m.); USA’s “WWE Entertainment” (Monday, 10 p.m.); USA’s “Burn Notice” (Thursday, 10 p.m.).

Show on the rise: ESPN’s “2010 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl” Sunday 7:22 p.m. The annual all-star game averaged 12.3 million total viewers, the most since it averaged 13.2 million viewers on ABC in 2000.

Show on the decline: Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs,” Tuesday 9 p.m. The reality series averaged 1.25 million viewers 25-54, down 16 percent from 1.48 million the previous week.

TOP 5 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE PROGRAMS Ranked on Households Week Ending January 31
Rank	Program	Net	(000)
1	2010 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl	ESPN	8123
2	State of the Union Analysis	FOXN	4749
3	State of the Union Republican Response	FOXN	4618
4	On The Record with Greta	FOXN	4225
5	State Of The Union 2010	FOXN	4086

The latest edition of the late-night wars is over, or at least suspended until March 1, when Jay Leno returns to "The Tonight Show."

With Conan O'Brien gone and David Letterman on vacation, ABC's "Nightline" surged ahead for the week ended Jan. 31, though both comedy shows performed pretty well in repeats.

"Nightline" averaged 3.94 million total viewers, 290,000 more than second-place "Late Show with David Letterman" on CBS.

NBC's "Tonight" averaged 2.39 million viewers, right in line with its season average despite the fact that it was in reruns.

And among adults 25-54, "Nightline" and "Late Show" tied, while "Tonight" actually won among 18-49s with a 1.0 to the other shows' 0.9.

That seems to suggest that interest in late night will still be high when Leno returns as "Tonight" host on March 1, after a nine-month absence.

He, of course, succeeds O'Brien, who left the show after refusing NBC's request to move to 12:05 a.m. O'Brien's last show averaged 10.3 million total viewers last month.

"Nightline" has been having a strong season, seemingly benefitting from "Tonight's" loss of viewers during the O'Brien era.

But during the controversy over what would happen to "Tonight" during January, both the NBC show and "Late Show," in which Letterman took shots at his former employer, saw big gains.

Toni Fitzgerald is a staff writer for Media Life.

LATE-NIGHT RATINGS Week Ending Jan. 24, 2009 Five-day averages
Program	Network	People 2+	Adults 18-49
Program	Network	Total viewers (millions)	Rtg%
Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien	NBC	5.3	2.4
Late Show with David Letterman	CBS	3.9	0.9
Nightline	ABC	3.7	0.9
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon	NBC	2.2	1.0
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson	CBS	1.9	0.5

SYNDICATION Ranked on Households Week Ending Jan. 17, 2009
#	PROGRAMS	Syndicator	Households
#	PROGRAMS	Syndicator	US Rtg%	(000)
1	WHEEL OF FORTUNE	CTD	7.0	8006
2	JEOPARDY	CTD	6.3	7275
3	TWO-HALF MEN-SYN (AT)	WB	5.4	6197
4	JUDGE JUDY (AT)	CTD	5.0	5747
5	OPRAH WINFREY SHOW	CTD	4.6	5333

NEW - 1. Lady Antebellum, Need You Now
2. Various Artists, Hope For Haiti Now
3. Lady GaGa, The Fame
4. Susan Boyle, I Dreamed A Dream
NEW - 5. Barry Manilow, Greatest Love Songs Of All Time

TV WASTELAND, IT'S ONLY TV WASTELAND
WHAT AMERICA'S WATCHING
The Top 5 Network Primetime Report - Based On Nielsen Ratings
Network Primetime Averages by Viewers

Week ending January 31, 2010
[Show, Network, Total Viewers in millions]

1. Grammy Awards, CBS, 25.9
2. American Idol (Weds), Fox, 25.7
3. American Idol (Tues), Fox, 24.5
4. NCIS, CBS, 20.2
5. NCIS:Los Angles, CBS, 16.9

It had to happen sometime, but nobody expected the biggest film of all time to lose its North American box office crown this weekend to "Dear John," a low-budget "chick flick" with a pair of little-known stars.

The romantic drama opened at No. 1 with three-day sales of $32.4 million across the United States and Canada, crushing both industry forecasts and reigning champ "Avatar," according to studio estimates issued on Sunday.

James Cameron's 3D sci-fi spectacular slipped to No. 2 with $23.6 million in its eighth weekend. But "Avatar" remained the top pick overseas, earning $76 million. Its worldwide tally rose to $2.21 billion, divided between $630.1 million from North America and $1.58 billion from foreign markets.

"Avatar" last Tuesday surpassed the $601 million haul of Cameron's 1997 release "Titanic" to become the biggest movie of all time in North America. It had already taken the international and worldwide titles from "Titanic" thanks to ticket-price inflation and the higher cost of 3D screenings.

Pundits had forecast the 20th Century Fox release would lose its North American crown next weekend to "Valentine's Day," which will take advantage of both the eponymous holiday and the U.S. Presidents Day weekend.

But few predicted that "Dear John" would cause a stampede to movie theaters by young women. Moreover, the hardy demographic appeared to ignore the blizzard that shut down a large swathe of the mid-Atlantic region.

"When they come out, young women come out in droves," said Geoffrey Ammer, president of worldwide marketing at the film's closely held financier Relativity Media.

He said the first wave of moviegoers texted and Tweeted their friends during the screenings to deliver their favorable verdicts, triggering further waves.

Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried star as lovers whose romance is curtailed by the September 11 attacks. It was directed by Swedish filmmaker Lasse Hallstrom and based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks ("The Notebook").

The film was distributed by Sony Corp's mid-budget label Screen Gems, after Time Warner Inc's New Line Cinema unit dumped the $25 million project. Screen Gems said audiences for the film were 84 percent female and almost two-thirds were under the age of 21.

Ammer said the handful of men "dragged kicking and screaming" to the movie appeared to enjoy it, and he hoped word-of-mouth would bring in more of them. Critics largely ripped the movie.

John Travolta's latest box office offering, "From Paris With Love," was the actor's worst start in almost a decade. The crime thriller opened at No. 3 with $8.1 million. Distributor Lionsgate had hoped for an opening in the mid-teen millions, and said the blizzard did not help business. Critics were also unkind.

Travolta's previous worst opening was the $4.5 million start for "Lucky Numbers" in October 2000. He was in theaters last November with "Old Dogs," which opened at ticket sales of $17 million.

"From Paris With Love" was made by French filmmaker Luc Besson's Europa Corp, which enjoyed a worldwide hit last year with the Liam Neeson kidnap thriller "Taken." Pierre Morel directed both films. Lionsgate is a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.

Also new to the top 10 was Fox Searchlight's "Crazy Heart," which expanded nationally after seven weekends in limited release on the heels of its three Oscar nominations on Tuesday.

The picture earned $3.65 million, jumping six places to No. 8. Its total stands at $11.2 million. Jeff Bridges, its star, is considered the favorite to take home the best actor Oscar on March 7 for his role as a washed-up country music singer and songwriter. Fox Searchlight and 20th Century Fox are units of News Corp.

"Avatar" and "The Hurt Locker," the latter now out on DVD, led the Oscar field with nine nominations each.

TW	LW	Title (click to view)	Studio	Weekend Gross	Average	Total Gross	Week #
1	N	Dear John	SGem	$32,400,000	$10,913	$32,400,000	1
2	1	Avatar	Fox	$23,600,000	$7,867	$630,093,000	8
3	N	From Paris with Love	LGF	$8,120,000	$2,983	$8,120,000	1
4	2	Edge of Darkness	WB	$7,005,000	$2,285	$29,097,000	2
5	4	Tooth Fairy	Fox	$6,500,000	$2,020	$34,333,000	3

Source:boxofficemojo.com