NBC's Xmas turkey:
Goodman's Santa
Remake special averages a 2.5 in adults 18-49
By Toni Fitzgerald
Dec. 12, 2006
“The Year Without a Santa Claus” didn’t have much holiday magic for NBC. Despite stars like John Goodman and Delta Burke, the movie slumped to less than half what the network’s usual high-powered lineup pulls in the two-hour Monday 9 p.m. timeslot.
“Year” averaged a 2.5 rating among adults 18-49 last night, according to Nielsen overnights, compared with NBC’s usual 5.2 average for “Heroes” and “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.”
That wasn’t a huge surprise. CBS took advantage of the absence of “Heroes” with original episodes of “Two and a Half Men,” which had its best rating since Oct. 16 at a 5.2, and “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” an above-average 4.2.
Against that competition, “Year” had a tough time. Also, the movie didn’t get great reviews, which probably didn’t help. And the film was a remake of an original that debuted more than 30 years ago, meaning some of today’s kids may not have been familiar with the animated special.
By comparison, recent airings of classic holiday fare like ABC’s “Charlie Brown Christmas” and CBS’s “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” recently pulled ratings of 4.5 or better.
NBC points out that "Year" did win its timeslot among kids 2-11. It averaged 7.4 million total viewers.
CBS finished first for the night among 18-49s with a 4.2 average rating and an 11 share. NBC was second at 3.2/8, ABC third at 2.9/8, Fox fourth at 2.5/7, Univision fifth at 1.7/5 and CW sixth at 1.2/3.
NBC started the night strongly, leading the 8 p.m. hour with a 4.5 rating for “Deal or No Deal.” CBS was second with a 3.0 average for “How I met Your Mother” (3.0) and “The Class” (3.1), with ABC third with a 2.7 for a repeat of “Wife Swap” and Fox and Univision tied for fourth at 2.3, Fox for a repeat of “House” and Univision for “La Fea Mas Bella.” That left CW sixth with a 1.1 average for “Everybody Hates Chris” (1.1) and “All of Us” (1.1).
At 9 p.m. CBS took the lead with a 4.7 average for “Men” (5.2) and “Christine” (4.2). ABC was second that hour with a 3.3 for “Supernanny,” NBC third with a 2.8 for the first hour of “Year” and Fox fourth with a 2.7 for another “House” repeat. Univision was fifth with a 1.5 for “Mundo de Fieras” and CW sixth with a 1.3 average for “Girlfriends” (1.3) and “The Game” (1.3).
CBS retained its lead at 10 p.m. with a 4.8 for “CSI: Miami,” followed by a 2.5 for ABC’s “What About Brian.” NBC came in third with a 2.2 for the last hour of its movie and Univision fourth with a 1.4 for “Cristina.”
Among households, CBS also finished on top, averaging an 8.3 rating and a 13 share. NBC was second at 6.6/10, ABC third at 5.1/8, Fox fourth at 4.5/7, Univision fifth at 2.3/3 and CW sixth at 2.0/3.
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Toni Fitzgerald is a staff writer for Media Life.
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© 2006 Media Life Magazine |
