The Safe House - Expositions

No time slot may be as dear to TV programmers as the one after Super Bowl, a fact CBS well appreciated two years when it aired "Survivor: The Australian Outback" to a huge audience.

Last Sunday, ABC, though no less aware of the advantage, chose to air a show with a far less broad appeal, the cult favorite "Alias." It was a gamble intended to expose a new army of viewers to the critically acclaimed show.

Call it a major programming fumble.

"Alias" had the lowest ratings of any post-game show since at least 1987, even though sexy star Jennifer Garner appeared in bra and underwear in several promotions during the game.

The episode pulled 17.4 million viewers, twice its normal audience, but nearly 30 million fewer than "Survivor" hauled in two years ago.

ABC did not help its case by airing the special "Alias" episode at 11 p.m., more than 40 minutes after the game ended, for the latest post-Super Bowl program start in history.

Instead it chose to air 40 minutes of post-game coverage, effectively clearing living rooms across America of anything by diehard football fans.

And that's too bad for ABC, which saw this as a chance to introduce the critically acclaimed but ratings-challenged "Alias" to a broader audience.

The show's audience of about 9.3 million per week is down 9 percent from last year. The network made series creator J.J. Abrams promise that, if it aired "Alias" in the post-Super Bowl slot, future episodes would be more self-contained, less cliffhanger-driven and thus more viewer-friendly. In essence, "Alias" will be dumbed down. Sunday's broadcast did haul "Alias'" biggest audience ever. But that was a far cry from even Fox's disappointing "Malcolm" episode last year (21 million) or "Survivor: The Australian Outback" (45 million).

Even ABC's last post-Super Bowl special, "The Practice," fared better. "The Practice" retained 27 percent of its lead-in despite a lower game rating than this year. "Alias" retained only 19 percent. No previous post-Super Bowl show had ever scored a single-digit rating among 18-49s, not even ABC's "Extreme" back in 1995. "Alias" doubled its usual Sunday night 18-49 adult rating to an 8.3. That tells you why ABC wanted this program to get a ratings boost.

Maybe fans just aren't ready for a primetime broadcast female action hero. By not tuning in after the Super Bowl, non-"Alias" fans seemed to offer a resounding no thank you. Yet by delaying the start until 11 p.m., ABC has no one to blame but itself.

There was some cheerier news for the network. With terrific numbers for the actual game, ABC finished No. 1 among households and 18-49s for the week. Its season-to-date 18-49 average jumped from 3.8 last week to a third-place 4.1 this week -- a good thing, too, because fourth-place Fox is also surging.

© Media Life 2003

ABC

January 28, 2003

ABC Ratings Release

"Alias" (11:01 p.m. - 12:01 a.m.)

Following nearly 45 minutes of Super Bowl Post-game coverage, "Alias" drew an average audience of 17.4 million viewers and an 8.2 rating, 23 share among Adults 18-49.

"Alias" posted the program's highest ratings ever in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. Despite having the latest start in history for a post-Super Bowl program, "Alias" saw strong sampling, up by over 8 million viewers (17.4 million vs. 9.3 million) and by 105% among Adult 18-49 over its average this season (8.2/23 vs. 4.0/9).

© ABC 2003

E! Online

January 27, 2003

First Look

by Lia Haberman

TOUCHDOWN: ABC's coverage of Super Bowl XXXVII drawing some 138 million viewers--the second biggest audience ever for the NFL championship. About 17 million viewers stuck around for the post-game airing of Alias, the best numbers ever for the spy series.

© E! Online 2003

E! Online

January 27, 2003

ABC's Really Super Super Bowl

by Lia Haberman

...

Finally, even with the semi-naked promo spots that ran during the game, only 17.4 million viewers stuck around for ABC's heavily hyped spy series Alias, which didn't start airing until 11 p.m. ET--about two hours later than usual. Jennifer Garner's sexy spin in red garters wasn't in vain, though. The double agent's adventures have only attracted an average of 9 million viewers this season, so last night's numbers were an all-time best for the series, plus the show doubled its share of horny 18-49 year olds.

© E! Online 2003

E! Online

January 27, 2003

First Look

by Lia Haberman

© E! Online 2003

The Hollywood Reporter

January 28, 2003

Superbowl gets strong ratings Sunday but 'Alias' an MIA

By Cynthia Littleton and Andrew Grossman

Thanks to Andrea at Alias_TV.

ABC had a big night on Sunday with the Superbowl battle between the Oakland Raiders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the network didn't have as much traction with its entertainment programming. ABC's 625-1018 p.m. ET telecast of the Superbowl averaged a robust 43.8 household rating/62 share in Nielsen's 55 overnight metered markets. That was tracking to be the highest-rated Superbowl telecast since the 1998 contest between the Denver Broncos and the Green Bay Packers. The Buc's 48-21 lopsided victory -- in which they led by 20-3 at halftime -- pulled a 3% higher rating than last year's exciting New England-St. Louis game which went down to the last second. "It was never, over, over," said one ABC executive. "Oakland started coming back a bit. It was such great match-up going in that people hung around thinking it would possibly change." Following the Superbowl, however, ABC's special episode of "Alias" that aired following the post-game show after 11 p.m. in East Coast markets averaged a 13.3 rating/23 share in Nielsen's overnight markets, which was tracking to be one of the lowest post-Superbowl entertainment programs in recent memory. The other big test for ABC on Sunday was the launch of its new late-night talk show "Jimmy Kimmel Live," which premiered at 1235 on Sunday with a 5.5 household rating/15 share in the metered markets.

© The Hollywood Reporter 2003

The Hollywood Reporter

January 28, 2003

Super Bowl up, but postgame sinks; 'Alias' cold

By Andrew Grossman

NEW YORK -- ABC surpassed most analyst expectations Sunday when an average of 88.6 million viewers tuned in to the Super Bowl, up 5% from a year ago, even though the game had pretty much been decided by halftime and last year's game went down to the final seconds. The game climaxed an upbeat NFL season in which viewership was generally higher, especially among men. Despite the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 48-21 dismantling of the Oakland Raiders, the game drew a 40.7 household rating/61 share, the highest since ABC's last telecast in 2000 and 1% above the 40.4 posted by Fox last year and by CBS in 2001, according to Nielsen Media Research. Among adults 18-49, ABC earned a 36.4 rating, 5% better than last year and 2% better than 2001. Contrary to most conventional wisdom, the game's ratings peaked at the end, from 10-10:18 p.m. EST, with a 42.4/61. Advertisers, who pay a premium for those first-quarter spots, may want to rethink their strategy next year: Ratings grew from a 36.8/62 at 6:30 p.m. and remained within a narrow range between a 40.1 (the halftime show with Shania Twain) and a 41.6 through 10 p.m. Now the bad news for ABC: Its hopes to get a big bump for "Alias" after the game came crashing down as the drama earned one of the lowest ratings ever for a post-Super Bowl entertainment show, garnering a 10.6/20 with a late 11 p.m. EST start. The show's average of 17.4 million viewers and an 8.3 rating among adults 18-49 also was the lowest in post-Super Bowl history since at least 1988.

Zap2it

January 27, 2003

ABC Is, Yes, Super on Sunday

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Metered market ratings for Sunday, Jan. 26, 2003

The Super Bowl is always the most-watched TV broadcast of the year, and Sunday was no exception.

ABC, which aired the game this year, averaged a 41.5 rating/59 share in primetime. In the race for second place, CBS and FOX tied for second, each earning a 4.7/7. NBC was fourth at 4.0/6, while The WB trailed at 1.7/2.

The game itself, a 48-21 blowout win by Tampa Bay over Oakland, averaged a 43.8/62 from 6:30 to 10:15 p.m. ET.

(Fast national ratings for households and adults 18-49 weren't available as of noon PT Monday).

The Super Bowl averaged a 43.9/64 at 7 p.m. CBS took second with "60 Minutes," 5.2/7. FOX's movie "Independence Day" (4.7/7 average from 7 to 10 p.m.) was third, with a "Fear Factor" rerun, 2.3/3, finishing fourth for NBC. The WB aired the first of three reruns of "High School Reunion."

The game entered halftime in the 8 p.m. hour, where it averaged 44.1/61. FOX was second and CBS third with reruns "Becker" and "The King of Queens." NBC remained in fourth with its "Saturday Night Live" Super Bowl halftime stunt, 3.8/5, and more "Fear Factor," 3.0/4. The WB improved to 1.8/3 with "High School Reunion."

At 9 p.m., the Super Bowl held steady, with FOX once again in second. CBS held on to third place with its movie "The Deep End of the Ocean" (5.0/7 average from 9 to 11 p.m.). "Dateline NBC" was fourth and "High School Reunion" fifth.

The end of the Super Bowl and postgame festivities averaged 33.7/48 at 10 p.m. NBC moved up to second with "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," 6.6/10, with CBS' movie in third.

Airing outside of primetime in most of the country, the postgame episode of "Alias" scored a 13.3/23.

Ratings information is taken from the overnight metered markets. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change, especially for live events.

Zap2it

January 27, 2003

Super Bowl Ratings Up from Last Year

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Viewers stuck with Sunday's (Jan. 26) Super Bowl despite the lopsided outcome, delivering the game's biggest audience in several years to ABC.

According to preliminary national figures released Monday (Jan. 27), Super Bowl XXXVII averaged a 40.7 rating/61 share among households and 88.64 million viewers. The household rating is higher than either of the previous two Super Bowls (both games drew 40.4 ratings), and the audience is the biggest since 90 million watched the 1998 game between Denver and Green Bay.

ABC didn't get as big a bounce for its postgame program, "Alias," as other networks have in recent years, in part because the episode didn't begin until 11 p.m. ET. "Alias" drew 17.4 million viewers, about 8 million over its season average, and more than doubled its season average among adults 18-49 (8.3 vs. 4.0), the group advertisers love the most.

By comparison, an episode of "Malcolm in the Middle" on FOX after last year's game averaged 21.4 million viewers, while the premiere of "Survivor: The Australian Outback" pulled in a whopping 45.4 million people in 2001.

Sunday's game, a 48-21 victory by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the Oakland Raiders, will likely rank sixth among all Super Bowls in the average number of viewers. Super Bowl XXX in 1996, featuring the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers, is No. 1 with just over 94 million viewers.

FOX drew averaged 86.8 million viewers with last year's Super Bowl.

ABC says that 137.6 people watched at least part of Sunday's game, which would put it second all-time, again trailing Super Bowl XXX. Final figures will be released Tuesday.

MediaWeek.com

January 27, 2003

Super Bowl Draws 88 Million Viewers

By John Consoli

ABC's telecast of Super Bowl XXXVII drew 88.6 million viewers, making it the largest audience to watch the game since 1998, according to Nielsen Media Research national ratings data.

The telecast drew a household rating of 40.7/61, a 36.4 rating among adults 18-49 and a 34.2 among adults 18-34. It was the highest ratings in those demos since 2000, the last time the game was televised by ABC.

The post-Super Bowl airing of the second-year ABC drama Alias, drew an average audience of 17.4 million viewers and an 8.3 rating among adults 18-49. Those numbers more than double its season average for viewers (9.3 million) and 18-49 rating (4.0). ABC is hoping that the additional exposure for the show will jumpstart its ratings, which, although good, have not been as high as the network had hoped.

MediaWeek.com

January 27, 2003

Programming Insider: Primetime Metered Market Ratings

By Marc Berman

Sunday 1/26/03

ABC (41.4/57), CBS (4.8/7), Fox (4.7/7), NBC (4.2/6), WB (1.7/2)

-Yesterday's Winners:
Super Bowl XXXVII (ABC)

-Ratings Breakdown:
In an obvious landslide victory, Super Bowl XXXVII on ABC (Tampa Bay 48, Oakland 21) scored a 43.8/62 from 6:30-10:15 p.m. -- 3 percent above last year's Patriots/Rams matchup on Fox (42.5/61 on Feb. 3, 2002). Factoring in a 25.7/38 for the postgame at 10:30 p.m., and ABC beat CBS, Fox, NBC and the WB combined by 169 percent. In what ABC hopes will jump-start the critically acclaimed but low-rated series, an 11 p.m. Super Bowl lead-out edition of Alias averaged a 13.3/23. Last year, Malcolm in the Middle in the post Super Bowl time period delivered a similar 14.1/24.

Elsewhere, and the results were slim indeed, CBS's 60 Minutes opened the night with a 5.2/8 followed by repeats of Becker (4.0/6), King of Queens (3.7/5) and theatrical The Deep End of the Ocean (5.1/7). A repeat of theatrical Independence Day on Fox averaged a 4.7/7 with NBC's combination of Fear Factor (2.3/3 from 7-8 p.m.), Saturday Night Live Super Bowl Half-Time Show (4.1/8), the final half-hour of a 90-minute Fear Factor 3.0/4), Dateline (3.6/5) and a repeat of Law & Order: Criminal Intent (6.4/10) fourth overall for the evening.

On the WB, three back-to-back repeat episodes of High School Reunion averaged a 1.7/2.

Sorry folks, but initial overnights for ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live were not available at press time.

Source: Nielsen Media Research

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