TV Ratings : A Four-Bagger in His Last At-Bat

ABC Entertainment President Robert Iger couldn’t be bowing out at a better time. A day after he was named to succeed John Sias as president of the ABC Television Network Group, Iger’s prime-time division racked up its fourth weekly ratings triumph in a row--the first time the network had accomplished that feat since 1979.

According to figures released Tuesday by the A.C. Nielsen Co., ABC accounted for seven of the 10 highest rated shows last week, including No. 1--the concluding installment of “The Jacksons: An American Dream,” which the network said was watched by about 38.3 million people.

ABC is expected to win the November ratings sweeps, which conclude tonight, for the first time since 1978. CBS will finish second and NBC third. CBS pointed out, however, that it broadcast much more of its normal schedule than ABC did, while Fox noted that it had “more growth among young adults than any other network.”

For the season that began in September, CBS is still No. 1, with an average prime-time rating of 13.4, compared to 12.6 for ABC, 11.4 for NBC and 7.8 for Fox. ABC said that it is the only one of the four to be running ahead of last year--by 3%. NBC is down 12%, CBS is down 4% and Fox is even.

Among the viewers most coveted by advertisers--those between the ages of 18 and 49--ABC is No. 1 for the season with an average rating of 14.1, compared to 12.8 for CBS, 11.4 for NBC and 8.6 for Fox.

* TV movies made a strong showing last week: Five of them finished among the Top 21. Next best after “The Jacksons” was the first part of NBC’s “Deadly Matrimony” on Sunday, which ranked No. 12. The others were CBS’ “Overkill” at 14, NBC’s “A Child Lost Forever” at 15 and CBS’ “Nightmare in the Daylight” at 21.

TV Ratings

Points Share 1. “The Jacksons (Part 2)” (ABC) 23.9 36 2. “60 Minutes” (CBS) 23.7 37 3. “Roseanne” (ABC) 22.4 33 4. “Murder, She Wrote” (CBS) 19.4 28 5. “Coach” (ABC) 19.3 29 * “Deadly Matrimony (Part 1)” (NBC) 16.1 25

Complete list, F21 (Each rating point represents 931,000 homes. Share is the percentage of viewing audience.)