NBC’s Big Piece of Smaller Pie

NBC closed out an impressive year with victories during the May ratings sweeps and the 1995-96 television season, though those individual highlights come amid sobering results for the broadcast networks as a group.

With cable and other alternatives whittling away at the available audience, network programmers like-mindedly pursuing the same younger demographics and a shortage of new hits, the season that ended Wednesday night represents the worst in history for the Big Three networks, who watched their combined audience share fall to 53% during prime time, down 8% from the previous year.

Only NBC managed a modest increase in viewing levels compared to the prior season, with ABC and CBS each down more than 10% to all-time-low ratings and Fox off marginally.

To demonstrate the downward cycle, ABC, CBS and NBC together had never dipped below 60% of the prime-time audience until last year and didn’t drop below 70% until the 1988-89 season.

Despite its success versus the other networks, NBC West Coast President Don Ohlmeyer acknowledged Thursday that “it’s a little unnerving when you see the erosion of both ABC’s and CBS’ audience.” The networks, he said, will continue to need to offer big-event programming to lure back viewers who have lost the network habit and gone to cable or independent stations.

By contrast, basic cable researchers point to their 15% improvement in prime time for the season as evidence of “a fundamental shift in viewing patterns,” as Tim Brooks, USA Networks senior vice president of research, put it. Gains came from a variety of sources, among them children, who tuned in services like Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network as broadcasters scheduled less kid-friendly fare at 8 p.m.; and older viewers, who also turned to cable as the networks sought to attract a younger audience.

Cable’s gains were more modest (up about 6%) during May, in part due to the O.J. Simpson trial and more competitive NBA basketball playoffs a year ago.

NBC’s peacock nevertheless had much to crow about during the season, which included handing its affiliates easy wins during the November, February and May sweeps--the three key months in determining advertising rates on local stations.

NBC hadn’t won the annual ratings crown since the ‘90-91 campaign, spending two years in the cellar before beginning its dramatic turnaround. The network’s margin of victory this year among key demographics, according to NBC research, was the largest since the 1988-89 season, when NBC still aired hits such as “The Cosby Show,” “L.A. Law” and “Cheers.”

By falling to second, ABC becomes the first network not to win at least three seasons consecutively once ascending that position since 1970-71, when NBC briefly interrupted a 20-year streak--from the mid-1950s through the mid-’70s--in which CBS was the top-rated network.

In fact, CBS, ABC and NBC, in that order, have each won the season over the last three years, another broadcasting first. NBC Entertainment President Warren Littlefield cited that as an example of how topsy-turvy the prime-time business has become, adding that he’s “very optimistic” about NBC retaining its No. 1 ranking next season.

With nearly a 20% ratings decline during the May sweeps, meanwhile, Disney-owned ABC is now in danger of dropping to third in prime time next season unless it can find some new hits, having trailed CBS in household ratings during the last two sweeps periods.

Fox is also hot on ABC’s trail among adults 18-49, a key sales demographic, and ranked second among the younger adults 18-34 age bracket during the just-concluded ratings survey.

ABC has now finished third in homes for two consecutive sweeps periods, a fact that likely won’t sit well with its affiliates, who’ll meet with the network’s new owners in Orlando next month.

Those declines by ABC have helped put CBS in a better competitive position. CBS, which itself remains in a rebuilding mode, is moving back toward appealing to a slightly older audience. While moving closer to ABC since January, the network still ranked third for the season in households and finished fourth for both the season and the May sweeps in younger demographics.

In addition to an easy prime-time win during the season and sweeps, NBC will also claim victories in late night--”The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” having overtaken “Late Show With David Letterman”--and among the network morning shows, where “Today” continues to hold an edge over “Good Morning America.”

CBS’ daytime lineup kept up its winning streak, having been first for more than seven consecutive years, while Fox has a long-standing hold on the Saturday morning children’s competition.

In terms of individual programs, NBC’s “ER” and “Seinfeld” were the top-rated shows for the season, both watched by roughly 32 million people on average each week. Fellow Thursday entry “Friends” ranked third at 28 million, despite airing at an earlier hour, when TV viewing levels tend to be lower.