Thursday Programs Help Return NBC to Top of the Heap

Big movies and miniseries combined with renewed vigor from its Thursday lineup have returned NBC to the top of the sweeps heap, based on prime-time ratings for the four-week survey period that concluded Wednesday.

Despite substantial audience declines this season fueled by the loss of “Seinfeld” and pro football, which have dropped NBC’s tune-in for the year below CBS, the network rebounded in February thanks in part to its success with the miniseries “The ‘60s” and the lavish movie “Alice in Wonderland.”

In fact, expensive miniseries generally paid off during sweeps, with ABC and CBS also attracting sizable audiences for Stephen King’s “Storm of the Century” and “Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke,” respectively.

Such productions can allow the networks to reclaim viewers who have drifted away to cable and other alternatives, NBC Entertainment President Scott Sassa noted.

“Especially at a time of increased fractionalization, we need to find ways to bring people back in,” he said, calling the networks’ success with such big events “the real story of the sweeps.”

The best news for NBC, however, may have stemmed from its growth Thursdays, with the twin towers of “ER” and “Friends” both gaining nearly 10% in audience thanks to high-profile plot lines, including the departure of the former’s George Clooney. In addition, “Frasier”--which looked at times like a less-than-worthy heir to the “Seinfeld” slot during the fourth quarter--surged 15%, averaging almost 26 million viewers.

NBC also benefited compared to the last sweeps in November by launching the season’s biggest new-series hit, the Friday night drama “Providence,” which premiered in January.

Overall, NBC delivered 14.6 million viewers during an average minute of prime time, versus 13.9 million people watching CBS, 13.2 million tuned to ABC and 11 million for Fox, which experienced the steepest year-to-year loss in audience among the major broadcasters.

While viewing of NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox did increase over November, for a combined prime-time average of nearly 53 million viewers, that still represents a reduction of 10% from last February (when CBS’ results were inflated by televising the Winter Olympics) as well as February 1997, a non-Olympic year.

Nevertheless, the networks continue to tout their durability in the face of the multitude of options whittling away at their audience. The four networks’ percentage of the prime-time viewing pie slipped to 53% during sweeps, while basic cable has steadily increased, hitting 38%.

Local stations use sweeps results from November, February and May as the basis for negotiating advertising rates. Sassa noted that NBC excelled particularly during the last half-hour of prime time--a key window for network affiliates because it funnels viewers into their late local newscasts.

NBC also ranked first among adults between the ages of 18 and 54, the wide demographic segment most avidly sought by advertisers. Thanks to ABC’s late Monica Lewinsky-led charge, the network eked out a second-place tie with Fox by that measure, while CBS--with its many programs that appeal primarily to older people, such as “Cosby” and “Diagnosis Murder”--again brought up the rear.

By contrast, the upstart WB network ranked first among teenagers during the 11 hours of prime-time programming that service offers and established an overall audience record, for the first time averaging more than 5 million viewers. The WB family drama “7th Heaven” also set records, actually beating all comers in its time slot one Monday, even though WB is handicapped by airing on weaker UHF stations in much of the country.

ABC continued its struggles during recent sweeps, despite Walt Disney Co. Chairman Michael Eisner’s pledge to the network’s affiliates in 1996 that a third-place finish during February would not be repeated. That proved a rather hollow promise, as ABC has rarely escaped third place in subsequent sweeps and finished fourth last year, when the Olympics siphoned away audience.

ABC officials did point to some encouraging signs, among them improving its position relative to a year ago. The network’s Emmy-winning drama “The Practice” also posted a best-ever rating during sweeps, as did another show that comes from producer David E. Kelley, Fox’s “Ally McBeal.”

The crowing by NBC’s peacock reached beyond prime time to late night. Not only did “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” beat CBS’ “Late Show With David Letterman” by what’s projected to be its widest sweeps margin ever (an advantage of 2.7 million viewers nightly), but “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” may actually surpass Letterman among young adults--a primary component of the late-night audience--despite airing an hour later, when the available pool of people watching TV sharply subsides.

That’s a blow to CBS, whose president, Leslie Moonves, proclaimed after last February’s sweeps--when “Late Show” enjoyed a ratings bounce due to the Olympics--that “Letterman was up, Letterman was rediscovered, Letterman was reinvigorated.”

NBC remains equally dominant in the early-morning news race, where “Today” easily weathered ABC’s attempts to breathe life into “Good Morning America.”