NBC Uses ‘Fear’ in Rating War

Fear continues to grip the networks this summer, as ratings for reruns struggle while “Fear Factor” keeps steadily building an audience, with a double dose pacing NBC to ratings victory last week, based on viewing estimates issued Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research.

The stunt-oriented series and quiz show “Weakest Link” have combined to consistently win Monday nights for NBC. Moreover, both shows are performing disproportionately well with younger viewers, helping the network rank first among adults under 50 for 16 consecutive weeks.

Not all original summer series are faring as well. Tune-in for Fox’s mystery hybrid “Murder in Small Town X,” for example, dropped 17% from its premiere.

Still, viewers are clearly seeking out alternatives to reruns, either on cable or in alternative formats that provide original fare, including news magazines and movies. Last week, only six of the Top 20 most-watched programs were reruns of sitcoms or dramas, as CBS’ “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and “Everybody Loves Raymond” are still bucking the trend toward rerun blahs.

ABC’s annual prime-time golf match featuring Tiger Woods, “The Battle at Bighorn,” slipped 17% versus a year ago but still proved a solid attraction especially among men, finishing third for the week among men age 25 to 54.

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Network Averages

Here’s the number of viewers (in millions) that each network averaged per hour of prime time for last week and for the season.

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Network Last Week Season to Date NBC 8.15 10.84 ABC 7.79 11.30 CBS 7.76 11.49 FOX 5.56 8.66 UPN 3.22 3.61 WB 2.13 3.44

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