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THE NIELSENS
Touchdown! ABC scores in ratings game
ASSOCIATED PRESS
03-Feb-2000 Thursday
A super week gave ABC bragging rights as the season's most-watched
television network.
ABC crushed its rivals last week behind Sunday's close Super Bowl game
between the St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans and another record-setting
performance by "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire."
ABC's Super Bowl telecast was up 7 percent in ratings over the 1999 game,
according to Nielsen Media Research. ABC had worried that a
game featuring
two relatively small media markets would show ratings weakness.
Besides the Super Bowl coverage, the week's three most-watched programs
were all showings of "Millionaire." The game show's Tuesday audience
of
35.3 million was its largest yet.
With the Academy Awards ahead on ABC and "Millionaire" showing no
signs of
weakening, ABC is on target for its first ratings season championship since
1994-95.
"I really think it will be pretty difficult for another network to make up
that deficit," said Larry Hyams, chief researcher for ABC.
For the season, ABC has averaged 13.7 million prime-time viewers. CBS has
12.9 million viewers, and NBC has 12.8 million.
Last year, ABC finished third behind CBS and NBC in household ratings. It
has won the season ratings race only four other times: three times in the
late 1970s and in 1994-95.
For the week, ABC averaged 27.6 million prime-time viewers (15.6 rating, 25
share), followed by CBS, which had 11 million viewers (7.6 rating, 12
share), NBC's 10.5 million viewers (7.4, 12), Fox's 7.9 million viewers
(5.3, 8), the WB's 4.1 million viewers (2.9, 4), UPN's 4.1 million viewers
(2.8, 4) and Pax TV 's 1.1 million viewers (0.8, 1).
ABC's "World News Tonight" led the evening news competition with 12.6
million viewers (9.0 rating, 17 share). NBC's "Nightly News" had 12.4
million viewers (9.2 rating, 17 share) and the "CBS Evening News" had
10.2
million viewers (7.5 rating, 14 share).
A rating point represents 1,008,000 households, or 1 percent of the
nation's estimated 100.8 million TV homes. The share is the percentage of
in-use televisions tuned to a given show.
Here are the prime-time ratings as compiled by Nielsen Media
Research for
Jan. 24-30:
1. "Super Bowl XXXIV: Tennessee Titans vs. St. Louis Rams," ABC.
2. "Super Bowl Post Game -- Part I," ABC.
3. "Super Bowl Post Game -- Part II," ABC.
4. "Who Wants To be a Millionaire," ABC.
5. "Who Wants To be a Millionaire," ABC.
6. "Who Wants To be a Millionaire," ABC.
7. "The Practice," ABC.
8. "Dharma and Greg," ABC.
9. "Law and Order," NBC.
10. "NYPD Blue," ABC.
11. "Everybody Loves Raymond," CBS.
12. "Twenty One," NBC.
13. "Becker," CBS.
14. "Friends," NBC.
14. "King of Queens," CBS.
14. "West Wing," NBC.
17. "Frasier," NBC.
18. "60 Minutes II," CBS.
19. "Judging Amy," CBS.
19. "Ladies Man," CBS.
21. "Sports Night," ABC.
22. "The Drew Carey Show," ABC.
22. "Family Law," CBS.
24. "CBS Wednesday Movie: Stolen From the Heart."
25. "Will and Grace," NBC.
26. "Nash Bridges," CBS.
27. "20/20" (Friday), ABC.
28. "Greed," Fox.
28. "Third Watch," NBC.
30. "ABC Monday Night Movie: Jack," ABC.
30. "JAG," CBS.
30. "Spin City," ABC.
33. "20/20" (Wednesday), ABC.
33. "Ally McBeal," Fox.
33. "Providence," NBC.
36. "ABC Saturday Night Movie: Runaway Virus."
36. "Once and Again," ABC.
38. "Dateline NBC" (Tuesday).
39. "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch," ABC.
39. "Twenty One," NBC.
39. "World Professional Figure Skating II," NBC.
42. "Touched by an Angel," CBS.
42. "Two Guys and a Girl," ABC.
44. "City of Angels," CBS.
44. "Veronica's Closet," NBC.
44. "World's Wildest Police Videos," Fox.
47. "Analysis 1," ABC.
48. "Kids Say the Darndest Things," CBS.
48. "World Professional Figure Skating," NBC.
50. "60 Minutes Special," CBS.
50. "Norm," ABC.
50. "Now and Again," CBS.
50. "Walker, Texas Ranger," CBS.
54. "State of the Union Analysis," NBC.
54. "Touched by an Angel," CBS.
56. "AMW: America Fights Back," Fox.
57. "Just Shoot Me," NBC.
58. "60 Minutes II," CBS.
58. "The Hughleys," ABC.
60. "Martial Law," CBS.
60. "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch," ABC.
62. "Boy Meets World," ABC.
63. "Third Rock From the Sun," NBC.
64. "Cops 2: Indianapolis," Fox.
64. "Malcolm in the Middle," Fox.
64. "That '70s Show," Fox.
67. "Diagnosis Murder," CBS.
68. "Beverly Hills, 90210," Fox.
68. "Cosby," CBS.
68. "NBC Movie of the Week: It Takes Two."
71. "NBC Sunday Night Movie: The Beautician and the Beast."
71. "WWF Smackdown!" UPN.
73. "Charmed," WB.
74. "Freaks and Geeks," NBC.
75. "COPS: Fort Worth," Fox.
75. "JAG," CBS.
77. "The Simpsons," Fox.
78. "7th Heaven," WB.
79. "Malcolm in the Middle," Fox.
79. "Party of Five," Fox.
81. "Angel," WB.
82. "Get Real," Fox.
83. "The X-Files," Fox.
84. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," WB.
84. "Time of Your Life," Fox.
86. "Road to Fame," Fox.
86. "Star Trek: Voyager," UPN.
88. "State of the Union Analysis," CBS.
89. "Popular," WB.
90. "Dawson's Creek," WB.
91. "NBA Basketball Saturday: Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers, San Antonio
Spurs at Portland Trailblazers."
92. "The Parkers," UPN.
93. "King of the Hill," Fox.
93. "Roswell," WB.
95. "Moesha," UPN.
95. "World's Funniest!" Fox.
97. "7 Days," UPN.
97. "Grown Ups," UPN.
97. "Jamie Foxx Show," WB.
97. "The Steve Harvey Show," WB.
101. "For Your Love," WB.
102. "Jamie Foxx Show," WB.
102. "Malcolm & Eddie," UPN.
104. "I Dare You," UPN.
104. "I Dare You," UPN.
104. "Touched by an Angel," Pax.
107. "Brutally Normal," WB.
107. "Diagnosis Murder," Pax.
107. "Dilbert," UPN.
110. "7th Heaven Beginnings," WB.
111. "Jack & Jill," WB.
111. "Jack & Jill," WB.
111. "Shasta," UPN.
114. "Touched by an Angel," Pax.
114. "Touched by an Angel," Pax.
116. "Diagnosis Murder," Pax.
116. "Shasta," UPN.
118. "Diagnosis Murder," Pax.
118. "Diagnosis Murder," Pax.
118. "Diagnosis Murder," Pax.
121. "Dilbert," UPN.
121. "Touched by an Angel," Pax.
123. "Chicken Soup for the Soul," Pax.
123. "It's a Miracle," Pax.
123. "Touched by an Angel," Pax.
126. "Destination Stardom," Pax.
126. "Touched by an Angel," Pax.
128. "Hope Island," Pax.
128. "It's a Miracle," Pax.
128. "PAX-TV Three Hanky Movie: Love, Mary."
128. "Touched by an Angel," Pax.
128. "Twice in a Lifetime," Pax.
133. "Little Men," Pax.
133. "Twice in a Lifetime," Pax.
135. "Hope Island," Pax.
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