Ratings and Scheduling: Who's the fairest of them all?

[YaddaYadda]

SpoilerTV is reporting 1.6 for both episodes. Honestly, that's incredible.

 

If ABC is smart it will promote the heck out of its return in two weeks, because previous years LOTS of people assumed it was the midseason finale.

 

That's especially true since they promoted the hell out of TGIT's winter finales.

[sharky]

Wow, surprised that they both got a 1.6 although it does look like number of viewers dropped off for the second half. I'll be interested to see what the half-hour breakdowns look like.

[jjjmoss]

What I find amusing is that Quantico fans were complaining about how Blood and Oil was dragging it down, but in fact with a Once lead-in both shows went down a bit in viewers and up just a tad in the demo based on prelims.

Edited November 16, 2015 by jjjmoss

[LizaD]

Half hr breakdowns: 1.7/1.6/1.5/1.6

[InsertWordHere]

It's amazing that they didn't lose more in the second hour up against Walking Dead.

[Serena]

That's especially true since they promoted the hell out of TGIT's winter finales.

Honestly I see a different TGIT event every other week! They got magazine covers, photoshoots, The Force Awakens trailer premiering during it, there's a regular "Scandal High" segment on Jimmy Kimmel, many of the actors go on talk shows... all Once gets is a 2-minute long GMA segment. Imagine if it had half of that promotion?

[HoodlumSheep]

It's amazing that they didn't lose more in the second hour up against Walking Dead.

I guess our audience doesn't have much of an crossover with that show. I bet the 1.5 is due to a ton of people having to take a break to recover from the first half. :P also, the thought of switching over to an unrelated ep.

[Shanna Marie]

The ratings going down then up again might have been people tuning out, then tuning back in to see the preview for the next episode or to see if they were maybe going to get back to the main plot at the end of the episode. I had the TV on but was mostly focused on my knitting until near the end, when I started paying attention again.

[Souris]

Viewer breakdown:

 

8:00 p.m.

ABC – Once Upon a Time
Viewers: 5.20 million (#3), A18-49: 1.7/ 5 (#3)

———-

8:30 p.m.

ABC – Once Upon a Time
Viewers: 4.87 million (#3), A18-49: 1.6/ 4 (#3)

———-

9:00 p.m.

ABC – Once Upon a Time
Viewers: 4.50 million (#3), A18-49: 1.5/ 4 (#2)

———-

9:30 p.m.

ABC – Once Upon a Time
Viewers: 4.64 million (#3), A18-49: 1.6/ 4 (#2)

[YaddaYadda]

Honestly I see a different TGIT event every other week! They got magazine covers, photoshoots, The Force Awakens trailer premiering during it, there's a regular "Scandal High" segment on Jimmy Kimmel, many of the actors go on talk shows... all Once gets is a 2-minute long GMA segment. Imagine if it had half of that promotion?

You're preaching to the choir.

 

What I meant was that during yesterday's episodes, they were promoting TGIT's winter finales, and with Once not on next week, people might thing that it was the winter finale. If it was only 5x08 that aired, I could totally see it.

[Hookian]

Wow amazing for both hours, Once is still a beast. ABC must be completely happy. Though I'll be real I barely payed attention during 5x09 because I was recovering from 5x08.

[Mathius]

And to the surprise of NO-ONE, the first hour did better than the second hour.

[Souris]

Once returns from its winter hiatus on March 6.

[maryle]

I am happy that episode 5x8 and 9 did well, I saw so many comments about people not wanted wacht it because( it was onceuponcs) I guess most people can see when people have an agenda and G.A care more for the overall story than counting screen time.

[Serena]

Honestly there have been CS, Rumbelle, Merida, etc focused episodes this season and the ratings haven't budged an inch. I think this means the people watching don't really care about those "fandoms" or if they do, an episode focused on their non-preferred fandom isn't a dealbreaker who will make them stop watching.

[sharky]

Yea, if the numbers are this stable, it's definitely becoming obvious that this is the die-hards sticking around. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but ABC can at least say that it now knows what it's getting from this show ratings-wise for a while to come.

[YaddaYadda]

They ordered an extra episode, so I'm sure they're very satisfied with the ratings. The fact that the ratings go in free fall after the Once episode is over at 9, but held steady during the second hour this past weekend really says something, imo.

[orza]

Yes, the vast majority of viewers don't care about fandoms and therefore neither do the producers or the network. Fandoms make a bit of noise on the internet but there are not enough online fans to impact ratings or revenue in any meaningful way. The majority of viewers watch for the overall story and perhaps a favorite character or two but they retain some perspective and don't get overinvested in individuals character or couples the way obsessive online fans do.

 

The Bear King was a big hit with the kids I watch the show with and their friends, Since there are more children watching this show than fan girls on tumblr (and elsewhere on the internet), it is no surprise that they want to produce a nice stand-alone episode free of all the shipper nonsense for those viewers. They are giving the Disney characters screen time because the kids in the audience love them.

 

This show is not stable just because of diehard fans. It was a smart business move to adopt the split season format and make the show more kid-oriented because they now have a steady stream of new viewers aging into their target demographic every 6 to 12 months. That's a great way to maintain a stable viewer base.

[mjgchick]

This is probably why they keep making toys from this show.

[sharky]

You know, that does make me wonder. We always talk about the 18-49 ratings because that's what advertisers care about. But I wonder about the pre-18 ratings as well and if advertisers care about them. There are definitely kids watching this show who have parents who buy toys for Christmas, but I don't really notice kid-oriented ads. So are these numbers important to ABC/Disney or are they important to the ad guys?

[jjjmoss]

I don't know if there's any steady stream of new viewers if the viewership is the lowest it's ever been with the last 3 airings (4.83 mil, 4.88 mil, 4.85 mil).

Edited November 17, 2015 by jjjmoss

[Hookian]

Yea, if the numbers are this stable, it's definitely becoming obvious that this is the die-hards sticking around. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but ABC can at least say that it now knows what it's getting from this show ratings-wise for a while to come.

 

Considering the ratings all around on the network, I'm sure ABC is very content with Once's performance.

[Mathius]

I don't know if there's any steady stream of new viewers if the viewership is the lowest it's ever been with the last 3 airings (4.83 mil, 4.88 mil, 4.85 mil).

 

Well, to be fair, many among those numbers may be new viewers while old ones have left.  The reason I doubt it's so "steady" is that it's clearly not enough new viewers if the numbers are staying so low.  I think most potential new viewers (kids) are passing on the show because there's more interesting shows they could be watching that are targeted exclusively toward them.  I still think long-time die-hard viewers are the majority of the current audience.

Edited November 17, 2015 by Mathius

[Serena]

You know, that does make me wonder. We always talk about the 18-49 ratings because that's what advertisers care about. But I wonder about the pre-18 ratings as well and if advertisers care about them. There are definitely kids watching this show who have parents who buy toys for Christmas, but I don't really notice kid-oriented ads. So are these numbers important to ABC/Disney or are they important to the ad guys?

I remember during S1 some stat was going around saying Once's demo in the 6-12 female demographic was insane.

 

I feel like ABC could be much better/smarter about the merchandising than it's been.

[Hookian]

God dang the holiday weekend took a chunk out of everything on TV especially last night.

 

Once got a 1.3 but everything was down last night. It was just messy all around.

 

Good job Thanksgiving! I'm sure it'll bounce back next week.

Edited November 30, 2015 by Hookian

[HoodlumSheep]

Ouch. I was afraid to look. :(

[Hookian]

Ouch. I was afraid to look. :(

 

Well we expected this because it's the holiday weekend. Once was the #1 broadcast show of the night.  That just proves how bad it is during holiday weekends.

[HoodlumSheep]

I know, but the anti's will surely cling onto this because they totally would.

How long does it take for live+7 ratings come out?

[Mathius]

I know, but the anti's will surely cling onto this because they totally would.

 

The anti's of what?  Hook/CS?  How the heck would THAT logic work?  An episode explicitly marketing derailing Hook back to evil and tearing CS apart gets a new low in ratings and that somehow equates to the majority of the audience NOT liking Hook/CS?  WTF?  I get that these anti's are often delusional, but there has to be limits o n that, right?

Edited November 30, 2015 by Mathius

[HoodlumSheep]

^ i know it's crazy, but there are some who'll equate the low ratings for it being a Hook heavy episode.

Anyways, I can't remember. Do live+7 ratings get released 2 weeks or so after the initial release? When are we getting the 5x08/5x09 live+7 ratings?

[maryle]

I did not watch it yet and been keeping far away from the anti since last episode, but I remembered last year bid drop was interpreted by them by the vulgar vault scene and the OQ debacle.

So, I guess a case can be made that this drop is because some CS fans hate how the storyline is done and 5x9 be boring. That's what they usually said before

Realisctically All that can be a factors but the big reason is the Holiday weekend. Every reasonable person know it when looking at the trend

[mjgchick]

Yeah every show including the biggest show on TV Empire was down. Let the anti's think whatever they want to think. The ratings aren't going to get better no matter who the centric is on.

[sharky]

That's definitely a rough number. That being said, how many times have we equated a drop to an episode being Regina centric or were surprised by that Merida mess being level with the hour before. Fact is that at this point it really doesn't matter. The numbers are still pretty steady, the core fans are sticking around. The only real thing to be interested in if the show can capitalize in 5B -- and then if it could maintain those numbers.

[Curio]

It also didn't help that they scheduled the completely random Merida adventure immediately after "Birth." My friend who's totally a casual viewer had to ask me: 1) if there was a new episode this Sunday, and 2) what the heck was going on with the plot because she was so confused about if they would ever get back to the Dark Hook cliffhanger, or if we were just getting more Merida episodes.

[Mathius]

There was a huge drop after the two-part event in 4A too.  Judging if any factors within the show itself caused a ratings drop is all speculation, whether ratings recover in 5B will be the real proof about how stable the core audience is staying (for comparison, the ratings went up a little for the first two episodes of 4B and then there was a mass, irreversible drop in the audience and demo numbers, which can literally only be explained by the show's plot - Regina's Author quest, the QoD and Snowing the Eggnappers - turning people off.)

[mjgchick]

Yeah they've done a number on Snowing who were very prominent the first two seasons. Now the show spends more time trying to connect the guest stars with the characters that they forget the rest. Purposely keeping Emma away from her parents was not a good idea IMO.

[Souris]

Once experienced the EXACT SAME demo drop last season from the ep before the two-week AMA break to the ep airing on Thanksgiving weekend: 4x08 (2.4, airing on Nov. 16) to 4x09 (2.1, airing on Nov. 30). A two-week break plus a holiday weekend results in a ratings drop. Of course, since Once’s ratings are lower this year than last, it’s a bigger percentage drop, but a drop was to be expected. I also think the darkness of the arc may be turning some people off. There's a lot going into the ratings drop.

 

You can see the seasons 1-4 ratings here.

 

The half-hour breakdown is really late today. Still hasn't come out on TVMediaInsights.

[Mathius]

As I said, any drop in the B half will be more clear, since other factors like football, Holidays, and a hiatus won't be around.

[Souris]

Half-hour breakdown finally:

 

8:00 p.m.

ABC – Once Upon a Time
Viewers: 4.40 million (#3), A18-49: 1.3/ 4 (#3)

CBS – 60 Minutes
Viewers: 15.58 million (#2), A18-49: 3.1/ 9 (#2)

NBC – Football Night in America
Viewers: 18.04 million (#1), A18-49: 5.7/16 (#1)

Fox – The Simpsons (repeat)
Viewers: 2.34 million (#1), A18-49: 1.0/ 3 (#4)

———-

8:30 p.m.

ABC – Once Upon a Time
Viewers: 4.23 million (#3), A18-49: 1.3/ 3 (#3)

CBS – 60 Minutes
Viewers: 12.54 million (#2), A18-49: 2.0/ 5 (#2)

NBC – Sunday Night Football (New England-Denver)
Viewers: 25.43 million (#1), A18-49: 8.2/22 (#1)

Fox – Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas (repeat)
Viewers: 2.23 million (#4), A18-49: 0.9/ 2 (#4)

[Mathius]

Not that bad a drop for the viewers, but the demo number was bad from the get-go.

[LizaD]

 

As I said, any drop in the B half will be more clear, since other factors like football, Holidays, and a hiatus won't be around.

 

Yeah the spring season literally has no competition like NFL but they always do worse.

 

What's interesting is that the amount of tv viewers-shares haven't dropped due to Thanksgiving at all. They're just choosing to watch football instead. I guess football is more family friendly fare eh?

[sharky]

Didn't realize that it was up against 60 Minutes for that whole hour. That show is a juggernaut. Also, from a TV by the Numbers comment:

 

When you start worrying about Once Upon a Time future guys, remember:
-OUAT is still higher than: The Muppets, Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., Fresh Off The Boat, Quantico, LMS, Dr. Ken, Nashville, Castle, Blood & Oil, Wicked City;
-ABC last season renewed 8 shows with same season average of OUAT ( and last season was much stronger than this for ABC );
-It's still one of the strongest ABC dramas ( just behind Shonda's series ) and it's currently beating 6 of them;
-It's once again the top rated scripted show of the night;
-ABC last season renewed Galavant and American Crime ( and this is my favourite point ).

 

[jjjmoss]

60 Minutes isn't really a juggernaut. Its ratings this season have included 1.4/1.3/1.4.

Last season it averaged 1.7 overall.

 

Now is football a juggernaut that lifts its lead-out program? Yes.

[sharky]

Ah, didn't realize that. I was referring to its last night numbers specifically. 2.0 is nothing to sneeze at. ;)

[Souris]

To put things into ratings perspective, the Panthers-Cowboys Thanksgiving game got a 31.9/67 share in Charlotte. LOL! Neither here nor there, really, but that rating isn't something you see much anymore, even in one market.

[PixiePaws1]

any idea how long your President 's address is likely to delay show? What usually happens if he goes for more than 5 minutes. .would they cancel the episode airing? In Australia the PM gets on tv and rabbits on unintelligibly for 20mins and the show he barged in on gets canceled. ..sometimes they reschedule it and run it without any notice.

[Sarcastica]

any idea how long your President 's address is likely to delay show? What usually happens if he goes for more than 5 minutes. .would they cancel the episode airing? In Australia the PM gets on tv and rabbits on unintelligibly for 20mins and the show he barged in on gets canceled. ..sometimes they reschedule it and run it without any notice.

 

I'm hoping they just have it delayed maybe 30 mins max?. I'm thinking the president will talk for 10-15 minutes(or more) and then reaction from ABC News..so that might be another 10-15 mins or so..

Also we better not get "And now we will return to OUAT currently in progress....."

[HoodlumSheep]

How do POTUS addresses affect the ratings to begin with?

POTUS addresses can last an hour if they want to.

I think his last one lasted 15ish-20 minutes???

Edited December 6, 2015 by HoodlumSheep

[KAOS Agent]

Well for sure the West Coast feeds will be clear of the address. I expect it will air at its normal time where I live too. Is Sunday Night Football getting preempted by this? People are going to be pissed.

[kitticup]

Wait what??? Is Obama holding a press conference?