Ratings and Scheduling: Hail to the Gods

[caracas1914]

Wow, the ratings for the Arrow/Flash crossover have elicited a series high 1.4 for Arrow.

That's a climb from the prior episode's .9 for about a 60 % increase.

[Velocity23]

CW press release:

[Artsda]

Good for the show, lets see if it can keep those Flash viewers though.

[Shanna]

Wow! I suspect we will be doing a bunch of crossovers now.

[Velocity23]

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/12/04/wednesday-final-ratings-no-adjustment-for-arrow-modern-family-or-the-100/335389/

 

Final numbers are in: 1.4 in the demo & 3.92 mil viewers.

[Carrie Ann]

I feel irrationally proud and excited for them. Glad they got those ratings for what was easily the best episode of the season.

[Guest]

It deserved it. Best episode of the season so far. 

[wingster55]

The Barry Allen effect. 

[BkWurm1]

Next thing you know the CW will mandate crossovers with all their shows. 

[ban1o]

The Barry Allen effect. 

haha kinda true.Last season the episodes with Grant were the highest rated right? 

Anyway it will be interesting to see how it holds up. Like I think the fall season finale will be still high (Probably around a 1.2 or 1.3) but hopefully it stays relatively high for the next half 

[wingster55]

haha kinda true.Last season the episodes with Grant were the highest rated right?

 

Yup. 

[wonderwall]

Anyway it will be interesting to see how it holds up. Like I think the fall season finale will be still high (Probably around a 1.2 or 1.3) but hopefully it stays relatively high for the next half 

I think it'll go down to 1.1 next episode and then it'll get back to 0.7-0.9 in January... Shows generally tend to not really do as well during that time! :/ 

Edited December 4, 2014 by wonderwall

[statsgirl]

It will probably go down in January.  Flash watchers will tune in expecting more of the same and they'll get 

a missing Oliver and Laurel flailing around trying to be a Canary.

[Trini]

Wow! I suspect we will be doing a bunch of crossovers now.

Once a season sounds reasonable to me.  :-)

[insubordination]

Just curious, does The Flash have higher ratings than Arrow?

Edited December 5, 2014 by insubordination

[ban1o]

Just curious, does The Flash have higher ratings than Arrow?

Yes a lot higher. It premiere with a 1.9 and has consistently been getting 1.4 for a few weeks. They got a 1,6 for the crossover

Before this episode arrows series high was a 1.3 which hasn't happened since season 1 and season 3 was getting 0.8-1.1 ( the felicity episode got a 1.1 rating and The Magician got a 1.0 everything else got below that.

Arrow (besides this episode) I think is tied for second highest rated show on the CW with supernatural

Edited December 5, 2014 by ban1o

[insubordination]

Thanks for the info. I did not know that. The difference is ratings is very telling, but without having seen and episode of 'The Flash', I can't speculate as to why.  Given all the good reviews here for the Xover, my curiosity is peaked.

[ban1o]

Thanks for the info. I did not know that. The difference is ratings is very telling, but without having seen and episode of 'The Flash', I can't speculate as to why. Given all the good reviews here for the Xover, my curiosity is peaked.

I think the only reason the rating our higher at the moment is that flash Is a much more popular superhero among late teens and twenty year old. They'll probably even out eventually.

Edited December 5, 2014 by ban1o

[statsgirl]

Maybe not.  The Flash is just more fun to watch, while Arrow has been pretty heavy and depressing, this season especially.  On the Flash they smile a lot of the time and it's sunny, as Oliver said.

[Morrigan2575]

Looks like neither Arrow nor Flash really retained Amy viewers from the crossover (at least not the important ones)

http://www.spoilertv.com/2014/12/ratings-news-11th-december-2014.html?m=1

1.0 in 18-49A and 3.04 Million Viewers

Edited December 11, 2014 by Morrigan2575

[ban1o]

Flash had a 1.5 right? 

[Morrigan2575]

yes, both were up a tenth from their last episode (pre crossover).

[ban1o]

yes, both were up a tenth from their last episode (pre crossover).

Flash actually went up in over all viewers though from the crossover which I find odd where did those viewers come from? ( but I guess this is for the flash board)

[SonofaBiscuit]

Here's the ratings broken down by half-hour for anyone who's interested:

 

http://www.tvmediainsights.com/forum/topic/wednesday-121014-4/

[Velocity23]

Arrow adjusted up to a 1.1 and 3.06 mil viewers

[wonderwall]

Totally called the ratings ;) 

 

I'm sure the ratings will be a 1.1 when it gets back but will dip to .9 or .8 in the next few episodes after. 

[tv echo]

Arrow is "Looking Safe"...
The SpoilerTV Cancellation Predictor Table - 2014/15
Last Updated : 16th December 2014
http://www.spoilertv.com/2014/08/spoilertv-cancellation-predictor-table.html

 

Arrow is "[a] sure thing" for renewal...
2015 Renewal Scorecard: What's Coming Back? What's Getting Cancelled? What's on the Bubble?
By Team TVLine / October 28 2014, 11:44 AM PST
http://tvline.com/2014/10/28/renewed-tv-shows-2015-renewal-scorecard-cancelled-series/5/

[statsgirl]

Interesting the difference between the two sites.  At Spoiler TV, JtV is likely to be cancelled, at TV Line, it's 'too early to tell'.

 

Right now, I'm glad to know Arrow is likely to be renewed (although that syndication number 88 helps).  I'll see how I feel in 2015.

[tv echo]

Comparing rating statistics for AOS, Arrow, The Flash, Gotham and Constantine...

 

Comic book TV shows: which has performed best this autumn?
News | Rob Leane | 22 Dec 2014 - 09:04
http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/arrow/33457/comic-book-tv-shows-which-has-performed-best-this-autumn

Meanwhile, Arrow had a fairly normal season by its usual standards, milling around at slightly above 2.5 million for the majority of its run. While that sounds weak compared to S.H.I.E.L.D., it’s about average for The CW’s show (which sells heavily elsewhere in the world, and does well on disc).

 

Interestingly, The Secret Origin Of Felicity Smoak chimed in at a higher-than-average 2.73, as the show embraced the backstory of the popular supporting character. Faring best though, and proving the worth of crossover-building, Arrow’s half of The Flash crossover, titled The Brave And The Bold, was the highlight of the run, raking in a 3.92 and making it the biggest Arrow episode since the pilot (which took 4.14). Some of this was retained for the midseason finale, which took 3.06.

 

Interesting that they refer to Felicity as a supporting character.

Edited December 22, 2014 by tv echo

[BkWurm1]

Interesting that they refer to Felicity as a supporting character.

 

My first thought was anyone other than Oliver is a supporting character on Arrow. 

[tv echo]

Ratings-related article...

Nobody puts the CW in a corner
For the first six years of its eight-year existence, the CW was all about that base, concentrating most of its energies on attracting just one sliver of the viewing audience: adult women under 35. The narrow focus resulted in almost predictably tiny Nielsen numbers, with just a few modest hits (Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, maybe 90210) managing to break through. It didn’t help that the younger viewers CW was targeting were among the first to abandon traditional live TV in favor of DVR replays and streaming services. But starting with 2012’s successful launch of dude-friendly superhero action show Arrow, the C-Dub has been actively broadening its aim, hunting for viewers wherever they can be found. And this year, the strategy finally clicked....

Read rest of article:
Shonda, Simpsons, and the Flash: The Most Successful TV Strategies of 2014
By Josef Adalian  Today at 11:00 AM
http://www.vulture.com/2014/12/4-most-successful-tv-strategies-of-2014.html

Edited December 22, 2014 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Arrow is in line 77 of the first table (18-49 demo) and line 83 of the second table (total viewership)...

 

2014-15 TV Show Season Ratings (week 14)
Published: December 31, 2014
http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/2014-15-tv-show-season-ratings-week-14-35137/

Edited December 31, 2014 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SpoilerTV's updated cancellation predictor table has Arrow still looking safe (surprisingly, it has Jane the Virgin in danger)...

 

SpoilerTV Cancellation Predictor Table 2014/15
Posted by DarkUFO at Thursday, January 08, 2015
http://www.spoilertv.com/2014/08/spoilertv-cancellation-predictor-table.html

[Morrigan2575]

I think it's only based on ratings, doesn't take into account award noms or CBS vs WB shows....TVByTheNumber doesn't look at the extenuating stuff either.

[Sakura12]

Is anyone really worried about Arrow? It's on the CW you have to do really bad in the ratings and create little or/no online buzz to get cancelled on that network. Or I guess be too expensive to produce. Other than those reasons it's not going to get cancelled. There is nothing to worry about with Arrow. 

 

Jane the Virgin doesn't do well in the ratings and I don't see that much online buzz about it, despite it being the first time the CW ever got nominated for a major award. 

[tv echo]

If you were following the TCA discussion in the public appearances thread, then you already know that all the CW shows have been renewed...

 

Renewed or Cancelled - The Complete SpoilerTV 2014/2015 - TV Scorecard
Posted by DarkUFO at Monday, January 12, 2015
http://www.spoilertv.com/2013/09/the-complete-spoilertv-20142015-tv.html

[Velocity23]

Arrow scored a 1.1 and 2.96 mil viewers. You can see half-hours below

 

8:00 p.m.

ABC – The Middle ®
Viewers: 5.55 million (#3), A18-49: 1.3/ 4 (#3)

CBS – The Mentalist
Viewers: 9.54 million (#2), A18-49: 1.5/ 5 (#2)

NBC – The Mysteries of Laura ®
Viewers: 4.83 million (#4), A18-49: 0.8/ 3 (#5)

Fox – American Idol
Viewers: 10.96 million (#1), A18-49: 3.1/10 (#1)

CW – Arrow
Viewers: 3.06 million (#5), A18-49: 1.1/ 4 (#4)

———-

8:30 p.m.

ABC – The Goldbergs ®
Viewers: 4.60 million (#4), A18-49: 1.3/ 4 (#3)

CBS – The Mentalist
Viewers: 9.52 million (#2), A18-49: 1.5/ 5 (#2)

NBC – The Mysteries of Laura ®
Viewers: 4.71 million (#4), A18-49: 0.8/ 3 (#5)

Fox – American Idol
Viewers: 12.10 million (#1), A18-49: 3.5/11 (#1)

CW – Arrow
Viewers: 2.86 million (#5), A18-49: 1.0/ 3 (#5)

[Carrie Ann]

That's basically exactly the same as the midseason finale, right? That's good for them, I think.

[Velocity23]

The drop is a bit big for Arrow, especially in viewers will see what happens in the finals.

[SmallScreenDiva]

Arrow returned with 2.96 million last night, with a 1.1 share in the 18-49 demo. (X) I had it on the wrong thread initially :P

Edited January 22, 2015 by SmallScreenDiva

[SonofaBiscuit]

I'm really hoping that the next few episodes don't do so well in the ratings.  If the ratings hold steady or improve, I'm really scared that Guggenheim will get the impression that we want to see more superheroes not named Oliver Queen, and I would just hate for the show to continue going down that path after this season. 

[Velocity23]

[SmallScreenDiva]

Adjusted ratings with Arrow pulling in 3.06 million viewers for "Left Behind." (X)

[Velocity23]

Demo break down of Arows ratings for Left Behind

 

[dtissagirl]

Haha, that demo break down says everything about who the show think is their core audience. And it's not ladies.

[Morrigan2575]

Arrow always skewed male, there was no question of that.  

[writersblock51]

It will be interesting how the ratings will fare in the next few Oliver-lite episodes.  I don't think the demos will change in terms of relative percentages among one ot the other.

 

MG was on Tumblr, again, and discussed, among other things, a few things coming up that involve present day Oliver.  I can't help but think that those little tidbits are to assure viewers that Oliver will be on screen during the upcoming arc, even if not as much as usual. This is a subtle change in emphasis.  I strongly suspect that he's putting those tidbits out because they too are concerned about a dip in ratings.  Maybe they aren't so confident in Laurel as BC and Brick as a bad guy being enough to sustain ratings?

 

I did see some tweets that people who had planned to not watch the next 2 episodes were now willing to give it a shot, solely because of the chance to see present day Oliver again. 

[Ariah]

 

I did see some tweets that people who had planned to not watch the next 2 episodes were now willing to give it a shot, solely because of the chance to see present day Oliver again. 

Which makes me think they've added those scenes later. But that's fine with me, as long as I have Oliver on-screen.

[quarks]

I strongly suspect that he's putting those tidbits out because they too are concerned about a dip in ratings.  Maybe they aren't so confident in Laurel as BC and Brick as a bad guy being enough to sustain ratings?

 

 

With Brick honestly there's no way to tell one way or another - the character's never been on the show before, and the actor is established but not well known. Casting him in a three episode villain arc isn't a risk, and it isn't a guarantee of high ratings either.

 

With Laurel, though, yeah.  It takes all of five minutes to realize that episodes featuring Laurel usually dip in the ratings, and episodes suggesting that Laurel/Oliver might get back together are often (not always) followed by a dip in the ratings; on the other hand, episodes where Laurel/Oliver call it quits/break it off/make it clear nothing is happening are often (not always) followed by a rise in the ratings. Correlation isn't causation, and ratings wobble for multiple reasons, but combine this with internet chatter, the realization that "Uprising" and "Canaries" are February sweeps episodes, two seasons and ten episodes of Katie Cassidy/Laurel generally getting pummeled in reviews, that no matter what happens on the show or what the actors/producers say, many fans are still going to believe/assume that Laurel donning the costume means that Laurel/Oliver are getting together again (just read this forum), and yeah, I can see why the promotion is going out of its way to assure viewers that the next few episodes aren't that Laurel centric and Oliver will be around.  

 

It worked for "Left Behind," so so far it's a good strategy.

[SmallScreenDiva]

Which makes me think they've added those scenes later. But that's fine with me, as long as I have Oliver on-screen.

 

You know, I've been wondering just how much, IF EVER, "Left Behind" was tweaked after the backlash over the BC Trilogy announcement at the Flarrow premiere. And if they tweaked the next 3 episodes as well to de-emphasize LL. Was the original plan really for us to see Oliver alive at the end of "Left Behind"? Or was that moved up because they were hearing all these concerns about Oliver-lite episodes.

 

Also, that ep turned out to be more Felicity centric than I would have expected. Why the heck didn't they promote it as such? Seriously, before the ep aired, I couldn't get a handle on what it was going to be about because we first we got Arsenal is taking over, then it was an everyone-in-costumes-on-deck situation, no, wait, Diggle is going to be the leader, it's about BC, no, it's really about the villain. Through it all there was that news that LL was suiting up hanging like the freakin' sword of Damocles over fans' heads. Honestly, I feel like the show totally screwed up its promotions/marketing during the hiatus.