The Girl That
Gets a Week to Herself - November 10
Well, if you're a
big fan of UPN, you may have noticed that there've been
more model action as of late, and not just because
"America's Next Top Model" is on twice. Last week was
"Top Model Week" on the network, and several of the
show's principals have been embedded into most of the
primetime schedule. But is the move warranted?
Last week, Top
Model was fourth in its time slot (a rarity with UPN),
with a 4.8/8 in the fast overnights, 5.51 million
viewers (for fifth place), and a 2.7/8 among the A18-49
(a tie for third). Two weeks before, the show posted
comparably, fourth in the overnights: 4.8/7, fifth in
viewers, 5.36 million, and third in A18-49, 2.6/7, all
opposite the World Series. And with its two-hour
premiere earlier this fall, a solid 4.2/6 in the
overnights, 4.72 million viewers and a second-place
finish among adults 18-34 (2.9/9), women 18-34 (4.7/12)
and women 18-49 (3.4/8). According to Mediaweek, this
was the highest-rated premiere ever for the network
among adults 18-34, women 18-34, women 18-49, and tied
for best ever among adults 18-49 (2.3/6). Compared to a
year ago with the Top Model 3 premiere (we're currently
in the fifth iteration), this was also an increase of
4.7 million viewers, and as much as 70 percent
demographically (women 18-49).
What does this
all mean? Well, for one, if you're UPN and you're
looking for a hit in a post-Star Trek world, then you
need look no further. But in the grand scheme of things,
does it really mean that darn much? I mean, 4.7 million
is the population of the smallest of the big cities...
Charlotte comes to mind. It's also the typical audience
of a cable hit or a summer dud... "The Scholar" comes to
mind. So I guess if you're UPN and you're looking to
make the money, that's a lot. And big boys such as
"Survivor" and "Millionaire" in their heyday would
consider such an audience of about 5 million pocket
change. Even the million-dollar "Price is Right" fared
better.
But, you say,
this is UPN we're talking about, right?! You have to
think about the fact that it serves less of an audience
due to its small-network stature! That may be true, yes,
but let's not forget that Fox was in a similar situation
a few years ago. Then along came "American Idol," and
things changed. While "Top Model" is hardly "American
Idol," it is a respectable series with a respectable
following that can and will parlay a cult following into
mass success. Such an action was rewarded with
off-broadcast rerun rights last summer to sister cabler
VH1.
So it's only
fitting that UPN reward the franchise with its own week
of embeds, just as long as it remembers the lesson
learned from "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" I mean,
man can only live on models for so long (but judging
from the substance that this series also has, and it's a
lot of substance, I don't see that happening any time
soon).
And that, as
Tyra Banks would say, is fierce.
Elsewhere in
the world of numbers...
Yesterday, we
reported that "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!" ruled
the roost in syndie gamers. "Wheel of Fortune" once
again proved why it bills itself as "America's Game",
scoring an 8.2 rating, about eight percent below last
year, but when you're the top, you can afford such a
loss.
"Jeopardy!"
meanwhile, is a tale of two numbers. The first number:
6.4, good for third behind "Wheel" and Oprah. The second
number: 26. That's how much percentagewise the show
dropped from the past year. The first number... good.
The second number... bad. BUT, and this is a big but
here, you have to remember that this time last year, Ken
Jennings was beginning to wind down his tenure as
Jeopardy! champion.
Meanwhile, "Who
Wants to Be a Millionaire" scored a season-high 3.0, but
it was still 9 percent below last year. Take from that
what you will.
Until next year,
the numbers never lie.
Chico
Alexander happens to have LiveJournal conversations with
one of the Top Model finalists from year one. E-mail him
at chico@gameshownewsnet.com. |