Brian
12-05-2003, 10:43 PM
There's no telling how much scandal-driven curiosity fueled interest in the premiere of "The Simple Life." FOX probably doesn't care at this point.
The "Green Acres"-like reality show, featuring hotel heiress/reputed sex-tape star Paris Hilton and her pal Nicole Richie, drew 13 million viewers Tuesday (Dec. 2), many of them the young adults FOX targets. It was a huge boost for the network, which has struggled on Tuesday nights this season.
NBC's "Tracy Morgan Show" and ABC's "Line of Fire" also premiered Tuesday, drawing middling-to-decent ratings.
"The Simple Life" averaged a 5.9 rating among adults 18-49, helping FOX win the night in the coveted demographic for the first time since the World Series ended in late October. Excluding sports broadcasts, the network had its best Tuesday night among the 18-49 set in six months. The tanking of "The Next Joe Millionaire" had forced FOX to go with reruns from 8 to 9 p.m. in recent weeks.
Interest in the show also helped "24," which followed "The Simple Life" at 9 p.m. The thriller scored 10.5 million viewers Tuesday, about a million more than its season average.
On NBC, "The Tracy Morgan Show" debuted to 9.9 million viewers and a 4.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic. The latter number is the best by regular programming the in the 8 p.m. timeslot this season, and its total viewership is close to that of "Whoopi," which has previously occupied the spot. A second episode of the sitcom, airing opposite "The Simple Life," averaged 8.7 million viewers and a 3.7 rating among adults 18-49.
ABC is touting the strength of "Line of Fire" among male viewers, saying it's the highest-rated drama premiere this season among men 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54. Airing in "NYPD Blue's" 10 p.m. spot, the FBI-vs.-mobsters series averaged about 9.2 million viewers. That's about a million fewer than what "Blue" has averaged this season but likely more than what a rerun of the veteran cop show would have brought in.
The "Green Acres"-like reality show, featuring hotel heiress/reputed sex-tape star Paris Hilton and her pal Nicole Richie, drew 13 million viewers Tuesday (Dec. 2), many of them the young adults FOX targets. It was a huge boost for the network, which has struggled on Tuesday nights this season.
NBC's "Tracy Morgan Show" and ABC's "Line of Fire" also premiered Tuesday, drawing middling-to-decent ratings.
"The Simple Life" averaged a 5.9 rating among adults 18-49, helping FOX win the night in the coveted demographic for the first time since the World Series ended in late October. Excluding sports broadcasts, the network had its best Tuesday night among the 18-49 set in six months. The tanking of "The Next Joe Millionaire" had forced FOX to go with reruns from 8 to 9 p.m. in recent weeks.
Interest in the show also helped "24," which followed "The Simple Life" at 9 p.m. The thriller scored 10.5 million viewers Tuesday, about a million more than its season average.
On NBC, "The Tracy Morgan Show" debuted to 9.9 million viewers and a 4.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic. The latter number is the best by regular programming the in the 8 p.m. timeslot this season, and its total viewership is close to that of "Whoopi," which has previously occupied the spot. A second episode of the sitcom, airing opposite "The Simple Life," averaged 8.7 million viewers and a 3.7 rating among adults 18-49.
ABC is touting the strength of "Line of Fire" among male viewers, saying it's the highest-rated drama premiere this season among men 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54. Airing in "NYPD Blue's" 10 p.m. spot, the FBI-vs.-mobsters series averaged about 9.2 million viewers. That's about a million fewer than what "Blue" has averaged this season but likely more than what a rerun of the veteran cop show would have brought in.