An Ugly Start For The Networks

In an era when big hits are few and big audiences are still necessary, the early numbers for network television's opening night don't bode well.

Despite heavy marketing ABC, CBS , NBC and Fox kicked off another television season to mixed results on Monday evening. With viewers increasingly migrating to offerings on cable and the Web, the networks tried desperately to court viewers with a healthy mix of prime-time comedy (CBS' sitcom block included mainstays like Two and a Half Men and Big Bang Theory along with Knocked Up-style newcomer Accidentally on Purpose), drama (Fox rolled out a two-hour opener for House while NBC kicked off its waning sci-fi series Heroes) and reality (ABC launched still another iteration of Dancing with the Stars).

Of course, if last season's results are any indication, the big effort was--and will continue to be--necessary. According to The Nielsen Company, the five major networks - General Electric -owned NBC, News Corp.-owned Fox and Walt Disney -owned ABC, CBS and the CW--rounded out the 2008-09 television season collectively down another 3% in total viewers.

Fox came away the night's winner with some positive news to share. Unlike last year's weak season opener for House, the medical series' heavily promoted two-hour premiere saw its ratings rise 14% over last year, giving the American Idol network its first premiere night win. CBS, which placed second for the night in the coveted 18-to-49 demographic (and third in total viewers), saw similarly uplifting results for growing success story Big Bang Theory: a 28% gain over last year, according to early Nielsen estimates.

But the good news ends there. Many of the night's other series' bows saw still more ratings declines, including ABC's Dancing with the Stars' lowest premiere to date. While the pro-am dancing competition still managed to lure 17.5 million viewers, the most-watched series in its time block, it was down some 20% over last year in its desired demographics.

While far from panic-caliber, CBS's cougar-themed newbie Accidentally on Purpose was down 20% from the premiere numbers How I Met Your Mother drew in the time slot last season. The network's 10 p.m. entry, CSI: Miami, also shed about 20% of its audience from last year, reports Nielsen.

Fourth place laggard NBC performed still worse, with another weak night for the two-hour opener of one-time hit Heroes followed by an expected dive for The Jay Leno Show. Finally faced with competition during his new 10 p.m. time slot, Leno delivered just 5.7 million viewers and a 1.8 in the advertiser-beloved 18- to 49-year-old demographic.