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CBS claims total-viewer crown in sweepsFox claims key demographic with reality
HOLLYWOOD, California (Variety) -- CBS has iced the February "sweeps" contest in the race for total viewers with some of the hotter Grammy telecast ratings in years. The 45th Annual Grammy Awards, originating Sunday from New York for the first time in five years, averaged 24.9 million viewers -- the show's fourth largest audience in a decade, according to preliminary national figures from Nielsen Media Research. The show's averages were hurt by extending past 11 o'clock. Ratings peaked in the 9 o'clock half-hour and stayed strong until 11 before fading in the final 30 minutes. In the key demographic of adults 18 to 49 -- the viewer group most prized by advertisers -- this year's projected 11.3/29 Grammy rating would rank as the third highest in 10 years, and up 26 percent year-to-year. This is roughly double the 5.7/13 that ABC's "American Music Awards" drew last month. In Nielsen's metered-market overnight ratings, the Grammys delivered a big 23.6/32 in New York and a 17.1/25 in Los Angeles. The strong Sunday showing should allow CBS to finish third for the month in adults 18-49, edging out ABC. Based on preliminary estimates through Sunday, Fox led the sweeps with three nights to go in adults 18-49 (5.5/14, followed by NBC (4.9/13), CBS (4.1/11) and ABC (4. 0/10). USA Today reports that Fox is thrilled with its win in that demographic, especially after faring so poorly in the fall. The network's success can be traced to the huge numbers put up by "American Idol" and "Joe Millionaire." "We got hammered and we had to put our heads down," executive Gail Berman told the paper. "Going from fourth to first is like whiplash; it's fantastic." "Clearly Fox had a dream sweep," NBC programming chief Jeff Zucker told USA Today. "It's really more a credit to what a great job they did than anyone else's failure." CBS will cruise to victory in total viewers, with its projected 13.8 million average well ahead of runner-up NBC's 12.4 million. Fox, with little traction among older viewers, will run third in this category despite its strongest sweeps performance ever. CBS President Leslie Moonves, speaking to reporters on a conference call Monday, labeled the month "the craziest sweeps period ever," in reference to the numerous Michael Jackson specials and unscripted reality shows that spiked the ratings of its competitors, most notably Fox. Instead, Moonves focused on the stability of his networ's programming lineup. With the exception of a rotating wheel of crime shows Friday at 10 to replace canceled drama "Queens Supreme," CBS largely stuck with its regular slate of programs during the month. "Our sweeps numbers are much more reflective of our schedule," Moonves said. "The schedule you saw in February is the sked you'll see in the next few months." Among the month's highlights for CBS was the network's first February sweeps victory on a Thursday (excluding the Olympics) since 1993. Although "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "Survivor" draw the bigger ratings, it's the improved performance of "Without a Trace" at 10 o'clock opposite NBC's hospital drama "ER" that is making the most difference on the night. CBS also has reasons to cheer in other dayparts, Moonves noted, as morning program "The Early Show" is enjoying its most competitive position in years and David Letterman's "Late Show" recently topped NBC's "Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on a night for the first time in three years. Late local news ratings on the network-owned stations are up too, as CBS's performance in the 10 p.m. hour has improved. Copyright 2003 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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