Ratings News - 17th February 2011 *Full Table Added*

Prime-Time Metered Market Wednesday Ratings:
Fox Wins; Solid Start for Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior on CBS

Wednesday 2/16/11
Note: The overnight data now includes DVR playback until 3 a.m. local time. One year earlier it was based on Live data only. All times are ET/PT.

HH
Rtg/Shr
Fox 10.9/16
CBS 5.9/ 9
NBC 4.9/ 8
ABC 4.5/ 7
CW 0.8/ 1

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-Note: The year-to-year overnight comparisons are not available today.

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-Yesterday’s Winners:
American Idol (Fox), Modern Family (ABC), Criminal Minds (CBS), Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior (CBS)

-Honorable Mention:
Survivor: Redemption Island (CBS), The Middle (ABC)

-Yesterday’s Losers (excluding repeats):
Minute to Win It (NBC), Off the Map (ABC)

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-Ratings Breakdown:
Fox led the overnight Wednesday troops and that, of course, is a reflection of American Idol. A two-hour edition of Idol scored a 14.5 rating/22 share from 8-10 p.m., building by half-hour as follows:

American Idol (Fox)
8:00 p.m.: 12.7/20 (#1)
8:30 p.m.: 14.3/22 (#1)
9:00 p.m.: 15.2/23 (#1)
9:30 p.m.: 16.0/24 (#1)

But there was positive news aplenty at CBS with the series-premiere of Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior at a dominant 8.2/14 in the overnights at 10 p.m. Comparably, this was equal to week-ago occupant Blue Bloods, with retention out of parent Criminal Minds (8.4/13 at 9 p.m.) of a significant 98 percent. Despite the abundance of crime solvers on CBS, there always needs to be room for one more and there is every reason to believe CI: Suspect Behavior will remain the perfect fit out of Criminal Minds.

Earlier in the evening on CBS was the season-premiere of Survivor: Redemption Island at a second-place 6.4/10 at 8 p.m. While this is still a vast improvement over year-ago occupants The New Adventures of Old Christine and Gary Unmarried, opposite Idol this performance was 10 percent its fall season-opener on Sept. 15, 2010. Regardless, that was some heated tribal council last night; totally unprecedented for a season-premiere.

Over at ABC there are two positives of note: The Middle and Modern Family. But Better with You continues to underperform at 8:30 p.m., sitcom Mr. Sunshine dipped by 35 percent from its week-ago debut and drama Off the Map is, well, off the map at 10 p.m. Here is ABC:

ABC/Wednesday
8:00 p.m. – The Middle: 5.6/ 9 (#3)
8:30 p.m. – Better with You: 4.2/ 6 (#3)
9:00 p.m. – Modern Family: 7.6/11 (#3)
9:30 p.m. – Mr. Sunshine: 5.0/ 8 (#3)
10:00 p.m. – Off the Map: 3.4/ 6 (#3)

Modern Family, no doubt, will finish a solid second among adults 18-49 (behind American Idol) at 9 p.m. But the retention for Mr. Sunshine out of Modern Family, despite being an improvement from Cougar Town, was lacking at 66 percent. Let’s wait and see what the demos look like.

Elsewhere, NBC failed miserably care of back-to-back episodes of game show Minute to Win It from 8-10 p.m., with an average 2.5/ 4 in the overnights from 8-10 p.m. (and a fourth-place finish in each half-hour). But veteran Law & Order: SVU perked up to second at 10 p.m. with a 5.2/ 9.

The CW populated the evening with repeats of Nikita (#5: 1.0/ 2) and The Vampire Diaries (#5: 0.6/ 1).

Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)

Source: pifeedback