Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Michael Jackson vs. Princess Di: The Winner Is...?

Whose farewell scored more viewers: Michael Jackson's or Princess Diana's? Who is the new Mr. Big? And is a guy from Kentucky the new Susan Boyle?

The answers—and more questions—in this week's ratings quiz:

1. Michael Jackson or Princess Diana? Diana, but it was very close. According to Nielsen Media Research, 31 million people caught yesterday's live coverage of the Jackson memorial. Princess Di's funeral drew 33.3 million in 1997. Remarkably, Diana pulled in her audience from only eight networks, compared to the whopping 19 that carried the Jackson memorial.

2. Michael Jackson or Ronald Reagan? Both. The Jackson memorial outdrew Reagan's 2004 funeral (20.8 million); the Reagan burial—Nielsen counts the same-day events as separate and distinct—outdrew the Jackson memorial, with 35.1 million viewers.

3. Michael Jackson or Pope John Paul II? Jackson, in a rout. The pope's 2005 funeral, which aired in the wee, small hours of the morning in the States, drew a combined audience of 8.8 million.

4. Michael Jackson or Anna Nicole Smith? As big as the Smith story was, and if you think back to early 2006, it was huge, the Jackson saga has generated "about twice as much attention," the Pew Research Center found. (Emphasis added for, well, emphasis.) According to the group, Jackson coverage ate up 30 percent of network news airtime, and 28 percent of cable news airtime for the week of June 29-July 5.

5. Was the memorial service the beginning of the end of Jackson coverage? Hardly. Last night, hours after the service had concluded and the spotlight presumably had moved on, ABC, CBS and NBC still got a combined 17.5 million people to tune in their prime-time recaps of the service.

6. What's the name of TV's new Mr. Big? Ray Drecker, Thomas Jane's well-endowed basketball coach cum gigolo in HBO's Hung, which scored 2.8 million viewers in its June 28 debut. Although the number didn't put the show in the same league as Sex and the City, home of the real Mr. Big, it was the, well, biggest audience for an HBO series premiere in two years. True Blood, which leads into Hung, is driving HBO's return from the wilderness.

7. Is Kevin Skinner the new Susan Boyle? Going strictly by YouTube views, nope. Not even close. But the Kentucky man's downright fine downhome act did help boost the buzz on America's Got Talent—and led the show's Tuesday installment to a week-best 13.1 million viewers, per Nielsen Media Research. Other summer TV standouts (broadcast division): 48 Hours Mystery (8.02 million), Wipeout (8 million) and The Bachelorette (7.9 million).

8. Why hasn't So You Think You Can Dance been mentioned yet? Because the show got hammered by America's Got Talent on Wednesday and fell from 11th place in Nielsen's previous weekly standings to 17th in the latest rankings, with 7.7 million viewers. Demographically, the franchise fared better, with Wednesday's episode scoring more 18-49-year-olds than any show, save, yes, Tuesday's America's Got Talent.

9. Which sea creatures are happiest about Jon and Kate Gosselin's split? Crabs. With Jon & Kate Plus 8 on hiatus, Deadliest Catch reigned as cable's most-watched reality series, with 3.45 million viewers. The Next Food Network Star was a close second (3.4 million).

10. What hasn't Hannah Montana done in two years? Be as big as it was the night it aired after the premiere of High School Musical 2. The Miley Cyrus show came as close as it's gotten to that record performance with an all-new, hour-long episode that averaged a cable-best 6.9 million viewers. Other prime-time cable standouts: The Closer (6.3 million); Sonny With a Chance (5.2 million); a Hannah Montana rerun (4.1 million) and Army Wives (3.6 million).

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