Scalpel, please: Grey's bloodies CSI
09/22/06 03:31 PM
By ED BARK
Maybe CBS had it right when its executives positioned powerful CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as an underdog against ABC's poaching Grey's Anatomy
Thursday night's first big face-off was impressively won by Grey's, which had 25.4 million viewers to CSI's 22.6 million, according to final national numbers from Nielsen Media Research. More important to ABC, Grey's beat CSI by a resounding 43 percent margin among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds. And it came close to doubling CSI's ratings in the 18-to-34 demo.
For the full 2005-'06 season, CSI averaged 25.1 million total viewers and Grey's 19.7 million in its old Sunday night slot. But Grey's had the better of it with 18-to-49-year-olds, drawing 11.3 million per episode compared to CSI's 10.7 million.
Most prognosticators expected Grey's to continue its winning ways this season with younger viewers while falling short of CSI in total viewers. It's early, and that could happen as the season wears on. Still, the opening night results sent a high-voltage shock through CBS' corporate HQ.
CBS rebounded a bit with James Woods' new Shark, which had 14.7 million total viewers to edge ABC's premiere of Six Degrees (13.3 million). But Shark sank to third in the 18-to-49 ratings, losing to both Degrees and NBC's 13th season premiere of ER, which took the top spots in both ratings categories.
Maybe CBS had it right when its executives positioned powerful CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as an underdog against ABC's poaching Grey's Anatomy
Thursday night's first big face-off was impressively won by Grey's, which had 25.4 million viewers to CSI's 22.6 million, according to final national numbers from Nielsen Media Research. More important to ABC, Grey's beat CSI by a resounding 43 percent margin among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds. And it came close to doubling CSI's ratings in the 18-to-34 demo.
For the full 2005-'06 season, CSI averaged 25.1 million total viewers and Grey's 19.7 million in its old Sunday night slot. But Grey's had the better of it with 18-to-49-year-olds, drawing 11.3 million per episode compared to CSI's 10.7 million.
Most prognosticators expected Grey's to continue its winning ways this season with younger viewers while falling short of CSI in total viewers. It's early, and that could happen as the season wears on. Still, the opening night results sent a high-voltage shock through CBS' corporate HQ.
CBS rebounded a bit with James Woods' new Shark, which had 14.7 million total viewers to edge ABC's premiere of Six Degrees (13.3 million). But Shark sank to third in the 18-to-49 ratings, losing to both Degrees and NBC's 13th season premiere of ER, which took the top spots in both ratings categories.
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