After one year of slow rollouts, Twentieth Television finally launched
Ex-treme Dating nationally in the week ending June 15, and the show's
debut ratings left something to be desired.
Ex-treme Dating, hosted by Jillian Barberie, premiered with a 1.0
national household rating on 116 stations covering 81% of the United States.
In the metered markets, Ex-treme Dating averaged a 1.2/4 for the week,
which was on par with its lead-in share but down 20% from both its year-ago
time-period rating and share.
Relationship shows normally find their audience in the summer, when younger
viewers are home from school, but Ex-treme Dating rated fifth out of
syndication's six dating shows.
Universal Television's Blind Date, the top dating show, was up 18% from the prior
week to 2.0, while Warner Bros.' Elimidate gained 6% to 1.8.
Universal's Fifth Wheel rose 8% to 1.4.
Warner Bros.' Change of Heart was unchanged at 1.3.
In last place at 0.8 was Sony Pictures Television's Shipmates, which, along with Change
of Heart, is not expected to return next season.
The biggest increase of the week among the first-run rookie strips was Warner
Bros.' late-night Celebrity Justice, which gained 27% to 1.4, matching
its highest rating of the season.
King World Productions' Dr. Phil, still the top newcomer, was down 11% to 4.2,
the rookie star's lowest rating since December.
Buena Vista Television's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was up 7% to 3.2. Sony's
Pyramid added 6% to 1.9. NBC Enterprises' The John Walsh Show was
flat at 1.3.
And Twentieth Television's Good Day Live was down 9% to 1.0.
The seven court shows continued to show strength in daytime, with four
up and three holding even with last week.
Programs with week-to-week improvement were Twentieth's Divorce Court,
up 7% to 2.9; Twentieth's Texas Justice, up 4% to 2.4; Sony's Judge
Hatchett, up 5% to 2.0, a new season high; and Warner Bros.' Judge Greg
Mathis, up 6% to 1.9.
Paramount Television's genre leader, Judge Judy at 4.7; Judge Joe Brown at
3.5; and People's Court at 2.1 were all flat.
Elsewhere in daytime, the established talk shows were mixed.
King World's Oprah continued to lead but was down 5% to 5.6.
Buena Vista's Live with Regis and Kelly inched up 3% to 3.6.
Universal's Maury dipped 3% to 3.0.
Paramount's Montel Williams jumped 13% to 2.6.
Universal's The Jerry Springer Show slipped 4% to 2.5.
Sony's Ricki Lake and Warner Bros.' Jenny Jones each gained 6%
to 1.9, while Universal's Crossing Over with John Edward showed 8% growth
to 1.3.
In weekly action, Paramount's Hot Ticket held steady at 1.7 and was
the top movie-review show for the second time in the past four weeks, beating
Buena Vista's long-running Ebert & Roeper, which was down 16% to 1.6.
