PERFORMANCE/SCHEDULE ANALYSIS
(Updated as of January 20, 2009)
TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC:
Adults 28-42 "in the midst of major life transitions - getting married, first home, having children." This month, again, TLC hit the high end of that projection...slightly older than last month.
DECEMBER 2008 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
TOP PRIMETIME SHOWS:
LITTLE PEOPLE, BIG WORLD, 17 KIDS AND COUNTING: AND BABY MAKES 18, MERMAID GIRL, PARALYZED AND PREGNANT, JON 7 KATE PLUS 8, 17 KIDS AND COUNTING, I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS PREGNANT, MYSTERY DIAGNOSIS, WORLD'S SMALLEST PEOPLE, INCREDIBLY SMALL: KENADIE'S STORY.
SCHEDULING STRATEGIES:
The new direction has been working with slow, but steady increases across most categories. Friday and Saturday are areas of concern; the schedule changes reflect the need for change on these nights.
PROGRAM/SCHEDULE CHANGES:
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2008:
-Fridays at 8pm-WHAT NOT TO WEAR
-Saturdays at 8 and 9pm- Various anthologies
PREMIERES:
**17 KIDS AND COUNTING: AND BABY MAKES 18 - December 22, 10pm.
FINALES:
**TRADING SPACES: CHRISTMAS SPECIAL ( Season Finale) - December 13, 10pm.
**MY SHOCKING STORY ( Season Finale)- December 16, 8pm.
**LITTLE PEOPLE, BIG WORLD ( Season Finale)- December 22, 8:30pm.
**SAY YES TO THE DRESS ( Season Finale) - December 26, 10pm.
JANUARY AND BEYOND:
PREMIERES:
**MISS AMERICA: COUNTDOWN TO THE CROWN - January 2, 10pm.
**10 YEARS YOUNGER (New Season) - January 3, 2009.
**MY FIRST HOME - January 3, 9pm.
**PERSONAL JUSTICE - January 7, 10pm.
**SAW FOR HIRE - January 15, 9pm.
**LITTLE PEOPLE: JUST MARRIED - January 19, 10pm.
**MISS AMERICA PAGEANT (LIVE) - January 24, 8pm.
**MAKING OVER AMERICA WITH TRINNY AND SUSANNAH - January 24, 10pm.
**ONCE A BRIDE, ALWAYS A DUGGAR - January 25, 8:30pm.
** A VERY DUGGAR WEDDING - January 25, 9pm.
**SAY YES TO THE DRESS: ULTIMATE WEDDING EDITION - January 25, 10pm.
**17 KIDS AND COUNTING (New Season) - January 27, 9pm.
**TODDLERS & TIARAS- January 27, 10pm.
**REAL ESTATE ROAD TEST - January 31, 10pm.
**DEALS ON THE BUS - January 31, 10:30pm.
**MOTHER KNOWS SEX - February 1, 10pm.
**STREET CUSTOMS ( New Season) - February 5, 9pm.
**HELI-LOGGERS - February 5, 10pm.
** WORLD'S HEAVIEST MAN GETS MARRIED - February 15, 8pm.
YEAR AGO/BIG PICTURE
The schedule has been stabilized for several months and is showing a small, but steady growth, especially in Households and P25-54. A look inside the numbers reveals that the average audience age is increasing, young men (18-49) are leaving the network on most nights in large numbers, and even the women18-49 ratings are starting to flatten out.
DECEMBER 2008 PRIMETIME RATING ANALYSIS:
TLC's numbers this month are a little complicated because they're up by 13% in Households (older viewers tuning in), flat in the P18-49 demo and up 3% in the P25-54 demo. Men 18-49 ratings only grew for Mondays and Sundays but dropped double digits every other night for an overall 19% drop from last year.
The Roloff's return to Mondays fueled huge increases for the night, up 56% in Households, 58% in the P18-49 demo and 53% in the P25-54 demo over last year. LITTLE PEOPLE, BIG WORLD's new season had a great start and was helped by Duggar number 18 in 17 KIDS AND COUNTING: AND BABY MAKES 18.
Tuesdays are up 23% in Households, down 18% in P18-49 (men 18-49 fled from this night and tallied the highest declines for the month at 45%), the P25-54 demo was flat year-to-year. The lineup has been pretty stable with medical anomalies at 8pm, MYSTERY DIASGNOSIS at 9pm and DR. G at 10pm.
Wednesdays are down 8% in Households, 16% in P18-49 and 32% in P25-54 (remarkably, W25-54 declined by 18%). The culprit may be a Christmas Eve stack of 17 KIDS AND COUNTING that delivered 33% below the nightly average in both Household and the P18-49 demo.
Thursdays are down 9% in Households, 17% in the P18-49 demo and 21% in the P25-54 demo. A Christmas night stack of LITTLE PEOPLE, BIG WORLD did well with women but showed steep declines in M18-49 viewers.
Fridays are down 16% in Households, 30% in the P18-49 demo and 25% in the P25-54 demo. WHAT NOT TO WEAR was added at 8pm and has provided increases from its predecessor (REAL LIFE, REAL SIMPLE). SAY YES TO THE DRESS showed sharp declines from the 9pm lead-in of WHAT NOT TO WEAR the last two weeks of the month.
Saturdays used to belong to property shows but their steep declines have forced a change. The night is down 13% in Household, 22% in P18-49 and 23% in P25-54. 8pm and 9 pm have been anthologized while TRADING SPACES remains at 10pm (for now).
Sundays have been a pleasant growth surprise posting increases of 27% in Households, 18% in P18-49 and 34% in P25-54. Medical anomalies (like MERMAID GIRL) dominate the Sunday offering in December.
PROGRAMACQUISITIONS:
None announced.
PROGRAM RENEWALS:
STREET CUSTOMS, AMERICAN CHOPPER; RIDES; LITTLE PEOPLE, BIG WORLD; JON & KATE + 8; LA INK; WHAT NOT TO WEAR; TRADING SPACES; FLIP THAT HOUSE; SAY YES TO THE DRESS
PROGRAM CANCELLATIONS:
TRADING SPACES, MIAMI INKADDITIONAL SHOWS CURRENTLY AIRING:
A BABY STORY, DINNER TAKES ALL, HOME MADE SIMPLE, HOUSE OF TINY TERRORS, TEN YEARS YOUNGER, SPORTS DISASTERS, TAKE HOME CHEF, MOVIN' UP, ONE WEEK TO SAVE YOUR MARRIAGE, HONEY WE'RE KILLING THE KIDS!, BACKYARD NATION, I'VE GOT NOTHING TO WEAR; RIDES; MARRIAGE CAMP; DIAGNOSIS X; LOTTERY CHANGED MY LIFE; FASHIONABLY LATE WITH STACY LONDON.
