Excluding a first-place finish for CBS in households, games three through five of Los Angeles vs. Orlando on The NBA Finals led ABC to victory in total viewers and the three key demos (adults 18-49, adults 25-54 and adults 18-34) for this third week of the summer season. Comparably, ABC posted single-digit growth from one year earlier, with its top-rated summer week in total viewers and adults 18-49 in five years.
MyNetworkTV (which will not be included in the weekly round-up next season after the schedule of repeats kicks-in) was the only other network on the year-to-year plus side, and its growth remains dependent on current occupant Friday Night Smackdown! not airing in the year-ago week. CBS, which finished second in total viewers and adults 25-54, dipped to fourth among adults 18-49 and adults 18-34, with losses of as much as 12 percent among adults 18-49. Although NBC on Friday was home to the most-watched Stanley Cup Finals match-up in 36 years (see Top 20 Rankings below), losses from one year earlier ranged from 7 to 27 percent. Fox and the CW were also down by double-digits.
Summer on the broadcast networks remains a breeding ground for burn-off series such as the following Saturday trio:
Harper’s Island (CBS) – Sat. 9 p.m.
Viewers: 3.20 million (#69 overall); A18-49: 0.8/ 3 (#70t)
Pushing Daisies (ABC) – Sat. 10 p.m. (series finale)
Viewers: 2.18 million (76); A18-49: 0.6/ 2 (#74t)
Kings (NBC) – Sat. 8 p.m. (return)
Viewers: 2.07 million (#78); A18-49: 0.3/ 1 (# 90t)
Here are the final national ratings for the week of June 8, 2009 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago week in parentheses), followed by the summer series scorecard, and the top 20 rated programs of the week.
-Households:
CBS: 4.6 rating/8 share (- 6), ABC: 4.4/ 8 (+ 2), NBC: 3.2/ 6 (-27), Fox: 3.2/ 6 (-16), MNTV: 0.9/ 2 (+29), CW: 0.8/ 1 (-27)
-Total Viewers:
ABC: 7.27 million (+ 8), CBS: 6.94 (- 3), Fox: 5.05 (-16), NBC: 5.01 (-26), MNTV: 1.48 (+42), CW: 1.20 (-29)
-Adults 18-49:
ABC: 2.7 rating/9 share (+ 8), Fox: 1.8/ 6 (-18), NBC: 1.7/ 5 (-15), CBS: 1.4/ 5 (-12), MNTV: 0.5/ 1 (+25), CW: 0.4/ 1 (-33)
-Adults 25-54:
ABC: 2.9/ 8 (+ 7), CBS: 2.1/ 6 (- 5), Fox: 2.0/ 6 (-17), NBC: 2.0/ 6 (-20), MNTV: 0.5/ 2 (+25), CW: 0.4/ 1 (-33)
-Adults 18-34:
ABC: 2.6/ 9 (+ 8), Fox: 1.7/ 6 (-23), NBC: 1.4/ 5 (- 7), CBS: 0.9/ 3 (-10), MNTV: 0.4/ 1 (+33), CW: 0.4/ 1 (-33)











