LET THE SWEEPS BEGIN
Thursday, April 24 2008
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The May ratings "sweeps" officially begin tonight (Thursday), with analysts anxiously waiting to see whether audiences will be returning to their sets to watch the return of Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty with new episodes. NBC is also moving Tina Fey's 30 Rock into the 9:30 time period, following The Office. Advertisers, especially film studios, particularly fancy Thursday night since it's the time when weekend plans are made. Thus far, however, returning shows have not seen returning audiences except for the CBS bloc of comedy shows on Monday nights -- the first new shows to return after the strike. CBS, however, went out of its way to herald the returning shows. But some TV executives have conceded that networks may not have done enough to make audiences aware that their favorite shows have returned. As today's Hollywood Reporter indicated, many returning shows have seen double-digit decreases in the ratings from their pre-strike averages, with ABC's Desperate Housewives off by a third and NBC's E.R. down by a quarter.
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