Final ‘Monday Night Football’ scores big for ABC

By Nellie Andreeva

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – The final broadcast of
“Monday Night Football” on ABC and the debut of new drama “In
Justice” carried the network to a win among the key adults
18-49 demographic during the repeat-laden last week of 2005.

Meanwhile reruns of CBS’ signature series, including the
“CSI” franchise, powered the network to another top finish
among total viewers.

The New England Patriots-New York Jets game mixed with
retrospective clips from the 36-year run of “MNF” on ABC
averaged 14.4 million viewers and a 5.2 rating/12 share in
adults 18-49, ranking as the No. 2 program of the week of
December 26, according to Nielsen Media Research.

An encore airing of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” led
the pack with 17.7 million viewers and a 5.3/15 in adults
18-49.

“In Justice” had a promising start Sunday. In a special
airing in the 10-11 p.m. slot, the new legal drama starring
Kyle MacLachlan as an attorney seeking to free wrongly
convicted cons, logged 10.5 million viewers and a 4.0/10 in
adults 18-49, dominating the hour and holding onto 87% of its
demo lead-in of a “Desperate Housewives” clip show. “In
Justice” moves to its regular Friday 9 p.m. period this week.

For the week, ABC averaged 8.1 million viewers and a 2.8/8
among adults 18-49 to CBS’ 10.1 million, 2.6/7.

NBC (7 million, 2.3/7) and Fox (5.7 million, 2.3/7)
finished tied for third place in the 18-49 demographic.

In its first week measured by Nielsen’s National TV Ratings
Service alongside the six English-language television networks,
leading Spanish-language broadcaster Univision finished as the
fifth-rated network with 3.4 million viewers and a 1.4/4 among
adults 18-49.

UPN and the WB Network drew 2.6 million viewers, 1.0/3, and
2.2 million, 0.9/3, respectively, with their schedules
dominated by reruns.

Meanwhile, the Season 2 premiere of ABC Family’s “Wildfire”
drew more than 2.3 million total viewers at 8 p.m. Monday,
which set a record for a series premiere on the network.
“Wildfire” is ABC Family’s first-ever original scripted drama
series.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter