Ratings Report: “Family Feud” Moves Up, “Wheel of Fortune” Moves Down
There are major shakeups in the game show ratings rankings for the week ending April 24th. Ever since Nielsen’s new ratings system each run of a TV show into its rating, it’s been a battle between Family Feud and Millionaire as to who would take the third place spot. Millionaire has held it just about since its debut in 2002. Not anymore. At least for this week, Family Feud continued its amazing growth this season and has passed Millionaire to become the third most watched syndicated game show in the country.
Family Feud grew 4% to a 2.4. Millionaire lost 4% of its audience and dipped to a 2.3. Yes, there is somewhat of an asterisk because of the ratings shift suddenly. But it’s the numbers that matter, and the numbers are showing Feud as the favorite for now. We’ll see what happens next season since Steve Harvey, the popular host of Feud, is actually known for the show now. I’m not saying anything of the quality of Millionaire. I’m a very outspoken fan of the new rules. It’s just pretty shocking.
There were more shocking moves. Wheel of Fortune is no longer the highest rated syndicated show. That honor belongs to Judge Judy. But Wheel of Fortune is far from being worried. They lost 4% and fell to a 6.5. Jeopardy! lost just 3% to a 5.7. Fifth Grader has been getting some extra numbers from the new system, but it’s still at a 1.1. Don’t Forget The Lyrics! was at a 1.0 rating. Neither will be back next season. This will be the first syndicated season in a few years without a new game show.
Source : B&C
1. People still watch Judge Judy?
2. I’m disappointed to see Millionaire fall behind Family Feud. Ever since the changes to Millionaire, I’ve found it more compelling than ever, while I personally think Steve Harvey is almost unbearably dull as host for Feud that I can’t really watch the show anymore.
Judge Judy just got renewed into 2015…
I have to disagree with you on this one because Steve Harvey is the best thing to come to Family Feud in a long time plus Millionaire is trying too hard to look good…
Gotta agree! ;-) thx.
I’ve been keeping up with these numbers. This is the first week this has happened, Wheel and Judy have either tied since the Nielsen change or Wheel has had a slight .1 or .2 edge up until now. It is quite early and presumptuous to declare Wheel is no longer the highest rated syndicated show… and it’s not even the first week THIS SEASON that this happened. The J! week with Watson, IIRC, scored the highest ratings of any syndicated show that particular week, and there have been multiple times over the years that events like Oprah specials have skewed the averages in favor of someone else.
When this happens for an actual respectable amount of time… like a couple months, come back and talk to me then.
The big question with J! and WOF, especially J!, would be what happens in the eventual post-Alex and Pat and Vanna era. No official word on Millionaire getting a season ten. Note that Feud in 1985 was still something like #9 or #10 in the syndication rankings for that season when it got cancelled the first time, and Jokers, Tic Tac, LMAD, and nighttime $otC got renewed for 1985-86 and Feud didn’t(Viacom syndicated reruns of mostly syndicated Feud episodes for 1985-86, however)
You also got to note that in 1985 for some of the syndication game shows for TTD Wink Martindale left and got replaced by Jim Calwell and ratings dropped on that TTD, on Joker’s Bill Cullen did his second season of hosting after Jack Barry died( May 4, marks now 27 years that he’s been dead)( I still think Jim Peck should’ve got the job.) And those ratings tumbled on Joker’s as well. Whenever is the time for Pat, VAnna, and Alex to leave or retire, They would have to be careful to who to choose for host and model, or just end Wheel and J! when their contracts are up.
I don’t think who hosted TJW and TTD would have affected their ratings, heck Cullen was hosting TJW and it was still cancelled after two years with him.