TV Dramas: Once Is Enough

By John Consoli -- Original telecasts of prime-time drama series this past season rated as much as 55 percent higher than repeats, red-flagging the need for the broadcast networks to find ways to air more first-run episodes in order to keep viewers watching on a regular basis.

Media buyers say the solution is to cut deals with the cable networks, like ABC did this season with Lifetime, which permitted the latter to air episodes of Once and Again in the same week as they aired on the broadcast network. NBC cut a similar deal with USA, which allowed the cable network to air episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. This past season, ABC aired 21 original episodes of Once and Again and only one repeat. The originals averaged a 5.3 rating among the 18-49 demo, the highest among the first-year dramas. The one repeat did a 3.4 in the same demo, 35 percent lower. Like Once and Again, which was not noticeably hurt in the ratings by the same-week airings on Lifetime, SVU was not diminished in its originals by the airings on USA. SVU averaged a 9.5 in households for its 22 original episodes. But repeats on its own network averaged only a 7.4.

And the power of airing just originals can be seen in ABC's run of 20 original episodes of NYPD Blue. With no repeats, the show averaged a solid 10.7 in households and a credible 6.6 among the 18-49 demo. Those numbers would have been pulled down by about 30 percent if diluted with ratings from repeats. [rest of article snipped]__Mediaweek Daily (June 6, 2000)