CBS Sees Summer Ratings Slide

CBS’s "CSI" is no longer the most-watched show on television. The ratings slump that began during the second half of the regular season worsened over the summer with ratings for reruns significantly down from last year.

While declining ratings for repeats aren’t necessarily an indication of things to come, the fact that the trend continued into the summer can’t be too reassuring as "CSI" prepares to face off against ABC’s "Grey’s Anatomy" when it slips into the Thursday 9 p.m. timeslot this fall.

According to Nielsen numbers crunched by Horizon Media, "CSI" averaged a 2.9 in adults 18-49 last week, down 29 percent from last summer’s 4.1 average. Over the past five weeks a regularly scheduled "CSI" has peeked above a 3.0 only once. This continues a trend that began during the most recent season, when "CSI" finished out of the top five several times and the season finale average fell 22 percent from last year, from a 10.6 to an 8.3.

"CSI"'s declining ratings speak to a general trend among CBS shows, which are beginning to show their age after years of dominance. CBS is not expected to fall behind NBC this season in adults 18-49. However, there are signs indicating a weaker year.

Some of the decline can be attributed to tougher timeslot competition. Fox’s "So You Think You Can Dance" and NBC’s "America’s Got Talent" are both outperforming the competition from last year, making reruns more difficult for CBS to sell.

The CBS shows "Without a Trace," "Survivor" and "Two and a Half Men" also declined at the end of last season.

For the full story, see Media Life Magazine.

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