Ratings Report: “Lingo” Averages 389,000 Viewers in Debut Week
Given the high status that Lingo has on GSN, I don’t think the debut week, in full, is exactly what was hoped for. GSN’s formerly highest rated show, seeing somewhere in the area of a 0.7 to 0.9 in its original run which made the show a fan favorite, averaged 389,000 viewers during its debut week on June 6th. The show started out at usual debut levels but overnight lost a large chunk of its audience, save for the show’s advertised $100,000 grand prize win that they scheduled for the debut week. Here’s the full week viewer count:
June 6th: 524,000
June 7th: 311,000
June 8th ($100,000 Win): 446,000
June 9th: 355,000
June 10th: 308,000
I enjoy Lingo. I don’t think it’s the greatest thing on Earth like many make it out to be, but it’s a fun way to kill a half hour and I completely understand why its as popular as it is. It was light, fun, quick, and good to play along with. But this new version misses its mark severely. The reviews coming in are tilt towards bad and apparently ratings are sinking quickly. But ratings are tumbling for everything else, also, which is interesting.
Baggage, courtesy GSN
I think what’s more amazing and telling is that on a few of those days it ranked as the most watched on the network if not the most watched. That schedule change they did in April for Improv-A-Ganza screwed things up. I’m a fan of the show but I’m not making excuses: it’s tanking and it drags shows after it down. The schedule change severely hurt GSN’s most popular show Baggage. It’s losing a large percens audience when it mtage of itoved from 7:00PM to 7:30PM. Conventional wisdom would say to revert to the higher rated schedule and get rid of Improv-A-Ganza because it’s just not working (much to my dismay). For reference here’s the debut week of Improv-A-Ganza:
1 VS 100, courtesy GSN
April 11: 527,000
April 12: 456,000
April 13: 324,000
April 14: 279,000
April 15: 420,000
Average: 401,000
Improv-A-Ganza did debut higher during the first week but, again, it has never done well after that and it’s hurt the ratings for shows after it. Not making excuses for it at all. But if Lingo keeps dropping then the fan boys of the show have to hold it to the same standard they held Improv to and start calling for its head. I’m a fan of Improv and I’m calling for its head. You can’t give Lingo a free ride because it’s a game show and Improv broke up your millionth rerun cycle of decade old Family Feud. A show with low ratings is still a show with low ratings. Eventually, if this keeps up, you have to say, “We’re getting better ratings with reruns. Why are we wasting money paying for a show that’s doing poorly when we can use this money to develop other shows that could work,” which is what got Lingo canned in the first place. By the way, here are the debut week ratings for 1 VS 100:
November 15: 568,000
November 16: 473,000
November 17: 494,000
November 18: 373,000
November 19: 384,000
Average: 458,000
1 VS 100 debuted higher than either of those and yet it’s being shoved to the back of the schedule like it’s nothing. To not renew it for another season would be somewhat bizarre. It works fine, and it’ll work better with a few incredibly simple tweaks. I understand picking up shows like Lingo over more Improv, though. Lingo is bound to be cheaper and if the shows are getting nearly the same ratings you go with cheaper. Anything else would be poor business.
But that, the syndicated ratings are down to their usual summer levels. Both Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! sank to season lows 5.7 and 4.9, respectively. Family Feud went back up to third place, sticking at 2.3. Who Wants to be a Millionaire dropped to a 2.2. Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader and Don’t Forget The Lyrics ended their syndicated runs each with a 1.0.
Sources :
GSN Ratings: http://sonofthebronx.blogspot.com/
B&C: http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/469711-_Dr_Phil_Becomes_Syndie_s_Top_Talker_as_Oprah_Waves_Goodbye.php
GSN is a dying network… ever since they dumped the classics (Password, Press Your Luck, and Hollywood Squares), I’ve only had two shows I actually enjoy on GSN (Whammy and Match Game). call me crazy, but I love improv too!
Couldn’t have said it better meself. Sure wish GSN would go backwards in a good way. I got GSN, sadly, too little too late with regards to airing the classic Price, classic black-and-white, classic everything. It’s just too depressing these days.
You’re right, Hardy. It’s sad to think of what they used to be, and what they are now. The real sad thing is, if GSN were to go away tomorrow, I wouldn’t miss much.
Hey Alex, are those Lingo numbers just for the new episodes, or do they include reruns?
My understanding was that GSN has access to a wide library of programming from many decades. Why, then, are the same shows shown over and over? How about this – find some old shows that aren’t so well remembered and had short runs – you know, 13 weeks and done – and put them on in primetime for just the 13 weeks and then move on to another one – give us some variety! Stop showing the same show back-to-back – you’ve got too many shows to keep doing this.
They can access older fare…but it costs them money, and at the end of the day, a shorter rotation costs less (i.e. more profit, albeit from a small pool). And there’s no way they’ll shrink that pool even more and add shows to the rotation, so don’t hold your breath (and I’m not blaming you; I want the same thing. It’s just naive to think they’ll do that).
I loved the old Lingo. It was great to play along with. The new Lingo is unwatchable. I think all the double entendres are completely lame and the clues are pointless. They’re trying too hard to make it hip or edgy and they’re failing at that, too. Bring back Chuck and Shandi.
Did anyone notice that last night on Lingo the GSN computers messed up the last word on the show which I think was suppose to be “erupt”? That was in the bonus round.
I didn’t. I wasn’t watching.
If you’re hoping for a return to the “good old days”…forget it. GSN will never go back to that because the people in charge are (almost literally) dying to show that they can get it done with a short rotation of shows they create (purportedly to save money). I now barely watch it because I don’t like any of their “shows”. I’m not a fan of relationship shows (that axes Newlywed & the even bigger disaster Love Triangle), comedy shows with a broken format (you’re right, Alex; it’s time for Drew and Co. to stick to untelevised fare), and game shows that are ten years old (Karn’s Feud) or think they’re so cute with the sex jokes (today’s Lingo).
Bottom line: GSN is indeed dying, and it won’t take long for the stake to be driven into its heart.
Well, a few years ago game show fans were excited that NBC was bringing back “Let’s Make a Deal” to primetime.
Game show fans everywhere watched with horror as the first deal had to do with a woman reaching up for some type of prize under a man’s kilt. Many of us were stunned…my wife remarked that she had never seen my jaw drop so far. Almost immediately we changed the channel, never to return. The show was gone in a few weeks.
Now, GSN brought back a decent game, which many of us parents used to watch with our kids…it helped my kids with their spelling skills. We watched the new Lingo, and were shocked at the vulgar, unintelligent attempts at humor. We didn’t finish the premiere episode, and have not returned. I imagine, like the NBC LMAD, the sounds of remotes were audible. GSN made a terrible miscalculation when taking a format like Lingo and making it family unfriendly. (Family friendly shows are not in vogue…those of us who wish family friendly shows are told to find one somewhere else…but it’s to the point where there is little else.)
Yes, GSN is adrift. A few years back they just simply forgot who they are. It’s now throwing spitballs against the wall, hoping something sticks. It’s a shame. So many channels, and TV Land is among them, just don’t know what they’re about anymore. They have turned from something truly unique into something ordinary.
I blame Kelly Goode. From what I’ve heard, she’s apparently some sort of senior vice president of programming at GSN Headquarters. Ergo, she seems to be responsible for approving any and all programming decisions for the network.
If Goode can’t make the right decisons, GSN should fire her and get someone who can. This network is supposed to be 80% classics, 20% originals (if even that high of a percentage for originals). And that 20% should consist of original game show programming — not reality show programming, comedy show programming, hidden camera show programming, etc…
Is too difficult or expensive for GSN to look at what made the original Lingo and 1 VS 100 successful, and then duplicate it exactly as it was before?
Holy crap did anyone see Wednesday night’s Baggage?
As Chuck Woolery would say, “I wouldn’t touch that one with a forklift.”
Appropriate that “crap” and “Baggage” are in the same question!
The problem is GSN wants to appeal to the same 18-49 demographic that every other network does.
Classics don’t appeal to that demo… classics only usually appeal to the 55 to Dead crowd. And Advertisers don’t like that demo… yet.
So, GSN comes up with crappy original shows that are more like the reality programming that every other network airs, to draw in the young audience. The problem is, it isn’t working.
So, they’ve alienated their core fanbase (the people who want to see game shows), and now they have to throw crap against the wall and hope something sticks.
At first I was thinking that the first week of Lingo did decently enough, but those first-week numbers for Drew and especially 1 vs. 100 put things into perspective. The best we can hope for is that the ratings don’t slide like Drew’s did, but even if they stayed the same, they would still only be on par with Inaba’s later numbers. And I’m not sure if I agree that 1 vs. 100 should be renewed, unless they make major changes (particularly a new host). Actually, although Engvall is one of the brighter spots of the new Lingo, I think it might have made more sense to have him host 1 vs. 100.
Drew’s numbers have perked up a little with the Engvall lead-in, but still, I don’t think they’re good enough to justify the show sticking around. And Love Triangle definitely needs to go – it’s tanking worse than before now that it’s reruns, and it’s causing the new season of Baggage to underperform.
I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY SHOWS LIKE CARD SHARKS AND MATCH GAME ALWAYS GET SO FAR ALONG IN THEIR RUNS, THEN WE GO BACK TO SQUARE ONE. I MEAN EPISODE 1.
What I want to know is why Match Game 74 is all they air on weekdays and weekends. How about another year? Of course 75 did air at 8AM and 74 came right back. Bet those ratings are painful.
As for the new Lingo, I enjoy it. Bill Engvall brings something fresh to the show and I could care less about the dirty humor. I find it funny. I could never stand myself being so darn uptight about everything but everybody’s different.
I DO TOO. BUT THIS CONSTANTLY GOING BACK TO 1974 IS JUST GETTING OLD. I WAS BORN THAT YEAR
The only originals current that GSN has that i like are Baggage, Lingo although we could do without all the ditry humor , Catch 21 and 1 VS 100. I do like that Whammy is on weekends. I wish they would stop running Love Triangle I really can’t stand that show. Drew Carey’s IMprovagana I would have rather GSN picked up episodes of Whose Line Is It Anyway. I would like to see at least one Bill Cullen show on the schedule how about bill cullen’s chain reaction and while your at it pick up Geoff Edwardds version too. I could live with if they ran all three versions of Chain Reaction even though the GSN version isn’t as good. If you want to remake classics about how GO and you could bring back Kevin O Connoll however you spell his name to host. I don’t really care much for the Newlywed Game unless you bring back Eubanks versions and you actually ran them to death for a while.