Sunday, March 30, 2014

It's all about the ratings! A Snapshot of Evening TV


Ratings, ratings, ratings! It's all about the ratings and now that it has been a full quarter of the year, it's a great time to look to see how this year's shows are doing.

There has been a lot of changes in evening TV including Jay Leno's farewell to The Tonight Show and its move to New York City with Jimmy Fallon as its new host. SNL brings on a new black female cast member and Seth Meyers takes Fallon's seat in Late Night. These changes were sure to bring a change of viewership and were put in place in hopes of more positive reviews and ratings, but how have these changes in TV fared so far? Let's take a look at the numbers:

The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon is seeing very favorable numbers with a 3-week high rating of 1.35 in adults 18-35. Compared to last year's numbers with Jay Leno, this season (since February 17th) has seen a total of 5.395 million viewers where last year, during the same time period, the show saw 3.311 million viewers. Fallon is off to a great start as the new face of the Tonight Show and bringing back seasoned guests like Bill Cosby and Joan Rivers (who is back after a 25 year ban from the show) is keeping audiences happy.

Now let's visit Fallon's old stomping grounds, Late Night. With Seth Meyers taking the seat of the 12:35 time slot, the show is seeing significant gains in viewership as well. In just it's fourth week, the show's ratings are up 36% from exactly a year ago and it's viewership has risen by 16% with 1.854 million viewers. American audiences of late night television aren't afraid of change, and it seems that these new shifts were what these late time slots needed to boost the numbers!

While these talk shows are seeing gains in audience viewership, SNL this season has not been so lucky despite changes to the cast and new hosts. After last night's show, with 2nd time host Louis C.K., the numbers were the 2nd lowest in it's 5 episode run since the beginning of 2014. However, despite the show's low numbers, SNL managed to trump the Big 4 networks and was the top telecast of the night. In Nielsen’s 56 metered market, the show averaged a 4.0/10 in household results and a 2.1/9 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with Local People Meters

So what do these numbers say? American audiences are supportive of change and welcoming of the fresh faces of late night television... oh, and that hosts Louis C.K. and Lena Dunham are no Alec Baldwin!


Sources:
TV Impulse 
TV By the Numbers

Monday, March 17, 2014

Spotlight on- Need For Speed


Hollywood has seen its fair share of racing movies and from watching the previews, this one seemed to be just "another one of the racing movies".

It wasn't the fancy Bugati's or Maserati's featured in this film that brought me to watch it, rather the lead actor, Aaron Paul from the incredible TV series, Breaking Bad. Having watched the actor play the role of Jesse for so many seasons it was pure curiosity that led me to watch him on the silver screen. What originally seems like a knock-off version of The Fast and the Furious franchise, Need for Speed features high end racing cars that collectively cost more than a few mansions in Beverly Hills. 

This film offers more than a few high-speed chase scenes and car explosions than most of its predecessors--it actually had a plot that was believable and characters that the audience is able to sympathize with. Aaron Paul delivers as the lead role and although it may not exactly be Oscar worthy, I do hope we'll get to see him on the silver screen more often.

The high intensity, gut wrenching stunts take place from the very beginning of the film until the end and has the audience on the edge of their seats while they follow Paul's character on his wild ride to win the ultimate race. Fresh out of jail for a crime he didn't commit and with nothing to lose, Tobey (Paul's character) seeks justice for his close friend whose life ended in a tragic car crash caused by famous race car driver, Dino Brewster. Tobey's motive is not to seek revenge on Dino but rather to unveil who the real criminal in his race towards victory in the most prestigious and top secret race around. 

The suspenseful flick isn't all serious business, there's a refreshingly good amount of comic relief provided from Tobey's gang who provide some big laughs just when you feel your neck and shoulders tensing up from the death defying driving throughout. And of course, the movie wouldn't be complete with a beautiful blonde love interest who happens to be right by Tobey's side in the passenger seat the entire time.

If you're looking for a fun filled two hours, Need for Speed will definitely leave you satisfied!