TV Ratings: Talk Shows Swell at February's End

Whether it was the glow from the Academy Awards or just a good week to watch TV, almost all syndicated talk shows were up smartly for the week ending Feb. 24.

Dr. Phil, whose talk show has been top-rated since September, scored a new season high with a 3.5 household rating (an average of 4.6 million viewers a day), which was up 9 percent over the prior week and up 9 percent over the comparable week a year ago.

In the key demographic group of women 25-54, Dr. Phil had a solid 2.0 rating, up 12 percent over the prior week and last year.

Ellen DeGeneres and Live! With Kelly & Michael were in a virtual tie for second place among talk shows once again, each earning a 2.8  household rating and up 8 percent from the prior week. Ellen had an average of about 3.9 million viewers a day, while Live! averaged about 3.7 million.

In the key female demo, Ellen had the edge with a 1.9 rating, up 12 percent over the prior week, compared to 1.7 for Live! Which was up 13 percent over the week before.

Dr. Oz was a strong fourth place finisher among talk shows with a 2.6 household rating (3.4 million viewers), which was up 4 percent from the prior week, but down 13 percent from the comparable week one year earlier. In the key demo, Oz had a 1.5 rating, up 7 percent from the prior week but down 12 percent from last year.

Maury had a 2.5 household rating (3.6 million viewers), which was up 9 percent from the prior week, although it was down 4 percent from the same week last year.  In the key demo, Maury had a 1.8 rating , up 13 percent from the prior week (but also down 5 percent from a year earlier).

Katie was again the top talker among freshman shows with a 1.9 household rating (2.5 million viewers), up 6 percent from the prior week. In the key female demo Katie continued to underperform with a 0.9 rating, which was up 17 percent from the prior week’s 0.8 rating.

Steve Harvey had a 1.7 household rating (2.3 million viewers), up 6 percent from the prior week. Harvey beat Katie in the key female demo with a 1.1 rating, up 10 percent over the prior week.

Steve Wilkos, who has been having a pretty good season, saw his household rating rise to a 17, up 6 percent from the prior week. That is also up 21 percent over the comparable week one year earlier.

Showing it has game, Family Feud tied its season and all time high rating with a 5.4 and enjoyed an all time high in the key female demo with a 2.8 rating. That tied perennial leader Wheel of Fortune for second place among women 25 to 54.

The top show in syndication, Judge Judy, was up 3 percent over the prior week in households to a 7.6 rating -- a new season high.

Magazine shows also showed some Oscar glow. Entertainment Tonight had a 4.0 household rating, up 5 percent over the prior week; while Extra had the biggest increase among entertainment magazines with a 1.6 household rating, up 7 percent over the prior week.