Ratings Roundup: Western Europe Prime Time

PREMIUM: U.S. and European dramas and format-based titles were among the big winners in prime time in Western Europe’s major markets this week, reports World Screen’s special projects editor, Jay Stuart, in his analysis of nightly ratings information from France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

France
On Monday, M6 topped the ratings with the local version of The Farmer Wants a Wife (L’amour est dans le pré) with 6.532 million viewers and a share of 25.9 percent. France 2 did well with police series Castle (5.916 million/21.5 percent), while TF1 was close behind with comedy series Camping Paradis (5.266 million/20.1 percent). On Tuesday, TF1 scored a big win with the U.S. series The Mentalist, attracting 8.928 million viewers and a share of 33.5 percent. France 2 was the closest competition with the factual series Secrets d’histoire (Secrets of History), scoring 3.509 million and a share of 13.9 percent. On Wednesday, TF1 also won big with Criminal Minds taking 8.735 million viewers and a share of 34.9 percent. M6 was a distant second with Maison à Vendre (House for Sale) drawing 3.564 million/14.9 percent. On Thursday, the U.S. series Bones won the day for M6 with 5.232 million viewers and a share of 20.7 percent. TF1 was second with the local version of U.K. format MasterChef (4.674 million/22.4 percent).

Germany
On Monday the prime-time winner was the local version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? on RTL with 5.77 million viewers and a share of 19.0 percent. The German feature Soul Kitchen on ARD 1 took 3.0 million and share of 9.7 percent. Vox aired CSI: New York, pulling 2.63 million and a share of 8.6 percent. On Tuesday, ARD 1 won with German series Mord mit Aussicht (Murder With A View), scoring 5.54 million viewers and a share of 19.5 percent. ARD 1 also fared well with long-running soap opera In Aller Freundschaft (In All Friendship), taking 5.47 million/18.4 percent. RTL relied on U.S. imports in prime time, showing CSI: Miami (3.69 million/13.0 percent) and House (2.93 million/10.3 percent.) Sat.1 showed the German comedy series Und weg bist Du (And You’re Away), which attracted 3.05 million viewers and a share of 10.9 percent. ProSieben aired U.S. sitcoms, with three episodes of The Big Bang Theory (the highest audience was 1.90 million), two episodes of Two and a Half Men (best 1.97 million), while an episode of 2 Broke Girls secured 1.85 million viewers. On Wednesday, the easy winner was ZDF’s Aktenzeichen XY… ungelöst (File Reference XY … Unsolved), the series that gave birth to America’s Most Wanted and Crimewatch in the U.K. It averaged 5.85 million viewers and a share of 19.7 percent. RTL’s leader was the reality show Raus aus den Schulden (Getting Out of Debt) with 3.53 million/12.2 percent). In a direct match-up of U.S. imports, The Closer on Vox (2.03 million) and Desperate Housewives on ProSieben (2.02 million) finished neck and neck. On Thursday, the long-running police series Alarm für Cobra 11 won for RTL with 4.24 million viewers and share of 14.9 percent. ARD 1’s game show Das fantastische Quiz des (The Fantastic Men’s Quiz) came next with 4.11 million/14.2 percent. Sat.1 ran two episodes of Criminal Minds with very similar results (the higher was 2.79 million/10.0 percent). ProSieben’s version of the Popstars format pulled 1.36 million and 4.9 percent overall and scored below a 10 percent share in the 18-49 demo with 990,000 viewers/9.2 percent.

Italy
RAI 1 won Monday night with the mini-series Per una notte d’amore (For a Night of Love) scoring 3.939 million viewers and a share of 17.5 percent. Canale 5 was in second place with a rerun of the mini-series Il generale Dalla Chiesa, pulling 2.533 million and a share of 11.69 percent. RAI 2 aired the German police import Alarm für Cobra 11 with 2.098 viewers/8.27 percent. RAI veteran emcee Pippo Baudo debuted his new series Il viaggio (The Journey) on RAI 3, attracting 1.732 million/7.12 percent. Rete 4 did better with the American feature Bad Boys (1.914 million/8.19 percent). On Tuesday, RAI 1’s long-running factual science show SuperQuark topped prime time with 3.309 million viewers and a share of 14.9 percent. It beat the start of the tenth and final season of CSI: Miami on Italia 1, which showed two episodes (very similar audiences, highest being 2.492 million).

RAI 2 actually repeated the previous night’s episode of Alarm for Cobra 11 and did better the second time around (2.248 million). La 7 aired two episodes of U.S. series Prime Suspect with Maria Bello (highest did 342,000 viewers). On Wednesday, RAI 1 won the night with two episodes of German police series Der letzte Bulle (The Last Cop), pulling 3.412 million/13.89 percent and 3.108 viewers/13.97 percent. Canale 5 played the thriller Shadow of Fear (2.491 million/10.89 percent). Italia 1 showed Fool’s Gold (2.271 million/9.93 percent) and Rete 4 went with action pic Nowhere to Run (2.161 million/9.44 percent). On Thursday, RAI 1 won the night with the season debut of police series Il Commissario Nardone (5.237 million/21.54 percent for part one and 4.934 million/22.14 percent for part two). Canale 5 was second showing a concert by the winners of the talent show Amici (3.293 million/16.07 percent). Rai 2 aired two parts of the U.S. fantasy series The Sword of Truth (the higher did 1.372 million/5.82 percent). Italia 1 showed the U.S. feature The Dark Knight (2.387 million/11.46 percent).

Spain
On Monday. Antena 3 won prime time with the light entertainment show El Hormiguero (The Anthill), pulling 2.587 million viewers and a share of 15.9 percent, followed by the drama series Pulseras rojas (Red Bracelets) with 2.550 million/14.9 percent. TVE 1 was in second place with U.S. feature The Green Mile (1.846 million/13.5 percent). Cuatro showed the U.S. feature Wanted (1.634 million/10.3 percent) and Telecinco fared best with the local sitcom La que se avecina (The Looming) with 1.524 million/8.9 percent. La Sexta’s satirical news show El intermedio pulled 1.225 million/8.0 percent, while back-to-back episodes of The Mentalist scored 1.193 million/6.8 percent and 1.129 million/7.2 percent. Antena 3’s The Anthill won again on Tuesday with 2.123 million/13.4 percent. Telecinco showed the light-entertainment series Hay una cosa que te quiero decir (There’s Something I Want to Tell You), the local version of the Italian series C’e Posta per te, hitting 2.120 million/17.1 percent. La Sexta fared best with U.S. feature Swordfish (1.561 million/9.7 percent), while Cuatro’s strongest showing was for Criminal Minds (1.330 million/7.7 percent). On Wednesday, the winner was Cuatro’s showing of Spanish comedy film Spanish Movie (2.521 million/15.3 percent). Antena 3 viewing was topped by historical drama series Imperium (1.849 million/10.9 percent), just ahead of The Anthill (1.827 million/11.6 percent). On Thursday, The Anthill on Antena 3 was a close winner with 1.981 million viewers and a share of 12.9 percent. Telecinco was second with its drama series Frágiles taking 1.973 million/12.1 percent. TVE 1 made an interesting prime-time choice with 1948 feature, The Three Musketeers, and pulled 1.044 million/7.2 percent for that oldie.