A Discussion of Heroes’ Ratings (or Lack Thereof)

?This past Monday, the TV show Heroes‘ ratings plummeted to an all-time low with just under 4 million viewers watching as — no. I promised myself I’d be good this article and stick to the facts. For those who don’t understand why getting 4 million viewers is bad, let me make a few points:

? When Heroes premiered in 2006, it averaged just under 14 million viewers. The show has lost 10 million viewers in four years.
? The premiere of this season of Heroes had 5.9 million viewers, and has lost 2 million since then.
? Not only was Heroes beaten in the ratings by all other primetime networks’ shows during 9-10pm EST last Monday night, but it was also beaten by cable shows such as whatever WWE show USA has on Mondays and an episode of iCarly over on Nickelodeon.
? In a tally of all primetime shows on the four major networks last week, the new episode of Heroes ranked 47th in ratings. This is behind many, many, many repeats.
? ABC just canceled Ugly Betty because it was only getting 5.3 million viewers. Admittedly, ABC is in infinitely better shape than NBC.

At the moment, NBC still hasn’t decided whether it will renew Heroes for another season or cancel it, although creator Tim Kring supposedly feels optimistic. Despite the fact no one watches Heroes on TV, its DVD sales are still pretty good, and NBC’s current standards of “success” might be low enough that Heroes squeaks through for another year. Rest assured I will keep you updated. (Via Wikipedia, Clique Clack, and TV by the Numbers)