“Jeopardy!” Tops Ratings in Premiere Week
In a strong start to the new season, “Jeopardy!” has reaffirmed its dominance as the most-watched syndicated series on television, attracting an impressive 7.5 million viewers during its premiere week.
This marks a notable 4% increase compared to its premiere viewership from the previous year, according to Live + Same Day data from Nielsen. The popular trivia show, hosted by Ken Jennings, was among seven titles produced by CBS Media Ventures that broke into the top 10 most-viewed syndicated series for the week spanning September 8-14. Other series ranked in the top 10 included “Wheel of Fortune” at No. 2, “Inside Edition” at No. 4, “Entertainment Tonight” at No. 5, “Hot Bench” at No. 6, and “The Drew Barrymore Show” and “Flip Side” at No. 8 and No. 9 respectively.
Among the seven series from CBS Media Ventures, five enjoyed an increase in viewership compared to their previous premiere weeks. While “Jeopardy!” grew by 4%, “The Drew Barrymore Show” impressively increased its viewership by 8%, reaching 1.3 million viewers and claiming the title of the No. 2 syndicated talk show, following “Live with Kelly and Mark.” “Hot Bench,” the leading syndicated court show, saw its best premiere week numbers in four years, boasting a 15% growth to achieve 2.1 million viewers. “Inside Edition,” the front-runner among syndicated newsmagazines, added 1% to reach 3 million viewers, and “Flip Side” soared by 17% over its first season to gather 1 million viewers.
However, it’s important to recognize that significant preemptions occurred during the premiere week, as many syndicated series were adjourned to accommodate programming for Monday Night Football and the observance of the 24th anniversary of 9/11. These interruptions are typical at this time of year, compounded by coverage related to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Without these disruptions, the overall viewership for syndicated series would have likely seen even higher numbers.
