How Do You Solve a Problem Like Low Ratings?

Just a couple of weeks ago, Entertainment Weekly described NBC’s Thursday night ratings as “an apocalyptic wasteland; some smoldering ruinous city, once glamorous, where a devastating bomb has crumbled the skyline into gray ash.” NBC’s funeral dirge has turned into the Sound of Music and, as The Wrap puts it, “Ka-Ching.” Overnight, NBC reversed their fortunes by doing the unthinkable… airing a family TV event. You know, those old relics of yesteryear that today’s TV audiences are far too sophisticated to find interesting or entertaining. According to The Wrap, the special garnered 18.5 million viewers, making it NBC’s most-watched non-sports night on any night of the week since January 15, 2007. But what about the coveted 18-49 demographic? Surely they had no interest in a family musical, right? Wrong. Again, according to The Wrap, “With a 4.6 rating among viewers 18-49 demographic, it was the top non-sports Thursday in the key demo since the ER finale.” And those abysmal Thursday night ratings EW was talking about in late November? “Thursday had more viewers than any Thursday night for NBC since the Frasier finale on May 13, 2004. That had 22.6 million total viewers.” And “It had the most total viewers of any non-sports Thursday night show for any network since Fox aired a Thursday American Idol on March 3, 2011. That Idol had 25.3 million viewers.” So it seems the answer to NBC’s ratings woes might be more family entertainment.