Have you seen the ratings for 8.22?

[dragonheart]

 NCIS Season 8 Ratings by episode

8x01, Spider and the Fly: 3.9/10 (total viewers: 18.92 million)
8x02, Worst Nightmare: 4.0/11 (total viewers: 18.74 million)
8x03, Short Fuse: 3.7/11 (total viewers: 19.48 million)
8x04, Royals and Loyals: 3.7/11 (total viewers: 19.48 million)
8x05, Dead Air: 4.2/12 (total viewers: 19.08 million)
8x06, Cracked: 4.1/11 (total viewers: 19.38 million)
8x07, Broken Arrow: 4.0/11 (total viewers: 19.872 million)
8x08, Enemies Foreign: 3.9/11 (total viewers: 19.45 million)
8x09, Enemies Domestic: 3.9/11 (total viewers: 18.80 million)
8x10, False Witness: 4.0/12 (total viewers: 19.868 million)
8x11, Ships in the Night: 4.45/12 (total viewers: 21.93 million)
8x12, Recruited: 4.1/11 (total viewers: 20.97 million)
8x13, Freedom: 4.6/12 (total viewers: 22.7 million)
8x14, Man Walks Into a Bar...: 4.2/12 (total viewers: 20.30 million)
8x15, Defiance: 3.7/11 (total viewers: 19.47 million)
8x16, Kill Screen: 4.4/12 (total viewers: 21.28 million)
8x17, One Last Score: 3.8/11 (total viewers: 19.19 million)
8x18, Out of the Frying Pan: 3.8/12 (total viewers: 19.11 million)
8x19, Tell-All: 3.8/11 (total viewers: 18.26 million)
8x20, Two-Faced: 3.6/11 (total viewers: 18.79 million)
8x21, Dead Reflection 3.8/11 (total viewers: 19.20 million) data added 04/13/11
8X22, Baltimore 3.5/11 (total viewers: 17.32 million) data added 05/04/11
8x23, Swan Song 3.5/11 (total viewers: 17.10 million) data added 05/12/11
8x24, Pyramid (Season Finale)

Even though our ratings numbers are still comparatively large against the competition - what's going on with the continued decline in targeted market?
3.5 for a much hyped/much anticipated episode coming off a two week hiatus? (for Pete's sake Glee got 3.6).
 
17.32 M viewers? that's the lowest all season

I have to say, I am really surprised - I thought the numbers would be huge... 

Comments

[rigil-kent.livejournal.com]

Its all Ziva's fault. Or Cote's. rolleyes

[dragonheart]

*snort*

considering someone else has been featured since 8.17 - which actually starts the down trend - I have a different theory

[rigil-kent.livejournal.com]

I know its probably heresy to some, but I have to wonder if the overdose of DiNozzo isn't turning some people away. No idea whether I'm full of fertilizer or not, but I know of quite a number of people (anecdotal, admittedly) who either don't like him or have grown tired of his antics in reason seasons...

It could also just be that people forgot it was one though. More and more, it seems like the majority of people who watch NCIS are "watch and forget" types (casual fans, if you will) and just forgot it was on.

And, of course, the ratings for the end of the season have historically gone down for NCIS...

Guess we'll see.

[toomuchfandom.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen the new NCIS yet, but yeah, it has a lot of DiNozzo these days. I'm not really fond of him as a character, but I'm liking him enough. I'd like to see more McGee or Abby.

[whiteink]

That's just tv viewers right? I think a part of it is fans that dl the episode or catch it online or such. Because honestly west coast people can dl it online from a share site and watch it sooner then waiting till it comes on their time.

Just a theory. I know that's what my California living best friend does.

[dragonheart]

that's a good point - I believe it is just tv viewers, I don't know if they would have a way of tracking downloads, so those viewers probley aren't counted.

[dragonheart]

I vote for more McGee and Abby too!!!

[whiteink]

So the viewer count is probably a lot higher. At least that's the theory I'm sticking with

[dragonheart]

me too... lol

[littlesammy.livejournal.com]

If one were snarky, one could say that Tony/Gibbs isn't the big draw it's supposed to be... *coughs*

[rigil-kent.livejournal.com]

LOL.

Don't you know, it's all Ziva's fault. :P

[kew121]

Ratings reflect live TV and same-day DVR viewing. There is, of course, no way of tracking illegal downloads. (But most downloaders/streamers are habitual--3 million people didn't suddenly decide to go download a torrent of NCIS. I don't think average-aged NCIS viewer even knows what a torrent is.)

[kew121]

It's a shame that comparatively few viewers watched what was in my opinion a truly excellent episode.

For comparison, here are season 7's ratings (via no_tiva). The downward ratings spiral at the end of the season happened then, too. Methinks it has nothing to do with the show itself. (Or it's Ziva's fault. Or EJ's. Down with women! ;))

7x01 (Truth or Consequences): 4.6 / 13 (total viewers: 20.00 million)
7x02 (Reunion): 4.6 / 13 (total viewers: 20.65 million)
7x03 (The Inside Man): 4.2 / 12 (total viewers: 19.84 million)
7x04 (Good Cop, Bad Cop): 4.4 / 12 (total viewers: 20.40 million)
7x05 (Code of Conduct): 4.7 / 13 (total viewers: 20.60 million)
7x06 (Outlaws and In-Laws): 4.2 / 11 (total viewers: 19.34 million)
7x07 (Endgame): 4.2 / 11 (total viewers: 20.19 million)
7x08 (Power Down): 3.9 / 11 (total viewers: 20.24 million)
7x09 (Child's Play): 4.4 / 13 (total viewers: 20.26 million)
7x10 (Faith): 4.3 / 13 (total viewers: (total viewers: 20.54 million)
7x11 (Ignition): 4.4 / 12 (total viewers: 21.34 million)
7x12 (Flesh and Blood): 4.3 / 11 (total viewers: 20.20 million)
7x13 (Jet Lag): 4.0 / 11 (total viewers: 20.15 million)
7x14 (Masquerade): 4.3 / 11 (total viewers: 19.11 million)
7x15 (Jack Knife): 4.2 / 11 (total viewers: 19.68 million)
7x16 (Mother's Day): 4.1 / 11 (total viewers: 19.67 million)
7x17 (Double Identity): 3.8 / 11 (total viewers: 19.5 million)
7x18 (Jurisdiction): 3.4/10 (total viewers: 17.6 million)
7x19 (Guilty Pleasure): 3.4 / 10 (total viewers: 16.02 million)
7x20 (Moonlighting): 3.4 / 10 (total viewers: 15.91 million)
7x21 (Obsession): 3.1 / 9 (total viewers: 14.83 million)
7x22 (Borderland): 3.8 / 10 (total viewers: 16.93 million)
7x23 (Patriot Down): 3.2 / 9 (total viewers: 15.57 million)
7x24 (Rule 51): 3.2 / 10 (total viewers: 15.92 million)

[whiteink]

You're not helping me with my farfetched reasoning here :P

Ok ... um ... 3 million people were abducted by aliens ... they will be returned and tuned in next week. :D

[whiteink]

Last season it was M Allison's fault. :P

[kew121]

Yes, of course that's what happened.

[blueeyedgirl83.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and she's probably behind the earthquake/tsunami in Japan and the war in Libya,too.
Of course how she has so much power over the fate of the show (and the world, it seems) when she's not even one of the core characters of NCIS is still unclear :rolleyes:

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

I'm not that surprised at all to see the numbers are huge. I am a tad surprised they are so low, but I have several theories as to why that might be:

1. Timing. People have settled into the P2P arc and suddenly we get a Tony background episode, that probably won't have any bearing on the case. This is borne out by the absence of 'her' and her team. I believe had this episode been show earlier in the season it would have got more viewers. But as it was, people reckoned that what small amount of information that was revealed about the P2P killer could be found elsewhere/wouldn't be essential for the next viewing.

2. EJ and her team are not popular - it shows that with the general trend in figures (as you show). And even though she wasn't in the episode, as we know from two previous episodes it was likely her name would be mentioned every two seconds. I think EJ's arrival has generally pushed figures down. You can't argue with that by looking at what you clearly highlight above.

3. I hate to say it but I honestly think Tony/MW isn't as popular as TPTB and others think. I think NCIS is watched for an ensemble show. This feeling is partly borne out by the fact that the viewing figures for 'One Last Score' fell by over 2 million.

4. Too much publicity has the adverse effect on people. Both 'Baltimore' and 'One Last Score' was publicised and promoted above and beyond anything I have ever seen - including the magazine cover and long article for 'Baltimore'. People were being told it was a 'much watch episode' and 'the best episode ever' and all kinds of things like that. People actually don't like being told what to think. And so rather than increase figures (25 million were being predicted for 'One Last Score', I have no idea what was expected for 'Baltimore' but I bet more than 20 million) all the 'pushing' actually decreased them.

That's just my two penneth worth as to why they were lower than a lot of people expected. But even I'm amazed by how low they are. I did not expect the lowest of the season.

[dragonheart]

maybe TPTB will recognize what is going on and will go back to what works - our team - intact relationally- bullpen drama - not relationship drama. Here's hoping that S9 will be more like that.

Even though I am a Tiva fan, I like the "dance" more than the reality of seeing it happen on screen (mainly because the writers wouldn't be able to leave it alone, and we would have break up angst constantly over our heads - no thank you). I will stick to FF for my relationship fixes as long as the "dance" continues and the "possibility" is there.

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

Here's hoping!

Oh, really? That's interesting to hear. I understand what you say about the writers not leaving it alone.

[dragonheart]

that's my "wall of protection".

I would really love to actually see it on the show, but I don't think we will ever get it (maybe end of series - if even then)and if by chance, we do get it, I don't trust the writers to handle it well, so part of me is afraid (very afraid) of getting what I want - hee.

confused? don't worry - I am too.

[rigil-kent.livejournal.com]

I hate to say it but I honestly think Tony/MW isn't as popular as TPTB and others think.

That's like ... heresy or something, isn't it? I mean, I wholeheartedly agree with you - yeah, I think he's one of the few characters who simply could not be removed from the equation of the show, but there is a pretty significant number of people who simply can't stand him. They're just quieter than the fans, especially the rabid ones to whom he can do no wrong. You know, the ones who come up with a validation for any and everything he does - b&e in a colleague's desk? He's being an investigator. Interrogation of a badly injured guy whose death might be related to the stress from said interrogation? He's not culpable at all; the guy's death was from the stress of seeing his two wives ... whom he would not have seen if Tony hadn't waken him up. And so on. (But if Ziva asks him how he's doing, she's being pushy and rude and deceptive.)

I also think you can add:

5. Its spring. People are doing things other than watching television. We see this kind of decline near the end of every season ... but I must admit, that's a pretty steep decline.

[libbipage.livejournal.com]

5. Its spring. People are doing things other than watching television. We see this kind of decline near the end of every season ... but I must admit, that's a pretty steep decline.

What Rigil_Kent said. I had six finals this week, no TV show is important enough for me to miss an hour of studying. I'm not surprised that this episode appears to be a flop though, I haven't liked Tony much this season either. Hopefully I'll be able to watch it this weekend once I'm done catching up on sleep :)

[kew121]

Definitely agree with the "it's spring" comment.

Also, it's playoff season. There were two NBA and two NHL playoff games last Tuesday going straight through the time zones--I bet that's where a chunk of the viewers went.

With an ensemble show as consistently popular as NCIS that's watched by so many millions of viewers, I personally find it difficult to believe that one character can affect the ratings (no matter which character it is). The show simply wouldn't be as popular as it is if that were the real problem. The audience would go away altogether rather than coming back bigger for the next season. (Just keeping it real here.)

[blueeyedgirl83.livejournal.com]

2. EJ and her team are not popular - it shows that with the general trend in figures (as you show). And even though she wasn't in the episode, as we know from two previous episodes it was likely her name would be mentioned every two seconds. I think EJ's arrival has generally pushed figures down. You can't argue with that by looking at what you clearly highlight above.

I don't think it's the main cause, but I agree that the introduction of EJ and her team had a part in the drops in the ratingsratings drop. Putting aside the fact that I plain hate her character and the writers decided to hit us in the head with her presence on the show (seriously, I know she's here and I know she's sleeping with Tony, stop reminding me every freaking two minutes!), I honestly couldn't care less about any of the new guest stars and I'm probably not the only one. The show is in its eight season, we've come to care for the characters that have been on it for years, we want to see what happens to them.

The P2P killer storyline had much potential, but it would have been much more compelling if it revolved more around our team, imo. Also, introducing as many guests as they have managed to piss off a lot of fans. There are obviously the Tiva fans who are mad because of EJ/Tony, then there are the McAbby fans mad because the writers had Abby date the new guy, and also the fans that see their favourite characters (McGee, Ducky, Palmer, or anyone else really) have reduced screentime because of the new characters...


3. I hate to say it but I honestly think Tony/MW isn't as popular as TPTB and others think. I think NCIS is watched for an ensemble show. This feeling is partly borne out by the fact that the viewing figures for 'One Last Score' fell by over 2 million.

Yep. And it seems to be a trend, since last season the lowest episode in terms of rating was Obsession.

[blueeyedgirl83.livejournal.com]

And LJ obviously hates me bacause this post was supposed to go under nakeisha 's one

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

It is, very much so. It's good to know someone agrees. It's interesting you say you think he's one of the few characters who couldn't be removed, as my husband thinks he's the character who could be removed without any problem at all. J doesn't have favourites or anything like that; he really enjoys the show, but doesn't get involved in the way we do. Of course you have to remember our TV culture is totally different, we aren't driven by advertising.

Oh, there are indeed a lot of Tony-dislikers, but mostly they keep quiet because of the fall-out and back-lash if they say anything. I've seen it many times even with a simple comment of 'not liking his suit' or something equally minor. It's a great shame, it really is. No one is perfect and do we want them to be anyway? But yes, I have noticed all those things. Plus the huge outcry and bashing when Ziva went into the gents, but nothing at all when Tony went into the ladies.

I hate all the bashing of Ziva and even more so of CdeP; she is only playing a part, after all. She acts and says her line and follows the script and does what the director wants her to do. To bash her really is so wrong.

Hmmm, but if people want to watch something, surely they watch it? Or maybe that's just me. But that might well come into it. It'll be very interesting to see the figures for the final two episodes.

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

I agree, I don't think it's just the presence of EJ and her team that had an impact. But I'm sure that played a part - given the previous weeks' figures are all down. I'm sure that has played a part. I don't like her at all and this hitting over the head every two minutes of the fact she and Tony are sleeping together is crazy. We got it instantly, why do we keep having to be reminded?

I totally agree that the P2P killer storyline would have been much, much better if it had revolved around our team. I really don't know why TPTB felt compelled to bring in other people. Ducky is my equal favourite character along with Gibbs and Tim and Jimmy are equal after that, so yes, I'm particularly peeved by these additions because when we get them it's Ducky & Jimmy then Abby then Tim who lose out. And with all the people in the finale, I reckon our lot could go on holiday together and no one would miss them *wry grin*

Yep. And it seems to be a trend, since last season the lowest episode in terms of rating was Obsession.

Indeed it was. And given the huge, huge, huge amount of publicity prior to 'One Last Score' and 'Baltimore' you really do have to ask what went wrong.

[dragonheart]

every week viewers have a decision to make:

watch NCIS or do "something else" whether that's being outside enjoying the nicer weather, studying for finals, watching a sporting event, watching another show,etc. And people have real lives, they can't watch every week, sometimes it's just not possible.

This week about 3 million viewers chose "something else" for whatever reason or combination of reasons. NCIS lost out in that decision and has been loosing for several weeks, so obviously the interest in what is going on in the show is not enough to tip the "decision" in favor of watching.

[dragonheart]

sorry, that last reply should have gone to Rigil... not sure how it ended up here - oops!

[rigil-kent.livejournal.com]

Have you seen the ratings for Swan Song? I think its a season low again ...

[dragonheart]

I saw 17.1 on another site, but I don't know if that is the offical number, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Seems when people have to choose what they will be doing Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. - NCIS or "something else" - something else seems to keep winning.

I guess whatever is going on in the show is not "must see TV", it's more like - meh! I will record it and watch it later.

It seems to me (or maybe it's because this is the first time I have been so active in the fandom, that they are promoting the heck out the show - spoilers, promos, talk show appearances, etc - everywhere you look is NCIS - has it always been this way? Is it just to gear up excitement for the finale?