The T.O. Show may not be a hit compared to the thousands of other programs on cable TV, but the show holds its own when compared to some other sports-related programs.
Through two episodes, The T.O. Show is averaging 1.2 million viewers on VH1. The second episode drew 1.3 million viewers on July 27, up slightly from the 1.2 million viewers who watched the premiere episode a week earlier.
The July 27 episode “ranked 1,007th among all cable telecasts” for the week ending August 2, and was outdrawn in its timeslot by several cable programs — including a repeat of My Name Is Earl on TBS (1.5 million). This comes after the debut episode “wound up tied for the 798th-highest-rated cable show of the week with, among others, a 5 a.m. airing of ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ on Nick at Nite.”
The lack of ratings success has opened the generally disliked Terrell Owens to ridicule. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Jim Rome “ripped [Owens’] unreality show in legendary fashion,” even concluding with the phrase “[s]mell ya later” — a reference to The Fresh Prince. Meanwhile, a headline on The Sporting News blared, “Terrell Owens’ Show Bombs on VH1.”
While the show is far from a ratings hit, one imagines that VH1 is not complaining. The first two episodes of The T.O. Show each ranked as the net’s third-most viewed program of the week.
Additionally, if the viewership for The T.O. Show makes it a ratings bomb, what does that say about sporting events that draw similar numbers? The debut episode of The T.O. Show drew 1.2 million viewers — tying both a Cubs/Phillies game on ESPN the same night and a Red Sox/Rangers game on the net two nights later. The July 27 episode even finished “slightly ahead of Golf Channel’s final-round coverage of the Buick Open.”
In a given season, several Major League Baseball, NBA and college basketball regular season games put up the same or worse numbers on cable than The T.O. Show.
So even though Owens’ show is not doing particularly well, it hardly classifies as a bomb. If one is looking for a ratings bomb, look no further than Rick Reilly‘s ESPN show Homecoming, which averaged just 374,000 viewers through six Thursday night episodes — fewer viewers than the MLS All-Star Game drew on ESPN2.
Source: Sports Business Daily
