TORONTO – Music reality shows are facing off all summer long and two press releases sent Wednesday (received by Cartt.ca within a half hour of each other) each claim its network won Tuesday night.
While two can declare wins, it’s pretty easy to see who lost.
"For the second consecutive week, Canadian Idol remains the Tuesday night champ, pushing aside all the competition and notably, its much-hyped American simulcast competitors Rock Star: Supernova and The One: Making a Music Star," crows the CTV press release.
Then again: "GLOBAL TELEVISION WINS THE NIGHT. ‘Idol’ AND ‘The One’ can’t get no satisfaction…" verily shouts the CanWest Global press release.
Taking the top-line number, the all-in total viewer count, CTV’s Canadian Idol can claim superiority with 1.65 million viewers.
Global’s Rock Star: Supernova had a very respectable 1.2 million viewers, but the network release insisted it was "the #1 program nationally among adults 18-49 AND adults 25-54. Across the country, in the A18-49 demo, ‘Rock Star’ topped CTV’s Idol by 40%," says the Global release. It was also the top show in Toronto and Vancouver, said the company.
Too bad CanWest didn’t break out the numbers for each demo though. That would have more telling.
Both releases, however, took special glee at targeting the ABC simulcast which CBC is carrying, called The One (hosted by Ceeb broadcaster George Stroumboulopoulos), which has so far been a dismal ratings failure on both sides of the border.
CTV noted that Idol surpassed "The One (ABC/CBC at 150,000) by one thousand per cent — or 11 times its audience."
"In the A18-49 demo, ‘Rock Star’ topped… CBC’s The One by 481% – AND – in the A25-54 demo (it) bested Idol by 21% and an astonishing 584% over The One," gloats the Global release.
The One’s 150,000 viewers is less than what The National draws – the program regularly in the timeslot – which is something sure to re-rouse all the critics.
– Greg O’Brien
