Las Vegas Weekly

March 9, 2009 · 4:50 PM

Ratings for 20/20 Siegfried & Roy special are magical

By Robin Leach

Siegfried & Roy reunited with the big cat Montecore.

Photo: Curtis Dahl Photography

For ABC, last Friday’s 20/20 broadcast about Siegfried & Roy’s final reunion performance was magical. In initial overnight ratings, the hourlong special sent the network to No. 1 with a 2.8 rating with viewers ages 25 to 54 -- and gave ABC its highest rating for the time period in that demographic since December 2007.

Additionally, in the 18 to 49 viewer demographic, Siegfried & Roy gave the network a first-place tie with CBS’s Flashpoint with a 2.0 Nielsen overnight rating.

It all translates to nearly 6 million viewers watching the illusionists’ farewell performance and their support for the new downtown medical complex housing the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Brain Institute.

These rating numbers reflect “live day and date” viewing, and recorded viewing via DVR or TiVo watched during the week following the recording won’t be tallied for several weeks -- that represents 28 percent of the Nielsen households.

For the record, CBS was first for the night with a 6.5 average, and ABC was second at 4.5, ahead of NBC, Fox, Univision and the CW.

One knowledgeable TV industry ratings expert told me: “These were great numbers for the second-lowest viewing night of the week. Siegfried & Roy made magic for ABC, particularly its news division. Yes, you could say they got a ratings roar!”

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