By David Bauder, Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --The Hallmark Channel may have aired a movie titled “I’m Not Ready for Christmas” last week, but its viewers clearly are.
The holiday season can’t come early enough at Hallmark, where it officially began on Oct. 31. The family-friendly network devotes the final two months of the year to holiday programming, and its eager viewers made it the third most-watched cable network last week behind ESPN and Fox News Channel.
Prime-time viewership at Hallmark for the first two weeks of its holiday focus is up 89 percent over the network’s average during October, the Nielsen company said.
“I’m Not Ready for Christmas” had 3.6 million viewers for its premiere on Saturday, while Sunday’s original movie, “Christmas Inc.,” had 2.5 million, Nielsen said.
The network plans original movies for every evening of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Candace Cameron Bure, whose “Under Wraps” was the most-watched cable movie last year, is returning with the new film, “A Christmas Detour.” The holiday movies are capped with “A Christmas Melody,” a new movie starring Mariah Carey, on Dec. 19.
As anticipated, the second Democratic presidential debate had the smallest audience of any presidential contest so far this year. It was seen by 8.55 million people on CBS last Saturday night, Nielsen said. The Republican Presidential Debate was the least watched of the four GOP contests, but set a record for viewership for Fox Business Network.
CBS won the week in prime time, averaging 10.2 million viewers. NBC had 8.3 million viewers, ABC had 6.2 million, Fox had 3.6 million, Univision had 2 million, the CW had 1.6 million, Telemundo had 1.5 million and ION Television had 1.2 million.
ESPN was the most popular cable network, averaging 2.71 million viewers. Fox News Channel had 2.29 million, Hallmark had 1.78 million, USA had 1.51 million and AMC had 1.5 million.
NBC’s “Nightly News” topped the evening newscasts with an average of 9.3 million viewers, ABC’s “World News Tonight” had 8.8 million and the “CBS Evening News” had 7.8 million.
Primetime viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for Nov. 9-15. Listings include the week’s ranking and viewership.
1. NFL Football: Arizona at Seattle, NBC, 19.39 million.
2. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 18.13 million.
3. “NCIS,” CBS, 16.68 million.
4. “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS, 14.92 million.
5. “Sunday Night NFL Pregame,” NBC, 13.94 million.
6. Republican Presidential Debate, Fox Business, 13.5 million.
7. “The Walking Dead,” AMC, 12.87 million.
8. “Dancing With the Stars,” ABC, 12.63 million.
9. “NCIS: New Orleans,” CBS, 12.39 million.
10. “The Voice” (Monday), NBC, 12.02 million.
11. NFL Football: Chicago at San Diego, ESPN, 11.44 million.
12. “Empire,” Fox, 11.2 million.
13. “The Voice” (Tuesday), NBC, 10.86 million.
14. “Madam Secretary,” CBS, 10.61 million.
15. “Football Night in America,” NBC, 10.34 million.
16. “Blue Bloods,” CBS, 10.33 million.
17. “The Voice” (Wednesday), NBC, 10.14 million.
18. “Scorpion,” CBS, 9.34 million.
19. “Survivor,” CBS, 9 million.
20. Democratic Presidential Debate, CBS, 8.55 million.
Oscar and Emmy-Winning Composer Kris Bowers Joins Barking Owl For Advertising, Branded Content
Music, audio post and sonic branding house Barking Owl has taken on exclusive representation of Oscar and Emmy-winning composer Kris Bowers for advertising and branded content.
Bowers’ recent film scores include The Wild Robot and Bob Marley: One Love, alongside acclaimed past works such as The Color Purple (2023), King Richard and Green Book. His contributions to television are equally impressive, with scores for hit series like Bridgerton, When They See Us, Dear White People, and his Daytime Emmy Award-winning score for The Snowy Day.
In addition to his work as a composer, Bowers is a visionary director. He recently took home the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject for his directorial work on The Last Repair Shop. The emotionally touching short film spotlights four of the people responsible for repairing the musical instruments used by students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The Last Repair Shop reflects the positive influence that musical instruments have on the youngsters who play them, and the adults in the LAUSD free repair service who keep them working and in tune.
Barking Owl CEO Kirkland Alexander Lynch said of Bowers, “His artistry, diversity of style and depth of storytelling bring an unparalleled edge to the work we create for global brands. His presence on our roster reflects our continued commitment to pushing the boundaries of sound and music in advertising.”
Johanna Cranitch, creative director, Barking Owl, added, “Kris first caught my attention when he released his record ‘Heroes + Misfits’ where he fused together his jazz sensibility with a deeply ingrained aptitude for melody, so beautifully.... Read More