TLC Reels In Cable Record Audience For Miss America Pageant
Ratings 18% Higher Than For Same Event On CMT
By R. Thomas Umstead -- Multichannel News, 1/29/2008 2:25:00 PM
Discovery Communications-owned TLC’s Jan. 26 live telecast of the Miss America pageant was crowned the most watched on cable, drawing 3.6 million viewers.
The Miss America Live! show, in which Miss Michigan Kirsten Haglund took home the 
87-year old pageant’s coveted title, performed 52 percent higher than the 2.3 million viewers who tune into last year’s pageant telecast on Viacom-owned, country music-based CMT and 18 percent higher than the 3.0 million viewers CMT drew in 2006.
TLC acquired the pageant’s TV rights this past August after CMT declined to exercise a distribution option for the 2008 event. CMT in 2006 was the first cable network to air the pageant after a five decade run on broadcast television.
The telecast also ranked first among basic cable networks for the evening among 18-34 year old viewers (1.2 million). In addition, the median age of viewers for the telecast was 37, nearly seven years younger than the 2007 show and 14 years younger than in 2006.
TLC’s reality series Miss America Reality Check averaged 1 million viewers for its four-episode run, including 1.06 million viewers for its Jan. 25 finale. The series took a behind the scenes look at the Miss America contestants.
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After watching TLC's "Reality Check" show, I was actually pretty excited to watch the Miss America pageant this year. (I don't normally watch it anymore.) I thought that Miss Indiana and Miss Washington were much more interesting and appealing than the generic Miss Michigan. (Singing "Over the Rainbow" for her talent--How many people have done that in the past?? BORING!)
"Reality Check" had a great focus on changing the system and revamping the tired old Miss America title, but then the national pageant just couldn't get out of its own rut. I'll consider watching again when they're actually going to make some change.
Christine Harrison - 2/4/2008 4:12:00 AM EST -
The format for the final, particularly the tasteless way girls were eliminated, was de classe'. Awful.
The 2 male hosts bumbled and stumbled throughout.
The questions section which required girls to raise their hands(?) to answer-idiotic. Just as in the case of CMT, this show next year on TLC will tank.
network - 1/30/2008 9:14:00 AM EST
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