Ratings Box: What's Hot/What's Not (Mediaweek.com)

Season No. 2 of Lifetime drama Army Wives premiered on Sunday, June 8 at 10 p.m. ET as the most-watched and highest-rated original series in Lifetime's 24-year history in households (3.7 rating), total viewers (4.5 million), women 18-49 (1.96 million), women 25-54 (1.97 million) and women 18-34 (805,420). Comparably, Army Wives increased by as much as 67 percent among women 18-49 from it's year-ago debut.

-Game Two of The NBA Finals Dominates Sunday
Game two of the NBA Finals on ABC won Sunday, June 8 with ease in total viewers and all key demos. The Celtics versus Lakers match-up averaged 13.5 million viewers, with a 5.5 rating in both adults 18-49 and adults 25-54, and a 5.8 rating among adults 25-54. Comparably, this was an increase over the second game of the NBA Finals on June 10, 2007 (Viewers: 8.6 million; A18-49: 3.4/10) of a hefty 4.5 million viewers and as much as 62 percent among adults 18-49 .

-Robust Law & Order: Criminal Intent on USA:
The seventh season-premiere of Law & Order: Criminal Intent (and second on USA) built by 14 percent in household rating (3.54), 21 percent in total viewers (4.53 million), four percent among adults 18-49 (1.76), and 10 percent among adults 25-54 (2.10 million) over it's year-ago season-opener on the cable net. Comparably, Law & Order: Criminal Intent's performance among adults 25-54 was the best on USA since Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl on April 1, 2007.

-Season Two of Ice Road Truckers Off and Running on History Channel:
The return of History Channel's Ice Road Truckers on Sunday, June 8 at 9 p.m. ET rose to the cable net's best-ever season-launch in total viewers (3.9 million: +15 percent from its season one debut), adults 18-49 (2.3 million: +28 percent) and adults 25-54 (2.3 million: +15 percent).

-Speaking of History Channelê
Also on Sunday, June 8 was the season-finale of Ax Men at 10 p.m. ET at an above average 2.4 million total viewers (+26 percent from its season one average), 1.6 million adults 18-49 (+45 percent) and 1.5 million adults 25-54 (+25 percent).

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

-- Marc Berman

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