By Michael Schneider
Executive Editor
“Entertainment Tonight” is widening its lead as the No. 1 syndicated newsmagazine, averaging 2.99 million viewers during the week of Oct. 5, according to Nielsen live+same-day ratings.
That week was significant to the CBS Media Ventures-produced and distributed “Entertainment Tonight,” as it coincided with the CBS network’s primetime premiere week, which was up 9% vs. CBS premiere week in 2025.
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Meanwhile, “Entertainment Tonight” is also enjoying double-digit year-to-year growth for the first month of the TV season (from Sept. 28 to Oct. 25) in major demos. CBS Media Ventures hasn’t done the analysis, but the bump does coincide with the end of rival syndicated entertainment newsmag “Access Hollywood,” which ended its run on Sept. 11 after 30 seasons (and after NBCUniversal eliminated its first-run syndication division).
Whatever the reason, for the first month of the season in Nielsen live+same day, “Entertainment Tonight” Season 46 averaged 2.88 million viewers, up 8% from last year (2.67 million), as well as a 0.27 rating with adults 18-49, up 37% from last year (0.20). In adults 25-54, the show was up 23% (from 0.32 to 0.39 rating).
And in key women demos, the jumps were also huge: In women 25-54, the rating was 0.47 (up 32% from 0.36), and in women 18-49, the rating was 0.30, up 38% from 0.22.
“Forty-six seasons in, this team still asks one question every day: Why watch us tonight? The answer is access no one else can get and a half-hour that moves,” said “Entertainment Tonight” exec producer Erin Johnson. “Watching a new generation of viewers find us is exciting.”
The ratings bumps come as “Entertainment Tonight” just won its eighth consecutive Daytime Emmy for outstanding entertainment news series. The show has won 11 overall in the category.
“ET” is co-hosted by Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner. Correspondents are Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo and Emily Curl. Working with exec producer Johnson are Whitney Wallace and Leslie Kawaguchi, who serve as co-executive producers.
The Business of Entertainment
