Joey loses 1m viewers for Five on second episode

by Sam Matthews, Brand Republic 21-Feb-05, 13:45

LONDON - Five comedy series 'Joey' lost more than a million viewers last night, pulling in 2.9m or an 11% share, compared with a record 4.3m for last week's debut show.

The sitcom, which sees Matt Le Blanc reprise his dim-witted, but loveable 'Friends' character Joey Tribiani, premiered on Five last Sunday with the channel's highest ever ratings for a non-movie or sporting event, with a peak of 4.3m viewers and average of 4.1m.

'Joey' was followed by the Charlie Sheen-fronted comedy 'Two and a Half Men' at 8.30pm, which was bought by Five as part of the £10m deal with Warner Bros Television. It managed an average of 2.2m or 8.3%.

In the US, 'Two and a Half Men' has scored well in ratings as Sheen plays opposite his uptight brother, played by Jon Cryer, best known for his turn in 1986 cult movie 'Pretty In Pink'.

Five usually pulls in an average of just more than 1m viewers. For big US imports like 'CSI: Miami', the channel can bring in up to 3.6m viewers.

'Joey' became the first new US sitcom to receive a full-season order after averaging 16.4m viewers for its initial three episodes on Thursday nights, following its September 9 debut on NBC.

In the US, 'Joey' appears to have settled into a less-than-impressive ratings performance with around 11m viewers or 8% of the total viewing share. By comparison, this is less than half the average 'Friends' ratings level over its 10 very successful seasons.

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