Women's World Cup continues to take toll

Summer officially got underway in session ended June 30, assuring that syndies would stay slow in the face of soccer finals and the oncoming long July 4 weekend.

Many strips were partially or completely in reruns or repackaged and programs were blitzed by the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 which aired on Fox June 27 and 28 and on cable June 24 and 25.

Magazines were the only first-run genre in which the top three shows did not decline. In fact, most of the magazines managed to hold their ground.

CTD’s Inside Edition led, adding 4% from the prior session to a 2.7 live plus same day household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research. Close behind, sister show Entertainment Tonight remained at a 2.5. NBCUniversal’s Access held steady at a 1.1, tying Warner Bros.’ TMZ, which was unchanged. Warner Bros.’ Extra gave back 10% to a 0.9, tying CTD’s steady DailyMailTV.

Twentieth’s Page Six TV, which will end its two-year run after this season, was on par with its prior week’s 0.5. Trifecta’s Celebrity Page seesawed back up 50% to a 0.3 from a 0.2 in the prior week.

Elsewhere in access, Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud led the games and everything else for a third straight week even though the Steve Harvey-led game dipped 3% to a 6.1. CTD’s James Holzhauer-less Jeopardy! headed south for the fourth straight week, dipping 2% to a 5.6. Holzhauer and the woman who defeated him, Emma Boettcher, will both be back on the show for the annual Tournament of Champions in early November.

Related: Holzhauer, Boettcher Returning to 'Jeopardy!' With Tournament of Champions

CTD’s Wheel of Fortune deflated 5% to a 5.2. Disney’s Who Wants to be a Millionaire was flat at its season-low 1.5 for a fifth consecutive week. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask stayed at a 0.5 for the 16th straight week.

Disney’s viral video show RightThisMinute remained at a 1.2 for a second go-round.

In daytime, which saw many shows bounced around by soccer, CTD’s Judge Judy led the courts for the 1,188th week in a row, despite being in repeats on two of the five days and dipping 3% to a 5.9.

CTD’s Hot Bench, which also was in repeats on two days, gave back 5% to a new season-low 2.0 but was still up 11% from last year at this time and ranked as daytime’s third highest-rated show behind only Judy and CTD’s talk topper Dr. Phil.

Warner Bros.’ People’s Court receded 8% to a 1.2, while Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis maintained a 0.9 for a second straight week. Twentieth’s Divorce Court rebounded 20% to a 0.6.

Elsewhere, Dr. Phil aired encore episodes on all five days, declining 4% to a 2.3, but still led the talkers for the 147th week in a row with five ties. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Phil led with a 0.9.

Back in households, Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan in the first half of a two-week hiatus ebbed 10% to a new season-low 1.9 with one pre-taped and four repackaged shows. Still, Live managed to snare second place in talk for the 18th straight week.

Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres, which aired best-of clips shows during the week, sagged 6% to a new season-low 1.6.

NBCU’s Maury stayed at its season low 1.2 for a fourth straight week, while its Steve, starring Steve Harvey, stayed at a 1.0, and its Steve WIlkos weakened 10% to a 0.9. That tied CTD’s Rachael Ray, which remained at a 0.9; retitled repeats of Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams World Cup that recovered 13% for the week; and Sony Pictures Television’s Dr Oz, which recovered 13% from its series low.

Warner Bros.’ The Real registered its series-low 0.5 for a fourth straight week, tying CTD’s The Doctors, which operated at a series low 0.5 for the seventh week in a row. Disney’s Pickler & Ben posted a 0.4 for the 23rd consecutive week, tying syndicated repeats of NBCU’s out-of-production Jerry Springer, which sported a 0.4 for the 42nd straight week.

Among the rookies, CTD’s canceled Face the Truth saw a flat 0.6, while Debmar-Mercury’s renewed Caught in Providence held steady at a 0.5.

On the true-crime docket, Dateline declined 15% to a 1.1, tying SPT’s off-A&E Live PD Police Patrol, which spiked 10%. Off-Investigation Discovery’s True Crime Files revealed an unchanged 0.3. The sole scripted hour-long strip in syndication, NBCU’s off-net police procedural newcomer Chicago PD, jumped 11% to a 0.9. 

Warner Bros.’ leader The Big Bang Theory downticked 2% to a 4.0 to lead the off-net sitcoms. Twentieth’s Last Man Standing and Modern Family both were flat at a 2.2 and 1.7, respectively. Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men moved up 8% to a 1.4. SPT’s The Goldbergs remained at a 1.3. Twentieth’s Family Guy eroded 8% to a 1.2. Disney’s Black-ish bounded ahead 10% to a 1.1. SPT’s Seinfeld stayed at a 1.0, tying Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly, which ricocheted up 11% from a series low. Warner Bros.’ 2 Broke Girls and Mom both stood pat at a 0.9.