Controversial ‘Gossip Girl’ Promos Pay Off
Despite being the darling of Gawker and other gossip blogs last season, the CW’s “Gossip Girl” had never garnered huge ratings during its first season. But the CW worked a promotional campaign in past weeks that not only steamed up screens with sexy previews for the new season (set at a NYC prep school, natch) but also used negative publicity to trumpet the show as scandalous.
Both strategies proved to invite more criticism, because would the parents of the teens who mirror the kids at the fictitious NYC prep school be so thrilled to watch it with them? However, all publicity is good publicity on some level when you’re looking to attract eyeballs. And if you’re looking for a young demo that’s watching from college or their own apartments, you want to make them feel rebellious on some level.
So for the first ep of the first week of the new series, it worked. The CW couldn’t be happier to announce Tuesday that “Gossip Girl” turned in its second biggest ratings ever, and their best in the demos for adults 18-34 (2.3/7), women 18-34 (3.2/10), adults 18-49 (1.7/5), and women 18-49 (2.3/6), according to preliminary Nielsen data. It was up six percent from last year in the 18-49 demo and 10 percent in the WB’s key 18-34 demo.
But will what went up go down when the shocking promos give away to a consistent weekly plotline? Especially when it is paired with an relatively ancient show in “One Tree Hill” (which reaped the benefits this week with a 10 percent increase from last season’s premiere in both adult demos and women 18-49) and on the same net as newcomer “90210″ (which has also counted upon both nostalgia and shock value to bring in viewers tonight) against more than “Two and A Half Men” repeats and “High School Musical: Get In the Picture”?
Time will tell, as will the launch of the big three’s new seasons in 20 days. And the cast of “Prison Break”, which lost big for their premiere last night, should be getting nervous.
(FYI: If you missed the premiere for whatever reason, catch up on highlights at Gossip Girl Report.)
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