Syndication ratings continue to fall

Does anyone watch syndicated dramas any more? Though it was a prime place for genre shows to air and grab big, nation-wide audiences in the 1980s and 90s (when series such as Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine pulled in big numbers, and for some time even aired in primetime), the U.S. syndication market is no longer what it was.

With broadcast networks and cable stations suffering significant ratings hits from DVR (digital video recorder) bleed-off this season, it should be no surprise that the syndication market is by no means immune. Stargate SG-1 (Season Ten) and Stargate Atlantis (Season Three) premiered in syndication last month with paltry 0.9 and 0.7 ratings, respectively.

Now the news is in for the second week of syndication episodes, and the numbers have continued to fall.

SG-1‘s “Morpheus” earned a 0.8 rating in syndication for the week of September 24. The Stargate Atlantis episode “Misbegotten” picked up a 0.5 rating, both new lows for the shows.

Other genre shows in syndication included Star Trek (Remastered), which earned a 0.9 rating. USA’s The Dead Zone has also joined the syndication field, this week earning a 0.8 rating.

In addition to ways in which DVRs have changed the way people watch television, viewers have also continued to move to watching their favorite shows on cable, DVD, or the Internet, rather than catching those mid-afternoon or late-night weekend reruns.

The top science fiction and fantasy genre ratings are published each Wednesday at SciFi Wire. GateWorld will continue to track syndication ratings in the Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis episode guides, but will no longer publish news items on syndication ratings.