Wheel & Jeopardy fall to Spanish language novela.

In a shocking ratings upset, the ever-redoubtable game shows “Jeopardy” and “Wheel of Fortune” seen on New York’s WABC-TV Channel 7 from 7 pm to 8 pm, have fallen to a Spanish-language novela in two key adult audience groups for the first time ever – regardless of the language preference of the viewer.

on Tuesday, April 25, 2006, “Jeopardy” and “Wheel” lost New York’s ratings race among both viewers aged 18 to 49 and 25 to 54 to Univision’s novela, “Peregrina,” seen locally on Univision 41 (WXTV) according to Nielsen Station Index (NSI) Local People Meter (LPM) overnight ratings.

A whopping 238,000 New York area TV viewers aged 18 to 49 tuned into WXTV, New York’s premier Spanish-language TV station, to watch “Peregrina” according to Nielsen. That soundly beat the 190,000 who tuned to WABC-TV to see “Jeopardy” and “Wheel.” Among those aged 25 to 54, an even more impressive 258,000 tuned to “Peregrina” on WXTV. That beat the 208,000 who tuned to “Jeopardy” and “Wheel” on WABC-TV.

The unprecedented Univision win is all the more impressive since “Jeopardy” and “Wheel” traditionally win every key audience group between 7 pm and 8 pm weekdays in New York for WABC-TV.