‘Wheel’ & ‘Jeopardy’ Fall to Spanish-Language Novela in NY TV Ratings Shift.

In a major shift in New York TV viewing, perennial prime-time access winners “Jeopardy” and “Wheel of Fortune” have lost the weekly ratings race to a Spanish-language telenovela for the first time ever. According to Nielsen Station Index (NSI) Local People Meter (LPM) overnight ratings for the week of January 9 through 13, 2006, “Piel de Otoño,” a telenovela seen weekdays from 7 pm to 8 pm on Univision 41 (WXTV), New York’s premier Spanish-language TV station, won the ratings race in the key audience category, adults aged 18 to 49. “Piel de Otoño” was watched by an average of 206,000 New York TV viewers aged 18 to 49 each day, topping the 201,000 who tuned into WABC-TV Channel 7 for “Jeopardy” and “Wheel of Fortune.”

The weekly victory for “Piel de Otoño” highlights a developing trend in Gotham TV viewing. Univision’s Spanish-language telenovela has beaten the formidable game show pair on no fewer than five individual days beginning on December 29, 2005 among New York viewers aged 18 to 49.

In more ratings news, Univision 41’s “Noticias Univision 41” (Univision 41 News) with anchors Rafael Piñeda and Denisse Oller was the most watched 6 pm news program in New York last night (Tuesday, January 17) among key audience categories: viewers aged 18 to 49, and 25 to 54. “Noticias Univision 41” was seen by 199,000 viewers aged 18 to 49 and by 206,000 viewers aged 25 to 54. WABC/7’s “Eyewitness News” placed second among those aged 18 to 49 and 25 to 54 in New York’s 6 pm news race with 176,000 viewers and 193,000 viewers respectively.