Ellen DeGeneres Is Now A Reality TV Titan, Producing The Year’s Biggest New Unscripted Hit — Ratings Watch

Ellen DeGeneres has done it again. The star’s new NBC unscripted series “Ellen’s Game of Games” has become the biggest alternative series launch during the regular season in two years, since the premiere of the Peacock’s “Little Big Shots” — which DeGeneres also executive produces.

“Ellen’s Game of Games” features host DeGeneres (who executive producers through her A Very Good Television Production shingle) as she puts contestants through a wide variety of stunts, quizzes and games as first seen on her daytime talk show. “Game of Games” premiered on Jan. 2 with back-to-back episodes that averaged a strong 2.5 rating and 2.7 rating. The show was almost immediately renewed for a second season based on those numbers. Serving as the Tuesday night lead-in to “This Is Us,” the show has also benefited a bit from that hit’s halo.

“Ellen’s enthusiasm and energy is utterly infectious,” NBC Entertainment alternative president Paul Telegdy said when he renewed the show last month. “It’s been exciting to watch her antics supersized on a primetime stage.”

Hosted by Steve Harvey, “Little Big Shots” was an even bigger phenomenon when it premiered in 2016, and spawned the spinoff “Little Big Shots: Forever Young.” Like “Game of Games,” “Little Big Shots” was inspired by a segment on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” — in that case, one where she features child performers.

Besides those two unscripted shows, DeGeneres is also an executive producer on ABC’s new comedy “Splitting Up Together” and Netflix’s animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ “Green Eggs and Ham.”

Meanwhile, the biggest story of the week, of course, was the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, which led the week’s ratings charts even though it didn’t start until last Thursday. The Opening Ceremonies averaged 29.2 million viewers on linear TV — making it the most-watched Friday night in four years, according to NBC, besting four World Series games, two NBA Finals games and all three Fridays of the Rio Olympics.

In cable, Atlanta ruled: Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Atlanta” was the top-rated program of the week (1.4 rating). And according to Xfinity, “This Is Us” continues as the most-watched show on demand.

Here are this week’s rankers:

Adults 18-49 ranker, week ending Feb. 11, 2018:

Chloe Kim wins the Gold Medal

FAZRY ISMAIL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Total viewers ranker, week ending Feb. 11, 2018:

Mandy Moore, “This Is Us”

Ron Batzdorff/NBC

Here is this week’s Xfinity On Demand ranker:

Top 20 TV Series, Feb. 5-11, 2018:

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