XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX MON APRIL 21, 2003 09:03:36 ET XXXXX
SARANDON MOVIE ON CBS FINISHES LAST PLACE IN OVERNIGHTS
Outspoken anti-war activist Susan Sarandon hit severe ratings turbulence on CBS Sunday night with her original telefilm ICE BOUND -- landing last in overnight ratings and losing nearly 40% of audience levels from the previous Sunday on CBS.
ICE pulled a frosty 5.5 rating/9 share in NIELSEN's 55 overnight markets.
But it was in New York City where Sarandon hit complete bottom.
At 9 PM in Gotham, Sarandon trailed even the WB network's BLACK SASH [3.5/5], with a 3.4 rating/5 share -- the lowest seen for CBS on Sunday night in recent memory.
It is not clear if it was ICE's subject matter -- a woman suffering from breast cancer in the South Pole -- or if it was viewership rejection of Sarandon that resulted in the startling ratings crash.
CBS finished first in its 7 PM slot with 60 MINS [7.5/14].
A rerun of NBC's LAW AND ORDER [10.2/16] took top honors at 9 PM; ABC's holiday airing of TEN COMMANDMENTS [8.9/14] won 10 PM.
"Sure, [ICE BOUND] was a disappointment in the ratings," a CBS source said Monday from New York. "But Susan's acting was terrific and we are very proud to have aired the movie."
Total audience levels, despite the holiday, were nearly identical to the previous week, research shows.