'Friends' no friend to 'Seinfeld' in syndication.
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Just call it perky vs. persnickety:
"Friends" overtook "Seinfeld" as the most-watched off-network syndicated show for the first time in the week ended Dec. 13.
"Friends" earned a 6.7 national Nielsen household rating, according to Nielsen's latest national ratings report, compared with "Seinfeld's" 6.5.
"Friends," in its rookie off-network season, has already surpassed three-year off-network veteran "Seinfeld" in the demographic derby, but its households win was a first, making "Friends" the third-highest-rated syndicated show for the week, behind perennial chart-toppers "Wheel of Fortune" (11.3) and "Jeopardy!" (9.4).
"Seinfeld" is still in the lead for the 1998-99 season thus far with a 6.5 household average, which marks a 13% decline from the same period last year. "Friends" clocked in with a 6.1 season-to-date household average.