Nickelodeon's 'iCarly' bests Lakers-Rockets NBA playoff game in Nielsens

By Richard Huff
DAILY NEWS TV EDITOR - 5/13/2009

Nickelodeon's Miranda Cosgrove stuffed Kobe Bryant this month.

Well, not on the court, but in the Nielsen department.

Cosgrove's series "iCarly" was the top-rated show of any kind on basic cable last week. At No. 2: TNT's telecast on Wednesday of the Bryant-led Lakers versus the Houston Rockets in the NBA playoffs.

Saturday's "iCarly," with a one-hour special episode, "I Date a Bad Boy," generated 6.5 million viewers, while the Lakers-Rockets game averaged 6.3 million.

The Nickelodeon series stars Cosgrove as a teenager who has a show on the Internet.

"You know your series is a monster hit when you get to beat an NBA playoff," said Marjorie Cohn, executive vice president of original programming and development at Nickelodeon. "This is a smart show with a lot of social currency."

Saturday marked the second time in two months that "iCarly" was the most-watched show on basic cable. The last time it happened was March.

The special focused on Carly, who is normally a good egg, going against her friends and dating a guy labeled a bad boy, only to find out he wasn't so bad.

"I think what kids like to see is real-life situations played out against a little bit of fantasy," Cohn said. "They use these shows as a social currency. What happens if you like a bad boy' And it's played out in a safe environment."

The episode generated "iCarly's" best audience levels with tweens - viewers aged 9 to 14 - ever, according to Nielsen statistics provided by Nickelodeon. The show was also up by triple digits in several demographic breakdowns.

"Nickelodeon has a tradition of funny, smart, strong girl characters that boys can watch, too," Cohn said.

For the year to date, "iCarly" is the top live-action kids' series on either broadcast TV or basic cable with viewers ages 2 to 11, ages 6 to 11 and overall,according to Nielsen.

Even so, Cosgrove isn't a household name along the lines of some other stars targeting kids.

"I think Miranda will probably one day be on everything," Cohn said, adding that the actress is pacing her career. "We think Miranda has a brilliant and bright future."

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