Are viewers taking a bite out of crime ratings?

CBS still has some of the most watched shows on television, but some Wall Street analyst are beginning to worry about whether the crime drama genre is running out of steam. Ratings in the big bucks 18-49 demo have fallen in this still-young season for the Eye net. "Ratings continue to be weaker than expectations due to weak performance of several key returning shows (i.e., CSI – the overall crime genre is beginning to show signs of weakness) and a lack of a new hit among CBS’ new crop of shows," said Bank of America analyst Jonathan Jacoby on Friday in a note to clients. "Network ratings remain an issue. Through the first four weeks of the 2007-2008 broadcast season, CBS’s Live+Same Day 18-49 program ratings are down 10%. And on average, through the first 3 weeks, 2007-2008 C3 ratings relative to 2006-2007 program ratings are down about 8%. It is early, but we will continue to monitor CBS’s progress," wrote Bear Stearns analyst Victor Miller in his own note to clients. Here are the comparable Nielsen ratings though the first five weeks of the 2007-2008 and 2006-2007 TV seasons.