BREATHLESS coverage of the death of Anna Nicole Smith boosted the ratings of celebrity newsmagazines like “Access Hollywood” and “Entertainment Tonight” last Thursday and Friday.

Syndicated celebrity mags watched their ratings increase about 16 percent, before returning to slightly better than normal averages over the weekend.

The biggest bump from last week’s coverage, about a 25 percent increase, went to “Entertainment Tonight” followed by “The Insider,” which posted a 19 percent increase, and “Access Hollywood” (13 percent), according to early Nielsen estimates. The in-depth coverage continued throughout the mag shows’ weekend editions as correspondents converged in Florida and Smith’s temporary home in the Bahamas to cover the story with the kind of doggedness typically displayed by reporters covering a hurricane.