or


[02/20/20 - 08:15 AM]
Wednesday's Broadcast Ratings: NBC Tops Viewers; FOX Holds Onto Demo Crown
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

Primetime Preliminary Fast National Nielsen Data
(includes all DVR playback through 3:00 am)

Here are the highlights of the 14 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (2/19/20):

[Note: Fast affiliate ratings are inaccurate for live events.]

FOX (5.056 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.5, #1) was still the demo champ on Wednesday with fresh installments of "The Masked Singer" (7.017 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.9, #1) and "LEGO Masters" (3.096 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 1.0, #4).

A close second went to NBC (8.442 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.4, #2) with a repeat "Chicago Med" (5.311 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T5) followed by the "Democratic Candidates Debate" (10.007 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.8, #2).

Next up was CBS (5.985 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.0, #3) with a new "Survivor: Winners at War" (7.163 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.4, #3), the penultimate "Criminal Minds" (5.447 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T5) and the final "Criminal Minds" (5.346 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T5).

Meanwhile, ABC (2.807 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #4) offered up originals from "The Goldbergs" (3.970 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T5), "Schooled" (2.927 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T10), "Modern Family" (3.260 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.7, #9), "Single Parents" (2.229 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T10) and "Stumptown" (2.228 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.4, #12).

And finally, The CW (0.760 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) closed out the night with "Howie Mandel's 5th Annual All-Star Comedy Gala" (0.826 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.2, #13) and a repeat of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (0.563 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.1, #14).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+33.33% - Criminal Minds - 9:00 (vs. 2/5/20)
+33.33% - Criminal Minds - 10:00
+7.69% - Survivor: Winners at War
+5.56% - The Masked Singer
0.00% - The Goldbergs
0.00% - Single Parents
0.00% - Stumptown
-14.29% - Schooled
-16.67% - LEGO Masters
-22.22% - Modern Family

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+72.73% - The Masked Singer (vs. Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back)
+33.33% - Criminal Minds - 10:00 (vs. The World's Best)
+17.65% - Howie Mandel's 5th Annual All-Star Comedy Gala (vs. Riverdale/All American (Repeats))
+14.29% - Criminal Minds - 9:00 (vs. The World's Best)
-12.50% - Survivor: Winners at War
-14.29% - Single Parents
-20.00% - Stumptown (vs. Match Game)
-27.27% - The Goldbergs
-33.33% - Schooled
-36.36% - Modern Family
-61.54% - LEGO Masters (vs. The Masked Singer)


Here are the highlights of the 15 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (2/20/19):

FOX (5.896 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.9, #1) continued its demo reign on Wednesday thanks to fresh installments from "Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back" (3.568 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T6) and "The Masked Singer" (8.224 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 2.6, #1).

NBC (9.067 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.3, #2) then was the most-watched broadcaster with its trio of "Chicago Med" (9.076 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.3, #T4), "Chicago Fire" (9.038 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.3, #T4) and "Chicago PD" (9.087 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.4, #3).

Next up was CBS (5.085 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.0, #3) and the premiere of "Survivor: Edge of Extinction" (7.756 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.6, #2) followed by "The World's Best" (4.023 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T10) and a second "The World's Best" (3.475 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.6, #12).

Meanwhile, ABC (3.334 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.8, #4) offered up originals from "The Goldbergs" (4.987 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T6), "Schooled" (3.813 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.9, #9), "Modern Family" (4.416 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T6), "Single Parents" (2.723 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T10) and "Match Game" (2.031 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.5, #13).

And finally, The CW (0.606 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.2, #5) closed out the evening with repeats of "Riverdale" (0.730 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.2, #14) and "All American" (0.483 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.1, #15).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+27.27% - Chicago PD
+16.67% - Single Parents
+12.50% - Schooled
+10.00% - Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back
+8.33% - The Masked Singer
+8.33% - Chicago Fire
0.00% - Chicago Med
0.00% - The Goldbergs
0.00% - Match Game
-8.33% - Modern Family (vs. 1/30/19)
-22.22% - The World's Best

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+271.43% - The Masked Singer (vs. 9-1-1 (Repeat))
+120.00% - Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back (vs. The Resident (Repeat))
+83.33% - Modern Family (vs. Modern Family (Repeat))
+50.00% - Schooled (vs. Speechless (Repeat))
+40.00% - Single Parents (vs. American Housewife (Repeat))
+37.50% - The Goldbergs (vs. The Goldbergs (Repeat))
+25.00% - Match Game
+14.29% - Survivor: Edge of Extinction (vs. Celebrity Big Brother)
-22.22% - The World's Best - 9:00 (vs. The Amazing Race 30)
-25.00% - The World's Best - 10:00 (vs. The Amazing Race 30)
-57.58% - Chicago PD (vs. 2018 Winter Olympics)
-60.61% - Chicago Fire (vs. 2018 Winter Olympics)
-60.61% - Chicago Med (vs. 2018 Winter Olympics)

In late-night metered market ratings (via NBC's press release):

· In Nielsen's 56 metered markets, household results were: "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," 2.0/6; "Late Show with Stephen Colbert," 2.7/8; and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 1.3/4 with an encore.

· In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, adult 18-49 results were: "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," 0.5/3; "Late Show," 0.5/3; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 0.4/2 with an encore.

· From 12:35-1:05 a.m. ET, ABC's "Nightline" averaged a 1.0/3 in metered-market households and a 0.2/2 in 18-49 in the Local People Meters.

· From 12:35-1:35 a.m. ET, ratings were: "Late Night with Seth Meyers," 1.2/5 in metered-market households; CBS's "Late Late Show," 1.2/5. In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, averages were: "Late Night," 0.3/3 in 18-49; "Late Late Show," 0.3/3.

· At 1:35 a.m., "Last Call with Carson Daly" averaged a 0.7/3 in metered-market households and a 0.2/3 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [may 2026]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





most recent ratings | view all posts
[05/21/26 - 02:32 PM]
ESPN Delivered Most-Watched NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 Since 2018
The New York Knicks overtime victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 19 generated an average audience of 7.1 million viewers and peaked with 8.87 million viewers at 10:45 p.m. ET.

[05/21/26 - 02:00 PM]
"Survivor" Historic 50th Season Concludes with Most-Watched Finale Since 2020
The season finale drew an average of 5.78 million viewers, based on Nielsen Preliminary panel only data.

[05/21/26 - 07:01 AM]
NBC Sports' 2026 SuperMotocross Coverage Delivers Viewership Gains and Milestones
The seven races featured on NBC and Peacock averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 468,000 viewers on NBC and Peacock, up 8% vs. 2025.

[05/20/26 - 03:05 PM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver the Most-Watched Western Conference Finals Game 1 Ever for Monday's Spurs-Thunder Double Overtime Thriller
Coverage peaked with 12.0 million viewers from 11:30-11:43 p.m. ET for the second overtime and game's conclusion.

[05/20/26 - 03:04 PM]
ESPN Aired Its Most Viewed 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round of the Current Rights Deal
Collectively all 11 Second Round games, with nine airing on ESPN and two on ABC, delivered 2.2 million viewers, up 76% year-over-year.

[05/20/26 - 07:36 AM]
After Record-Setting 2025 Season, "Sunday Night Football" Finishes Fall-Spring TV Season as Primetime's No. 1 Show for Unprecedented 15th Consecutive Year
The series averaged 23.5 million viewers in 2025, marking the show's best-ever viewership - up nearly 1 million viewers from the prior record for the series set a decade ago (22.6 million in 2015 season) and an increase of 9% over the '24 season (21.6 million).

[05/19/26 - 02:52 PM]
Subway Series Delivers Second Most-Watched FOX Saturday Baseball Telecast of the Season
2,500,000 viewers tuned-in to the two-game slate highlighted by the Mets' 6-3 victory over the Yankees in most of the country.

[05/19/26 - 02:01 PM]
Netflix Viewership Peaks with Nearly 17 Million Global Viewers for MVP MMA's Rousey vs. Carano, Averaging 12.4 Million Viewers Across the Triple Main Event
In the US, the triple-main card averaged 9.3 million viewers, peaking at 11.6 million viewers during Rousey vs. Carano.

[05/19/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of May 11 - "The Roast of Kevin Hart" Heats Up to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
True crime audiences also streamed the second season of "Worst Ex Ever," which rose to the No. 2 spot on the English TV list with 8.1 million views.

[05/19/26 - 07:07 AM]
TNT Sports Posts Its Most-Watched NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round Ever
Thursday's Game 5 of the Montreal/Buffalo series averaged 1.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched, Second Round, Game 5 on cable ever featuring a Canadian team.

[05/18/26 - 04:03 PM]
"The Rookie" Season 8 Finale Surges to Over 9 Million Total Viewers
Setting new records with its exceptional momentum this season, "The Rookie" finale earned an all-time streaming high for the series based on views over seven days on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

[05/15/26 - 02:03 PM]
ABC News Is #1 in Total Viewers on Sunday Morning, in Late-Night and on Friday Night
"20/20" saw week-to-week increases in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, hitting 4-week highs in both measures.

[05/14/26 - 10:07 AM]
"Rooster" Capped Off a Standout First Season, Becoming HBO's Most-Watched Comedy Debut in Over 15 Years
The series is averaging 6.5 million U.S. viewers per episode, with the finale reaching 2.2 million viewers in its first three days.

[05/14/26 - 10:01 AM]
Home Run! ESPN Scores Most-Consumed College Softball Regular Season on Record
The 2026 campaign featured four of ESPN's eight most-watched regular season games of all-time and delivered a record-high 10 games with more than 500,000 viewers.

[05/13/26 - 10:30 AM]
Viewership for 2026 NBA Draft Lottery Presentation on ABC Up 23 Percent Year Over Year
ESPN's presentation of the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery on Sunday, May 10, on ABC averaged 2.3 million viewers.