or


[05/18/20 - 08:28 AM]
Sunday's Broadcast Ratings: ABC Tops Charts with "American Idol" Finale
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 17 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (5/17/20):

ABC (5.695 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.8, #1) was the network to beat on Sunday with its mix of "AFV@Home" (4.618 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T3), the season finale of "American Idol" (7.265 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.0, #2) and the special "Taylor Swift City of Lover Concert" (3.632 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T7).

FOX (2.339 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #2) was the silver draw with its lineup of "NASCAR Overrun" (5.839 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.1, #1), a repeat "Bob's Burgers" (2.277 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T5) and the season finales of "The Simpsons" (1.890 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T5), "Duncanville" (1.208 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T10), "Bob's Burgers" (1.326 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T7) and "Family Guy" (1.491 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T7).

Next up was CBS (5.102 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.5, #3) and its mix of "60 Minutes" (9.688 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T3), the feature "Mission: Impossible" (3.903 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T10) and a repeat "Man with a Plan" (1.928 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T12).

Meanwhile, NBC (2.028 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #4) offered up "Little Big Shots" (2.143 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T12), "Beverly Hills Dog Show Presented by Purina" (1.949 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T12) and "The Wall" (2.071 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T12).

And finally, closing out the night were the season finales of "Batwoman" (0.752 million viewers, #16; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T16) and "Supergirl" (0.627 million viewers, #17; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T16) on The CW (0.689 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.2, #5).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+100.00% - Supergirl
+33.33% - Duncanville
+25.00% - Bob's Burgers
+20.00% - The Simpsons
0.00% - American Idol
0.00% - 60 Minutes
0.00% - Family Guy
0.00% - Little Big Shots (vs. 5/3/20)
0.00% - Batwoman
-40.00% - The Wall (vs. 5/3/20)

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+50.00% - The Simpsons (vs. Hotel Transylvania 2 (Repeat))
+25.00% - Bob's Burgers (vs. Hotel Transylvania 2 (Repeat))
+25.00% - Family Guy (vs. Hotel Transylvania 2 (Repeat))
0.00% - Supergirl (vs. Charmed)
0.00% - Duncanville (vs. Hotel Transylvania 2 (Repeat))
0.00% - AFV@Home (vs. America's Funniest Home Videos)
-12.50% - 60 Minutes
-23.08% - American Idol
-33.33% - Batwoman (vs. Supergirl)
-40.00% - Little Big Shots (vs. Ellen's Game of Games (Repeat))
-40.00% - The Wall (vs. Good Girls)
-57.14% - Beverly Hills Dog Show Presented by Purina (vs. Dateline NBC)
-61.54% - Taylor Swift City of Lover Concert (vs. American Idol)


Here are the highlights of the 14 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (5/19/19):

ABC (7.183 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.2, #1) was the top demo draw on Sunday thanks to the season finales of "America's Funniest Home Videos" (5.608 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T3) and "American Idol" (7.708 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.3, #1).

NBC (3.425 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #2) then was the number two network with its mix of a repeat "Ellen's Game of Games" (2.624 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T5), a two-hour "Dateline NBC" (4.304 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T3) and "Good Girls" (2.466 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T5).

Next up was CBS (5.025 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.5, #3) with its finale lineup of "60 Minutes" (8.207 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.8, #2), "The Red Line" (3.658 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T9), another "The Red Line" (3.105 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T9) and "NCIS: Los Angeles" (5.130 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T5).

Meanwhile, FOX (1.117 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #4) opted for repeats of "The Simpsons" (0.839 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T9), "Family Guy" (0.869 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T9) and the feature "Hotel Transylvania 2" (1.249 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.4, #8).

And finally, The CW (0.827 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.2, #5) closed out the night with the season finales of "Supergirl" (1.054 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T9) and "Charmed" (0.600 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.2, #14).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+133.33% - Dateline NBC (vs. 2/10/19)
+25.00% - Good Girls
+18.18% - American Idol
+14.29% - 60 Minutes
0.00% - The Red Line - 9:00
0.00% - Supergirl
0.00% - Charmed
-16.67% - NCIS: Los Angeles
-25.00% - The Red Line - 8:00
-30.00% - America's Funniest Home Videos

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+21.50% - American Idol (vs. American Idol/Deception)
0.00% - 60 Minutes
-16.67% - NCIS: Los Angeles (vs. Madam Secretary)
-22.22% - America's Funniest Home Videos
-62.50% - The Red Line - 9:00 (vs. NCIS: Los Angeles)
-62.50% - The Red Line - 8:00 (vs. NCIS: Los Angeles)
-66.67% - Dateline NBC (vs. 2018 Billboard Music Awards)
-76.19% - Good Girls (vs. 2018 Billboard Music Awards)

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [august 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
[08/18/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of August 10 - "My Life with the Walter Boys" Lassos No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
"Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes" launched in the No. 2 spot on the English TV list, gathering 4.9 million views.

[08/14/26 - 01:45 PM]
ABC News Is No. 1 on Sunday Morning and Friday Night
"20/20" saw year-to-year increases in all key target demos: Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.

[08/13/26 - 03:39 PM]
ESPN Delivers Its Second Most-Watched WNBA Regular Season Game in 30 Years of Coverage!
The New York Liberty-Indiana Fever matchup averaged 2 million viewers on Tuesday, August 11.

[08/12/26 - 02:29 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Jumps to Best Audience in Three Months
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 182 consecutive weeks (more than three years) across all key measures.

[08/12/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of August 3
"Sterling Point," "Ride or Die," "Off Campus," "Reacher," and "Elle" led all original series worldwide.

[08/11/26 - 02:45 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Delivers #1 MLB Telecast of the Week on Any Network
2,223,000 viewers tuned-in to a three-game slate that featured the White Sox's 6-3 victory over the Guardians in most of the country.

[08/11/26 - 02:43 PM]
ESPN Delivers Its 2nd Most-Watched WNBA Game Ever for the Second Consecutive Week!
The Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky matchup averaged 2.6 million viewers on ABC on Saturday, August 8.

[08/11/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of August 3 - "The Last House" Invites You to Stay at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
"The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare" held the top spot on the English TV list with 10.6 million views.

[08/10/26 - 10:37 AM]
Discovery's Shark Week Delivers Best Ratings in Seven Years
Primetime telecasts averaged a 0.77 L3 rating among Adults 25-54, marking the largest year-over-year increase in 13 years and the first year of ratings growth since 2023.

[08/05/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of July 27
"Ride or Die," "Off Campus," "Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya," "Elle," and "Reacher" led all original series worldwide.

[08/05/26 - 07:03 AM]
Red Sox-Dodgers Averages 3.8 Million Viewers on NBC & Peacock, Marking First Time "Sunday Night Baseball" Has Topped 3 Million Viewers in Three Straight Games
Boston defeated Los Angeles, 8-4, this past Sunday night with a TAD of 3.8 million viewers on NBC and Peacock.

[08/04/26 - 02:59 PM]
ESPN Delivers Its Second Most-Watched Regular Season WNBA Game Ever!
The Indiana Fever-Minnesota Lynx matchup averaged 2.5 million viewers on ABC on Sunday, August 2.

[08/04/26 - 02:29 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Delivers Second Best Performance This Season with 2.834 Million Viewers
Coverage reached a peak audience of 3,222,000 viewers from 9:15-9:30 PM ET.

[08/04/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of July 27 - The Celebration Continues as Kevin Hart's "72 Hours" Holds No. 1 for a Second Week
"The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare" launched at the top of the English TV list with 18.2 million views.

[08/03/26 - 11:03 AM]
Ben Affleck and Jamie Ding Score Best Audience in a Year with Million-Dollar Win on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire"
The July 29 episode rose from last week's season premiere with 4.22 million viewers.