or


[05/30/20 - 08:33 AM]
Friday's Broadcast Ratings: ABC Tops Viewers; Shares Demo Crown with FOX
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 13 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (5/29/20):

ABC (3.744 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T1) was the most-watched network on Friday thanks to repeats of "Shark Tank" (3.866 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T1) and "20/20" (3.682 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #3).

Sharing the demo honors was FOX (2.150 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T1) with its weekly presentation of "WWE SmackDown" (2.150 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T1).

Next up was CBS (3.603 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3) with the special "Haircut Night in America" (3.444 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T4) followed by repeats of "Magnum P.I." (3.432 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.3, #9) and "Blue Bloods" (3.933 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T4).

Meanwhile, NBC (2.354 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3) opted for repeats of "World of Dance" (2.323 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T4), "The Wall" (2.262 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T4) and "Dateline NBC" (2.477 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T4).

And finally, a new "Masters of Illusion" (0.835 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T10) alongside repeats of "Masters of Illusion" (0.693 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T10), "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (0.538 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T10) and another "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (0.575 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T10) rounded out the night on The CW (0.660 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - WWE SmackDown
0.00% - Masters of Illusion

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+20.00% - WWE SmackDown (vs. Various)
0.00% - Haircut Night in America (vs. Whistleblower)
-66.67% - Masters of Illusion (vs. Masters of Illusion 21st Anniversary Special)


Here are the highlights of the 13 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (5/31/19):

ABC (3.169 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T1) was the demo champ on Friday with originals from "Marvel's Agents of SHIELD" (2.437 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2) and "20/20" (3.535 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #1).

FOX (1.578 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T1) then shared the adults 18-49 honors with encores of "Beat Shazam" (1.758 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2) and "MasterChef" (1.398 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5).

Next up was CBS (4.266 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3) with a new "Whistleblower" (4.213 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5) alongside repeats of "Hawaii Five-0" (3.996 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5) and "Blue Bloods" (4.588 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5).

Meanwhile, NBC (2.556 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3) offered up the penultimate "Blindspot" (2.657 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5), the season finale of "Blindspot" (2.067 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T10) and "Dateline NBC" (2.944 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2).

And finally, The CW (1.399 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.3, #5) served up "Masters of Illusion 21st Anniversary Special" (1.494 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T10) followed by repeats of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (1.286 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T10) and another "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (1.323 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T10).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+20.00% - 20/20
0.00% - Marvel's Agents of SHIELD
0.00% - Blindspot
-16.67% - Dateline NBC
-20.00% - Whistleblower

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+200.00% - Masters of Illusion 21st Anniversary Special (vs. My Last Days)
0.00% - 20/20 (vs. Shark Tank (Repeat)/20/20)
0.00% - Marvel's Agents of SHIELD (vs. Quantico)
0.00% - Dateline NBC
-33.33% - Blindspot - 8:00 (vs. American Ninja Warrior (Repeat))
-42.86% - Whistleblower (vs. Undercover Boss)
-50.00% - Blindspot - 9:00 (vs. American Ninja Warrior (Repeat))

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," 1.5/4 with an encore telecast; "Late Show with Stephen Colbert," 1.8/5 with an encore; and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 1.5/4 with an encore.

· In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, adult 18-49 results were: "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," 0.3/2 with an encore; "Late Show," 0.2/2 with an encore; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 0.4/3 with an encore.

· From 12:35-1:05 a.m. ET, ABC's "Nightline" averaged a 1.1/4 in metered-market households and a 0.3/2 in 18-49 in the Local People Meters.

· From 12:35-1:35 a.m. ET, ratings were: "Late Night with Seth Meyers," 0.9/3 in metered-market households with an encore; CBS's "Late Late Show," 1.0/3 with an encore. In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, averages were: "Late Night," 0.2/2 in 18-49 with an encore; "Late Late Show," 0.1/1 with an encore.

· At 1:35 a.m., "Last Call with Carson Daly" averaged a 0.6/3 in metered-market households with an encore and a 0.1/1 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [september 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
[09/14/26 - 11:57 AM]
NFL Gameday in Melbourne on Netflix Scores With an Average 18.5 Million US Viewers for First-Ever NFL Regular Season Game in Australia
Globally, the historic matchup averaged 21.7 million viewers, with fans from over 200 countries and territories tuning in to the first-ever NFL regular season game played in Australia.

[09/14/26 - 09:50 AM]
NFL Kickoff Game on NBC and Peacock Featuring Patriots-Seahawks Tops 25 Million Viewers for Fourth Consecutive Year
In addition, NBC Sports delivered the largest NFL Kickoff Game audience among Adults 18-49 since 2021, averaging 10.0 million viewers in the key demographic across NBC, Peacock, NBC Sports Digital and NFL Digital properties.

[09/10/26 - 11:02 AM]
Wisconsin-Notre Dame on NBC & Peacock Is NBC Sports' Third-Most Watched Notre Dame Football Game Since 2005, Averaging 8.1 Million Viewers
The audience for the No. 4 Fighting Irish's 41-13 victory peaked at 9.7 million viewers in the second quarter (9:15-9:30 p.m. ET) as Notre Dame led 13-10.

[09/09/26 - 03:52 PM]
"College GameDay" Wins Week 1 With Top-Three Regular Season Show on Record
Coverage of Clemson/LSU was the top Saturday game of Week 1.

[09/09/26 - 03:30 PM]
ESPN's US Open Coverage Is Most-Viewed Since 2022 Through Third Round
The full-tournament average so far is up 5% over 2025 and the most viewed since 2022, the year of Serena Williams' final match before her return this year.

[09/09/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of August 31
"Reacher," "Sterling Point," "Off Campus," "The Grand Tour," and "The Traitors" led all original series worldwide.

[09/08/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of August 31 - "The Whisper Man" Tracks Down No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
"Death of the Pastor's Wife" held the top spot of the English TV list with 13.9 million views.

[09/08/26 - 10:09 AM]
FOX MLB Posts Best Regular Season Thursday Night Baseball Telecast Since 2022
2,668,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX Thursday for a two-game slate highlighted by the Cubs' 2-1 win over the Brewers in most of the country.

[09/08/26 - 10:02 AM]
ESPN Studio Lineup Continues 2026 Momentum with Record August Audiences
As a year-long pattern of strong viewership continued, multiple programs delivered their best August viewership on record, while overall studio show audiences increased 13% year over year.

[09/04/26 - 11:49 AM]
ABC News Wins Friday Night and Late Night
"20/20" posted double-digit gains week to week in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, hitting 6-week highs in both measures.

[09/02/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of August 24
"Reacher," "Sterling Point," "Off Campus," "Ride or Die," and "The Traitors" led all original series worldwide.

[09/02/26 - 08:37 AM]
New Mexico State at Florida State Delivers The CW's Most-Watched Sports Broadcast in Network History
Viewership peaked at 2.4 million total viewers from 9:15-9:30pm ET as the Florida State Seminoles defeated the New Mexico State Aggies 34-17.

[09/01/26 - 04:00 PM]
2026 Little League Baseball World Series Delivered Largest Audience Since 2015
The Championship Game between CuraƧao and Henderson, Nevada, averaged 2.9M viewers on ABC, up 21% year over year.

[09/01/26 - 03:16 PM]
FOX IndyCar Continues Viewership Momentum
950,000 viewers watched Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward deliver the first of two victories from the Milwaukee Mile Sunday on FOX.

[09/01/26 - 03:01 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Is No. 1 Among All Networks
3,161,000 viewers tuned-in for a two-game slate highlighted by the Yankees' 9-2 win over the Red Sox in most of the country.