or


[06/26/20 - 08:11 AM]
Thursday's Broadcast Ratings: ABC Originals Remain on Top
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 15 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (6/25/20):

ABC (3.603 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.7, #1) was once again Thursday's top draw with its trio of "Holey Moley" (3.929 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T1), "Don't" (3.478 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T1) and "To Tell the Truth" (3.403 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T3).

CBS (3.431 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #2) remained the silver draw with its mix of "Young Sheldon" (4.794 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T3), "The Unicorn" (3.352 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T6), "Mom" (3.652 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #5), the finale of "Broke" (3.560 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T6) and "SWAT" (2.613 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T10).

Next up was NBC (2.306 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T3) with originals from "Council of Dads" (2.967 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T6) and "Blindspot" (1.891 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T10) plus a repeat "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (2.059 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T6).

Meanwhile, FOX (1.171 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T3) offered up new episodes of "Celebrity Watch Party" (1.403 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T10) and "Labor of Love" (0.938 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.2, #13).

And finally, The CW (0.513 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) closed out the night with fresh installments from "Burden of Truth" (0.592 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T14) and "In the Dark" (0.434 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T14).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+33.33% - Council of Dads
+20.00% - To Tell the Truth
+16.67% - Don't
0.00% - Holey Moley
0.00% - Blindspot
0.00% - Burden of Truth
0.00% - In the Dark
-20.00% - Broke
-25.00% - Celebrity Watch Party
-33.33% - Labor of Love

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+100.00% - To Tell the Truth (vs. Reef Break)
+16.67% - Don't (vs. Family Food Fight)
-20.00% - Broke (vs. Life in Pieces)
-22.22% - Holey Moley
-50.00% - Burden of Truth (vs. iZombie)
-50.00% - In the Dark
-57.14% - Celebrity Watch Party (vs. MasterChef)
-66.67% - Labor of Love (vs. Spin the Wheel)
-77.78% - Council of Dads (vs. NBC News Democratic Candidates Debate)
-83.33% - Blindspot (vs. NBC News Democratic Candidates Debate)


Here are the highlights of the 14 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (6/27/19):

NBC (7.327 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.5, #1) got another bump on Thursday thanks to its second night of the "NBC News Democratic Candidates Debate" (8.827 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.8, #1). A repeat of "The Wall" (4.328 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.8, #3) opened the night for the Peacock.

FOX (2.716 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #2) then was the number two draw with fresh installments of "MasterChef" (2.893 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.7, #4) and "Spin the Wheel" (2.538 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T5).

Next up was ABC (2.925 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #3) and week two of "Holey Moley" (4.263 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.9, #2), "Family Food Fight" (2.525 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T5) and "Reef Break" (1.985 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.3, #12).

Meanwhile, CBS (3.698 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4) offered up repeats of "Young Sheldon" (4.497 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T8), another "Young Sheldon" (4.305 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T8) plus the penultimate "Life in Pieces" (3.770 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T5), the finale to "Life in Pieces" (3.363 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T8) and a new "Elementary" (3.127 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.4, #11).

And finally, The CW (0.639 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.2, #5) closed out the night with a new "iZombie" (0.665 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T13) and the season finale of "In the Dark" (0.612 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T13).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - MasterChef
0.00% - Life in Pieces - 9:00
0.00% - Family Food Fight
0.00% - Life in Pieces - 9:30
0.00% - Elementary
0.00% - iZombie
0.00% - In the Dark
-10.00% - Holey Moley
-25.00% - Spin the Wheel
-40.00% - Reef Break

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+227.27% - NBC News Democratic Candidates Debate (vs. Various)
+100.00% - In the Dark (vs. Black Lightning (Repeat))
+80.00% - Holey Moley (vs. The Gong Show)
0.00% - MasterChef (vs. The Four: Battle for Stardom)
0.00% - iZombie (vs. Supernatural (Repeat))
-14.29% - Family Food Fight (vs. Match Game)
-25.00% - Spin the Wheel (vs. The Four: Battle for Stardom)
-33.33% - Elementary (vs. SWAT (Repeat))
-40.00% - Reef Break (vs. Take Two)
-53.85% - Life in Pieces - 9:00 (vs. Big Brother 20)
-61.54% - Life in Pieces - 9:30 (vs. Big Brother 20)

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

· On a night of live telecasts, "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" has outscored "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" by a margin of +37% in adults 18-49 (with a 0.52 rating vs. a 0.38), and by +32% in the key news demographic of adults 25-54 (0.78 vs. 0.59). In total viewers, Thursday results were: "Late Show," 3.060 million, "Tonight," 2.425 million.

· On the prior night, "Tonight" prevailed by margins of +13% in 18-49 (0.36 vs. 0.32 for "Late Show") and by +14% in 25-54 (0.56 vs. 0.49).

· Thursday's "Tonight Show" grew +44% versus the previous night's live telecast in 18-49 (with a 0.52 rating Thursday vs. a 0.36 on Wednesday) and +17% in total viewers (2.425 million vs. 2.066 million).

· "Late Night with Seth Meyers" increased by +20% versus the previous night's live telecast in 18-49 (0.30 vs. a 0.25) and +13% in total viewers (1.448 million vs. 1.279 million).

· It's the highest-rated and most-watched Thursday telecast of "Tonight" since Dec. 20, 2018 (with guests Felicity Jones, Jimmy Carr and musical guest Bebe Rexha, 0.53 in 18-49, 2.456 million viewers).

· For "Late Night," the 0.30 equals the show's highest Thursday rating since Feb. 7 (0.31) and the 1.448 million viewers overall is the show's best for a non-NFL Thursday since March 15, 2018.

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [july 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
[07/07/26 - 02:09 PM]
FOX Scores 11.107 Million Viewers for Portugal-Croatia - Most-Watched Non-USMNT FIFA Men's World Cup Telecast in English-Language U.S. History Excluding a Final
Said coverage hit a peak viewership of 16.023 million viewers from 8:45 - 9:00 PM ET.

[07/07/26 - 11:27 AM]
FOX Sports Sets All-Time U.S. Soccer Viewership Record with 30 Million Watching Belgium-USMNT
The network's coverage reached a peak audience of 36.895 million viewers from 9:15-9:30 PM ET.

[07/06/26 - 02:25 PM]
26.395 Million Viewers: FOX Sports' Final Tally for USMNT Round of 32 Win - The Most-Watched Soccer Telecast in English-Language U.S. History
Said coverage reached a peak audience of 34,823,000 viewers from 9:45-10:00 PM ET.

[07/05/26 - 06:49 PM]
Macy's July 4 Fireworks Special on NBC Registers Highest Viewer Total Since 2018
In its original 8-10 p.m. telecast on NBC, the fireworks drew 5.1 million viewers, which was up 42% from last year and the best since 2019.

[07/02/26 - 06:09 PM]
ESPN Delivers Most-Watched Wimbledon Day 2 Coverage on Record
Serena Williams' Wimbledon return on Tuesday, June 30, delivered record viewership.

[07/02/26 - 03:18 PM]
FOX Sports' Strong FIFA World Cup 2026 Viewership Continues with 10.43 Million viewers Tuning in for Mexico-Ecuador
The telecast reached a peak viewership of 13.087 million viewers from 10:30-10:45 PM ET.

[07/02/26 - 02:49 PM]
ABC News Is No. 1 in Total Viewers for the Second Quarter on Sunday Morning and Friday Evening
"20/20" ranked as Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine during the 2nd Quarter 2026 in Total Viewers (3.806 million) and Adults 18-49 (473,000).

[07/02/26 - 01:48 PM]
FOX Sports Soars Into the Record Books with Most-Watched Soccer Telecast in English-Language U.S. History
24.429 million viewers watched the USMNT's historic FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 victory Wednesday on FOX.

[07/02/26 - 08:27 AM]
"BET Awards" 2026 Grows Across Every Platform with First-Time Host Druski, Cementing BET as the Epicenter of Black Culture
The telecast was the highest-rated "BET Awards" on BET since 2019 among P18-49, with P18-49 impressions up +50% year-over-year.

[07/01/26 - 03:00 PM]
FOX Scores 10.579 Million Viewers for Netherlands-Morocco FIFA World Cup 2026 Knock Out Thriller - Monday's Most-Watched Telecast on Any Network
Coverage peaked with 12.657 million viewers from 10:45-11:00 PM ET.

[07/01/26 - 01:07 PM]
"Dateline" Is the #1 Friday Newsmagazine in Both Key Demos for the 10th Consecutive Quarter
According to Nielsen Media Research, the true crime original averages 786,000 A25-54 viewers, +31,000 vs. last quarter and +11,000 vs. last year.

[07/01/26 - 12:11 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of June 22
"Off Campus," "Every Year After," "Clarkson's Farm," "Spider-Noir," and "The Boys" led all original series worldwide.

[07/01/26 - 11:19 AM]
ABC Delivers Most-Watched Banana Ball Telecast Ever!
The June 28 broadcast averaged 1.2 million viewers across the two-hour showcase.

[06/30/26 - 05:54 PM]
FOX Sports Smashes FIFA World Cup Group Stage Records as U.S. Men's National Team and Global Superstars Shine Bright
Averaging 5,052,000 viewers across 72 matches, the Group Stage on FOX, FS1 and Tubi was up +92% versus 2022 (2,638,000 viewers), for the most-watched FIFA Men's World Cup Group Stage telecast average in English-language U.S. history.

[06/30/26 - 02:17 PM]
NBC Sports Delivers Audience Milestones for Sunday Golf and Baseball Coverage on NBC and Peacock
NBC Sports' first New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox game since 1995, a 10-inning, 5-4 victory by the Red Sox, averaged 4.0 million viewers from 8:28-10:35 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.