or


[08/06/20 - 08:27 AM]
Wednesday's Broadcast Ratings: "Big Brother" Returns on Top for CBS
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 (8/5/20):

CBS (3.673 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.9, #1) pulled in front on Wednesday thanks to a new "Tough as Nails" (3.692 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2) and the two-hour launch of "Big Brother 22" (3.663 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.0, #1).

FOX (1.538 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #2) was the silver draw among adults 18-49 with repeats of "MasterChef" (1.558 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T4) and a second "MasterChef" (1.517 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T4).

Next up was NBC (3.136 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T3) and its trio of "Chicago Med" (2.970 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T8), "Chicago Fire" (3.023 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T8) and "Chicago PD" (3.415 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T4).

Meanwhile, ABC (1.855 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T3) offered up a new "United We Fall" (3.292 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2) followed by repeats of "The Goldbergs" (2.046 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T4), "The Conners" (1.772 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T8) and "American Housewife" (1.492 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T8) plus a new "Marvel's Agents of SHIELD" (1.263 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T8).

And finally, The CW (0.612 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) closed out the night with a new "The 100" (0.505 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T13) and the debut of "Coroner" (0.719 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T13).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+50.00% - Marvel's Agents of SHIELD
0.00% - Tough as Nails
0.00% - United We Fall
-50.00% - The 100 (vs. 7/15/20)

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+33.33% - Big Brother 22 (vs. Big Brother 21/SWAT (Repeat))
0.00% - Tough as Nails (vs. Love Island)
0.00% - Coroner (vs. Hypnotize Me)
-16.67% - United We Fall (vs. Press Your Luck)
-40.00% - Marvel's Agents of SHIELD (vs. Match Game)
-50.00% - The 100 (vs. Bulletproof)


Here are the highlights of the 13 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (8/7/19):

FOX (3.601 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.2, #1) pulled into the top spot on Wednesday thanks to a new "MasterChef" (3.358 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.9, #3) and the launch of "BH90210" (3.843 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.5, #1).

CBS (2.972 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.7, #2) then took home the silver with the season finale of "Love Island" (2.628 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T7), a new "Big Brother 21" (3.932 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.1, #2) and a repeat "SWAT" (2.357 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T10).

Next up was NBC (2.960 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #3) with repeats of "Ellen's Game of Games" (3.372 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #4), another "Ellen's Game of Games" (2.921 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T5) and a new "The InBetween" (2.587 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T10).

Meanwhile, ABC (3.121 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4) served up the season finale of "Press Your Luck" (3.576 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T5) alongside originals from "Card Sharks" (2.891 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T7) and "Match Game" (2.897 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T7).

And finally, the premieres of "Bulletproof" (0.803 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.2, #12) and "Hypnotize Me" (0.564 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.1, #13) rounded out the evening on The CW (0.684 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+12.50% - MasterChef
+10.00% - Big Brother 21
0.00% - Match Game
0.00% - Card Sharks
0.00% - Love Island
0.00% - The InBetween
-14.29% - Press Your Luck

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+175.00% - Big Brother 21 (vs. SEAL Team (Repeat))
+100.00% - Bulletproof (vs. Burden of Truth)
+66.67% - BH90210 (vs. Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell & Back)
0.00% - The InBetween (vs. Reverie)
0.00% - Hypnotize Me (vs. Supergirl (Repeat))
-10.00% - MasterChef
-33.33% - Press Your Luck (vs. CMA Fest 2018)
-44.44% - Match Game (vs. CMA Fest 2018)
-44.44% - Card Sharks (vs. CMA Fest 2018)
-66.67% - Love Island (vs. Big Brother 20)

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," 1.3/4; "Late Show with Stephen Colbert," 2.0/6; and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 1.5/4.

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

· From 12:35-1:05 a.m. ET, ABC's "Nightline," averaged a 0.9/3 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," 0.9/3 in metered-market households; CBS's "Late Late Show," 0.8/3. In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, averages were: "Late Night," 0.2/2 in 18-49; "Late Late Show," 0.2/2.

· At 1:35 a.m., "Last Call with Carson Daly" averaged a 0.5/2 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





  [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
[08/26/26 - 08:00 AM]
Fever-Sky on "Sunday Night Basketball" on NBC and Peacock Is the Most-Watched WNBA Regular-Season Game Since Opening Weekend of League's Inaugural 1997 Season
The game peaked at 3.82 million viewers.

[08/25/26 - 03:10 PM]
ESPN Delivered Its Second Most-Watched MLB Little League Classic Ever!
The audience peaked at 2.2 million viewers during the 9:45 p.m. ET quarter-hour.

[08/25/26 - 03:03 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Stays Hot with 3,079,000 Viewers, Most-Watched MLB Telecast of the Week on Any Network
The network's coverage reached a peak audience of 3,779,000 viewers from 9:45 - 10 PM ET.

[08/25/26 - 02:20 PM]
FOX Sports Scores Landslide Win with Freedom 250
Coverage reached a peak viewership of 3,482,000 viewers from 2:30-2:45 PM ET.

[08/25/26 - 12:58 PM]
"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" Dominates During Show's Summer Run - Jumping Over Last Year's Average by +9%
The series also stands as Wednesday's No. 1 primetime program among Total Viewers in each of its five weeks.

[08/25/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of August 17 - "Outer Banks" Strikes Gold at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
"My Brilliant Career" traversed the Australian bush to land at No. 2 on the English TV list with 4.7 million views.

[08/21/26 - 01:01 PM]
ABC News Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers Across Friday Night and Late-Night
"20/20" turned in double-digit gains year to year in all key target demos.

[08/20/26 - 02:11 PM]
"Lanterns" Debuts Among HBO Max's Biggest Series Premieres with 9.3M Global Viewers
The light shines bright.

[08/19/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of August 10
"Reacher," "Sterling Point," "Off Campus," "The Traitors," and "Elle" led all original series worldwide.

[08/19/26 - 10:02 AM]
2026 Little League Baseball Region Tournaments Deliver Largest Audience Since 2009
The Metro Region Championship matchup between Darien, Conn., and Bayonne, N.J., on August 14 averaged 1.2 million viewers, making it the third most-watched Little League Baseball Region Tournament game ever.

[08/19/26 - 09:31 AM]
For Third Week in a Row, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" Is the No. 1 Primetime Entertainment Program Among Total Viewers
Scoring a new season high among Total Viewers (4.41 million), the August 12 episode earned the show's best performance in over a year.

[08/18/26 - 03:05 PM]
ESPN Delivers Its Most-Watched WNBA Game Ever!
The Atlanta Dream-Indiana Fever matchup averaged 2.6 million viewers on Sunday, August 16.

[08/18/26 - 03:04 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Sizzles with Most-Watched MLB Telecast of the Week on Any Network
3,083,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX for a three-game slate highlighted by the Brewers' 4-1 win over the Dodgers in most of the country.

[08/18/26 - 02:43 PM]
FOX IndyCar Celebrates Viewership Win at Markham
913,000 viewers watched Andretti Global racer Marcus Ericsson cap a late-race run through the field to score the win at Markham Sunday on FOX.

[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.