or


[10/01/20 - 08:20 AM]
Wednesday's Broadcast Ratings: ABC Tops Demos with NBA Finals
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 (9/30/20):

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

ABC (4.781 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.8, #1) pulled into the top demo spot on Wednesday thanks to "Jimmy Kimmel: Game Night" (4.159 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T3), "NBA Countdown" (3.303 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T5) and "NBA Finals, Game 1" (5.306 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 2.1, #1).

FOX (5.429 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.4, #2) had to settle for the silver with its duo of "The Masked Singer" (6.478 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.7, #2) and "I Can See Your Voice" (4.380 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T3).

Next up was CBS (2.748 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #3) and its mix of "Big Brother 22" (4.211 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T5), the season finale of "Love Island" (2.018 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.5, #7) and "48 Hours Suspicion" (2.013 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T10).

Meanwhile, NBC (2.134 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #4) opted for repeats of "Ellen's Game of Games" (2.443 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T8), another "Ellen's Game of Games" (2.079 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T8) and "Weakest Link" (1.879 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T10).

And finally, the series finale of "The 100" (0.629 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.2, #12) and a repeat "Penn & Teller: Fool Us" (0.498 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.1, #13) rounded out the night on The CW (0.563 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+100.00% - The 100
+21.43% - The Masked Singer
0.00% - I Can See Your Voice
-9.09% - Big Brother 22
-16.67% - Love Island
-25.00% - 48 Hours Suspicion

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+37.50% - I Can See Your Voice (vs. Almost Family)
0.00% - The 100 (vs. iHeartRadio Music Festival Night 1)
-10.53% - The Masked Singer
-16.67% - Big Brother 22 (vs. Survivor: Island of the Idols)
-28.57% - Love Island (vs. SEAL Team)
-46.15% - NBA Finals, Game 1 (vs. 5/30/19)
-47.62% - Jimmy Kimmel: Game Night (vs. 5/30/19)
-50.00% - 48 Hours Suspicion (vs. SWAT)
-54.55% - NBA Countdown (vs. 5/30/19)


Here are the highlights of the 14 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (10/2/19):

FOX (4.852 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.4, #1) was still the network to beat among adults 18-49 on Wednesday with week two of "The Masked Singer" (6.753 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.9, #1) and the premiere of "Almost Family" (2.951 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T8).

NBC (7.040 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.0, #2) then was the silver draw with its trio of "Chicago Med" (7.553 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T5), "Chicago Fire" (7.570 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T3) and "Chicago PD" (5.996 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T5).

Next up was CBS (5.267 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T3) with a new "Survivor: Island of the Idols" (6.503 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.2, #2) followed by the season premieres of "SEAL Team" (5.227 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T11) and "SWAT" (4.071 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.6, #13).

Meanwhile, ABC (3.803 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T3) offered up originals from "The Goldbergs" (4.305 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T5), "Schooled" (3.385 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T8), "Modern Family" (4.301 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T3), "Single Parents" (2.922 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T8) and "Stumptown" (3.954 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T11).

And finally, The CW (0.886 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.2, #5) closed out the evening with its annual special "iHeartRadio Music Festival Night 1" (0.886 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.2, #14).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+14.29% - Single Parents
+10.00% - Modern Family
0.00% - Survivor: Island of the Idols
0.00% - Chicago Fire
0.00% - Chicago Med
0.00% - The Goldbergs
0.00% - Schooled
0.00% - Stumptown
-9.09% - Chicago PD
-24.00% - The Masked Singer

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+100.00% - iHeartRadio Music Festival Night 1 (vs. Burden of Truth/Supergirl (Repeat))
+26.67% - The Masked Singer (vs. Empire)
-12.50% - Stumptown (vs. A Million Little Things)
-12.50% - SEAL Team
-14.29% - SWAT (vs. Criminal Minds)
-15.38% - Chicago Fire (vs. Chicago Med)
-16.67% - Chicago PD
-20.00% - Survivor: Island of the Idols
-21.43% - Modern Family
-23.08% - Chicago Med (vs. Chicago Fire)
-23.08% - The Goldbergs
-27.27% - Single Parents
-27.27% - Schooled (vs. American Housewife)
-33.33% - Almost Family (vs. Star)

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," 1.7/5; "Late Show with Stephen Colbert," 2.4/7; and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 1.6/5.

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

· From 12:35-1:05 a.m. ET, ABC's "Nightline," averaged a 1.0/4 in metered-market households and a 0.2/3 in 18-49 in the Local People Meters.

· From 12:35-1:35 a.m. ET, ratings were: "Late Night with Seth Meyers," 1.1/4 in metered-market households; CBS's "Late Late Show," 1.0/4. In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, averages were: "Late Night," 0.2/2 in 18-49; "Late Late Show," 0.2/2.

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [april 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
[04/24/26 - 08:59 AM]
NBA Playoffs Return to NBC Sports Delivers Big Viewership Gains Over First Three Nights
NBC Sports' first six NBA Playoff games averaged 4.9 million viewers, up 38% vs. comparable coverage last year and the most-watched for the first Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights of the playoffs since 1994.

[04/23/26 - 03:13 PM]
"Euphoria" Season 3 Premiere Surpasses 20M Global Viewers, Up 68% vs. Season 2
Episode 2 matched the premiere with approximately 8.5 million U.S. viewers in its first three days.

[04/23/26 - 02:50 PM]
Goal! ESPN Airs Two Most-Viewed First Round Game 2's on Cable Ever, Continuing Successful Start to 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Monday's Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins matchup (Game 2, 7 p.m. ET) delivered 1.6 million viewers and Tuesday's Boston Bruins-Buffalo Sabres matchup (Game 2, 7:30 p.m.) delivered 1.2 million viewers, setting the new Game 2 record.

[04/23/26 - 12:19 PM]
USA Sports Delivers Most-Watched Match in LOVB Volleyball History to Cap Inaugural Season of Record Viewership on USA Network
The first Finals match on Thursday, April 16, which Salt Lake won 3-2 in a closely-contested fifth set, averaged 163,000 viewers, ranking as the most-watched LOVB game of all-time.

[04/22/26 - 01:00 PM]
ESPN Opens NBA Playoffs with Most-Watched Playoff Game of Opening Weekend
Saturday's Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers matchup on ABC averaged 5.2 million viewers, peaking at 6.4 million viewers during the 11 p.m. ET quarter hour.

[04/22/26 - 11:07 AM]
NBC Sports' Manchester City-Arsenal Is Most-Watched Premier League Match in U.S. History
Coverage averaged 2.6 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, Telemundo and NBC Sports Digital platforms this past Sunday.

[04/22/26 - 09:32 AM]
Record Setter! ESPN Opens 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs with Three Most-Watched First Round Games on Cable Ever, Excluding Game 7's
The Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins matchup (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET) drew 2.1 million viewers, becoming the most-viewed First Round Playoff game ever on cable (excluding game 7's).

[04/22/26 - 08:51 AM]
"High Potential" Shoots to Six-Week High with Season Two Finale
On linear over seven days, the show earned 8.71 million Total Viewers and a 0.61 rating among Adults 18-49, also marking a six-week high in both measures and standing as the No. 1 show of the night.

[04/21/26 - 02:35 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Scores Double-Digit Year-Over-Year Growth
2,094,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX Saturday for a two-game slate highlighted by Atlanta's 3-1 victory over Philadelphia in most of the country.

[04/21/26 - 10:51 AM]
A New High! NHL on ESPN Networks Score Most-Viewed Regular Season of the Current Rights Deal
Individually, the NHL on ESPN averaged 602K viewers (38 games) and the NHL on ABC averaged 1.1 million viewers (16 games), both new highs in ESPN's current rights era.

[04/20/26 - 02:36 PM]
"The Pitt" Delivers Its Biggest Episode Yet, With the Season 2 Finale Reaching a Series-High 9.7 Million U.S. Viewers in Its First Weekend
The season is now averaging 15.4 million viewers, up 50% vs. Season 1, becoming the sixth current HBO Max series to surpass 15 million U.S. viewers.

[04/17/26 - 03:01 PM]
ABC News Is #1 on Sunday Morning and Friday Night
For the third week in a row, "20/20" built on its year-ago telecast in all key target demos: Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.

[04/16/26 - 10:36 AM]
"American Idol" Rocks to a 5-Week High
Among Adults 18-49, "American Idol" grew over the prior week, delivering its best performance in 7 weeks.

[04/16/26 - 09:01 AM]
HBO Originals "Euphoria" and "DTF St. Louis" Viewership Performance
"Euphoria" made its much-anticipated season 3 return to amass 8.5 million U.S. viewers in its first three days of availability.

[04/15/26 - 02:03 PM]
ESPN Delivers Second Most-Watched WNBA Draft Ever
Said coverage averaged 1.50 million viewers, up 20% year-over-year.