or


[12/05/20 - 08:02 AM]
Friday's Broadcast Ratings: CBS Dramas Return on Top in Total Viewers
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 nine ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (12/4/20):

CBS (5.464 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T1) was the most-watched network on Friday thanks to the return of "MacGyver" (4.765 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2), "Magnum P.I." (5.375 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2) and "Blue Bloods" (6.251 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2).

ABC (3.535 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T1) shared in the demo honors with originals from "Shark Tank" (3.876 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #1) and "20/20" (3.364 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2).

Next up was FOX (2.028 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T1) with its weekly "WWE SmackDown" (2.028 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2).

Meanwhile, NBC (2.754 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #4) offered up a repeat "The Voice" (2.315 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.3, #8) and a new "Dateline NBC" (2.973 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.4, #7).

And finally, The CW (0.588 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) wrapped the night with its two-hour special "The Hollywood Christmas Parade Greatest Moments" (0.588 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.1, #9).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+25.00% - 20/20
0.00% - WWE SmackDown
0.00% - Dateline NBC (vs. 11/20/20)
-14.29% - Shark Tank (vs. 11/20/20)

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - The Hollywood Christmas Parade Greatest Moments (vs. Charmed/Dynasty)
-16.67% - Blue Bloods
-16.67% - Magnum P.I.
-16.67% - MacGyver (vs. Hawaii Five-0)
-20.00% - Dateline NBC
-28.57% - WWE SmackDown
-53.85% - Shark Tank (vs. Pac-12 Football Championship Game)
-61.54% - 20/20 (vs. Pac-12 Football Championship Game)


Here are the highlights of the nine ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (12/6/19):

ABC (5.197 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.3, #1) got a boost on Friday thanks to its presentation of the "Pac-12 Football Championship Game" (5.197 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.3, #1).

FOX (2.446 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #2) then had to settle for second with its weekly "WWE SmackDown" (2.446 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.7, #2).

Next up was CBS (6.725 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #3) with originals from "Hawaii Five-0" (6.530 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T3) and "Magnum P.I." (6.312 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T3) plus the fall finale of "Blue Bloods" (7.333 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T3).

Meanwhile, NBC (3.668 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4) offered up "The Blacklist" (3.672 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T6) and "Dateline NBC" (3.665 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T6).

And finally, new episodes of "Charmed" (0.632 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.2, #8) and "Dynasty" (0.373 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.1, #9) closed out the night on The CW (0.503 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - WWE SmackDown
0.00% - The Blacklist (vs. 11/22/19)
0.00% - Dateline NBC
0.00% - Charmed (vs. 11/22/19)
0.00% - Dynasty (vs. 11/22/19)
-14.29% - Blue Bloods (vs. 11/22/19)
-14.29% - Magnum P.I. (vs. 11/22/19)
-25.00% - Hawaii Five-0 (vs. 11/22/19)

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+160.00% - Pac-12 Football Championship Game (vs. Various)
+11.11% - Dateline NBC (vs. Midnight, Texas/Dateline NBC)
0.00% - The Blacklist (vs. Blindspot)
0.00% - Charmed (vs. Dynasty)
0.00% - Dynasty (vs. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)
-14.29% - Hawaii Five-0 (vs. MacGyver)
-22.22% - WWE SmackDown (vs. Various)
-25.00% - Magnum P.I. (vs. Hawaii Five-0)
-33.33% - Blue Bloods

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [october 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
[10/14/26 - 04:10 PM]
Nebraska Volleyball Serves Up a Big Saturday on FOX
Nebraska's 3-0 win averaged 945,000 viewers on FOX.

[10/14/26 - 03:50 PM]
Indiana's Win Over Nebraska Scores 6,734,000 Viewers on FOX
"Big Noon Saturday" peaked at 9,623,000 viewers.

[10/14/26 - 03:04 PM]
"College GameDay" Continues Record Pace as ESPN College Football Delivers Historic Week 6 Audiences
ABC scored its most-watched college football tripleheader of the season with 8.5 million viewers, led by Georgia-Alabama (12.2 million) and Oklahoma-Texas (9.8 million) - both record-setting rivalry audiences.

[10/14/26 - 02:50 PM]
26,697,000 Viewers for "America's Game of the Week" Highlight FOX NFL's Week 5
Said coverage was the most watched telecast of the week on any network.

[10/14/26 - 02:44 PM]
FOX Scores Most-Watched LCS Game 1 on Any Network Since 2005
10,719,000 viewers tuned in Sunday night for NLCS Game 1 on FOX and FOX Deportes.

[10/14/26 - 11:31 AM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of October 5
"Carrie," "Neagley," "Reacher," "Off Campus," and "Sterling Point" led all original series worldwide.

[10/14/26 - 07:29 AM]
ESPN Delivers Sixth Straight Year of Television Viewership Growth, Up 10% in Fiscal Year 2026
ESPN and ESPN on ABC each posted 11% year-over-year growth in total viewership, while ESPN2 increased 3%.

[10/12/26 - 03:33 PM]
ESPN's "Saban" Delivered Its Most-Watched Original Debut Since 2022
The premiere averaged 529,000 viewers on ESPN on Thursday, October 8, making it the most-watched original debut on ESPN since 2022 and third most-watched ESPN original debut of all time.

[10/08/26 - 03:32 PM]
CBS All-"NCIS" Tuesday Premieres +39% Higher Than Last Year
"NCIS," the series premiere of "NCIS: New York," and "NCIS: Origins" were the night's top three most-watched scripted broadcast programs.

[10/08/26 - 02:26 PM]
ABC News Wins in Late Night and Friday Night
"20/20: Home Alone" ranked as the Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, and Adults 18-49 on Friday, October 2.

[10/08/26 - 11:25 AM]
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" Leads Late Night with Live Shows from Brooklyn Academy of Music
The series topped late-night for the second week in a row this season, scoring 2.66 million Total Viewers and a 0.27 rating among Adults 18-49.

[10/07/26 - 02:01 PM]
UPtv Is the Fastest Growing Cable Network in 2026
Fueling UPtv's impressive growth are hit series "Hudson & Rex," UP Faith & Family original series "Blue Skies," which just wrapped its impressive cable debut, and acquired fan-favorite series "The Rookie."

[10/07/26 - 11:01 AM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of September 28
"Neagley," "Reacher," "Off Campus," "Sterling Point," and "El Juicio" led all original series worldwide.

[10/07/26 - 10:08 AM]
ESPN Studio Shows Continue Record Run with Strong September Audiences
Across ESPN's studio programming, average September viewership increased 7% year over year, continuing the strong audience trends seen throughout 2026.

[10/06/26 - 03:03 PM]
"College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" Scores Season-High Viewership from Iowa City
Plus: ABC won the Saturday noon and primetime windows in Week 5.