or


[02/20/21 - 08:01 AM]
Friday's Broadcast Ratings: ABC, CBS & FOX Share Demo Honors
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 11 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (2/19/21):

CBS (4.964 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T1) was the top draw on Friday thanks to originals from "MacGyver" (4.839 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2) and "Magnum P.I." (5.780 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2) plus a repeat "Blue Bloods" (4.274 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5).

ABC (3.540 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T1) shared in the demo honors with "Shark Tank" (4.438 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #1) and "20/20" (3.092 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5) as did FOX (2.071 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T1) and "WWE SmackDown" (2.071 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2).

Next up was NBC (3.081 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #4) with a new "The Blacklist" (3.258 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.3, #8) alongside night two of "The Widower" (2.992 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5).

And finally, The CW (7.220 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) closed out the night with "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (0.836 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.2, #9), a repeat "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (0.696 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T10) and "Penn & Teller: Fool Us" (0.679 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T10).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+100.00% - Whose Line Is It Anyway? (vs. 2/5/21)
0.00% - Magnum P.I.
0.00% - MacGyver
0.00% - WWE SmackDown
0.00% - The Blacklist
0.00% - Penn & Teller: Fool Us (vs. 2/5/21)
-14.29% - Shark Tank
-20.00% - The Widower (vs. 2/18/21)
-33.33% - 20/20

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+33.33% - Shark Tank (vs. Fresh Off the Boat/Fresh Off the Boat)
0.00% - Whose Line Is It Anyway? (vs. Charmed)
0.00% - Penn & Teller: Fool Us (vs. Dynasty)
0.00% - 20/20 (vs. 20/20 (Repeat))
-16.67% - Magnum P.I. (vs. Hawaii Five-0)
-16.67% - MacGyver
-25.00% - The Blacklist (vs. Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector)
-28.57% - WWE SmackDown
-33.33% - The Widower (vs. Dateline NBC)


Here are the highlights of the 11 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (2/21/20):

FOX (2.490 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #1) was the demo champ on Friday with its weekly telecast of "WWE SmackDown" (2.490 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.7, #1).

CBS (5.857 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2) was a close second with originals from "MacGyver" (5.864 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2) and "Hawaii Five-0" (6.535 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2) plus a repeat "Blue Bloods" (5.172 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T5).

Sharing the silver was NBC (3.619 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2) with a new "Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector" (3.598 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T7) and a two-hour "Dateline NBC" (3.629 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2).

Meanwhile, ABC (2.667 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #4) offered up the penultimate "Fresh Off the Boat" (2.998 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T5), the final "Fresh Off the Boat" (2.397 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T7) and a repeat "20/20" (2.652 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T7).

And finally, new episodes from "Charmed" (0.615 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.2, #10) and "Dynasty" (0.324 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.1, #11) closed out the night on The CW (0.470 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+33.33% - Fresh Off the Boat (vs. 1/31/20)
0.00% - WWE SmackDown
0.00% - Dateline NBC
0.00% - Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector
0.00% - Charmed (vs. 2/7/20)
0.00% - Dynasty (vs. 2/7/20)
-14.29% - Hawaii Five-0
-14.29% - MacGyver

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+16.67% - WWE SmackDown (vs. Various)
+9.09% - Dateline NBC (vs. The Blacklist/Dateline NBC)
0.00% - Charmed (vs. Whose Line Is It Anyway? (Repeats))
-16.67% - Fresh Off the Boat - 8:00
-20.00% - Fresh Off the Boat - 8:30 (vs. Speechless)
-25.00% - Hawaii Five-0
-25.00% - MacGyver
-33.33% - Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector (vs. The Blacklist)
-50.00% - Dynasty (vs. Penn & Teller: Fool Us (Repeat))

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [may 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
[05/14/26 - 10:07 AM]
"Rooster" Capped Off a Standout First Season, Becoming HBO's Most-Watched Comedy Debut in Over 15 Years
The series is averaging 6.5 million U.S. viewers per episode, with the finale reaching 2.2 million viewers in its first three days.

[05/14/26 - 10:01 AM]
Home Run! ESPN Scores Most-Consumed College Softball Regular Season on Record
The 2026 campaign featured four of ESPN's eight most-watched regular season games of all-time and delivered a record-high 10 games with more than 500,000 viewers.

[05/13/26 - 10:30 AM]
Viewership for 2026 NBA Draft Lottery Presentation on ABC Up 23 Percent Year Over Year
ESPN's presentation of the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery on Sunday, May 10, on ABC averaged 2.3 million viewers.

[05/13/26 - 07:56 AM]
ESPN Networks Delivered Second Most-Watched WNBA Regular-Season Game Ever with Dallas Wings vs Indiana Fever on May 9
ESPN today announced that the Dallas Wings vs. Indiana Fever matchup on May 9 at 1 p.m. ET on ABC averaged 2.5 million viewers, making it the second most-watched WNBA regular-season game across ESPN networks ever.

[05/12/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of May 4 - The Critters of "Swapped" Soar to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
The pursuit of justice is action-packed in "Man on Fire," which set the English TV list ablaze at No. 1 with 12.6 million views.

[05/08/26 - 09:18 AM]
TNT Sports Delivers Its Most-Watched MLB Regular Season Start Since 2015
The Yankees/Mariners season opener on March 31 delivered 562,000 viewers and peaked at 735,000, making it the most watched opener on TBS since 2012.

[05/06/26 - 10:01 AM]
Strong Month of Sports Propels ESPN Studio Shows to Record Viewership for April
The entire lineup of ESPN studio shows was up 21% overall in viewership over April of 2025 and up 10% year-over-year (YOY) in the coveted Persons ages 18-49 demographic.

[05/05/26 - 03:52 PM]
ESPN Networks Aired Its Most Viewed First Round of the Current Rights Deal of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
ESPN also delivered three of the top five matchups in the First Round including the Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins Game 1 (2.1 million viewers).

[05/05/26 - 03:36 PM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver the Most-Watched First Round Game 7 in NBA History for Saturday Night's 76ers-Celtics
Saturday night's matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 11.0 million viewers on NBC and Peacock.

[05/05/26 - 02:33 PM]
TNT Sports Delivers Its Most Watched NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round Ever
Game 7 of the Montreal/Tampa Bay series on Sunday, May 3 averaged 2.3 million viewers, the most-watched First Round game on cable ever featuring a Canadian team.

[05/05/26 - 02:24 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Flexes Double-Digit Season-to-Date Viewership Increase
2,130,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX on Saturday, May 2, for a two-game slate highlighted by the Cardinals' 3-2 Victory over the Dodgers in most of the country.

[05/05/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of April 27 - The Hunt Continues as "Apex" Takes No. 1 for a Second Week
Plus: Revenge might be a dish best served cold, but "Man on Fire" served it up hot, reaching No. 1 on the English TV list with 11 million views.

[05/03/26 - 02:40 PM]
NBC Sports Delivers the Most-Watched Kentucky Derby on Record, Averaging 19.6 Million Viewers on NBC & Peacock in Historic "Run for the Roses"
Viewership peaked at 24.4 million viewers from 7-7:15 p.m. ET, as jockey Jose Ortiz guided Golden Tempo around the final turn to win by a neck over Renegade, and made Cherie DeVaux the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner.

[05/01/26 - 01:33 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Jumps Back from Spring Break with Fifth Straight Week of Growth Among Both Total Viewers and Households
Dominating the New York market, "Live with Kelly and Mark" towers over its closest competition this season by double and triple digits in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Women 25-54.

[05/01/26 - 08:05 AM]
NBC Sports' NBA Playoff Viewership on NBC & Peacock Up 58% vs. Comparable Coverage Last Year Through First 13 Games
This is the first time in 24 years that NBC Sports is presenting the NBA Playoffs.