or


[03/06/21 - 10:11 AM]
Friday's Broadcast Ratings: ABC, FOX Claim 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 (3/5/21):

ABC (3.795 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T1) and FOX (2.166 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T1) shared the demo crown on Friday as the former offered up new episodes of "Shark Tank" (4.465 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.7, #1) and "20/20" (3.460 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2) while the latter served up a new installment of "WWE SmackDown" (2.166 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2).

Next up was CBS (5.251 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #3) with originals from "MacGyver" (4.360 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5), "Magnum P.I." (5.378 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4) and "Blue Bloods" (6.016 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5).

Meanwhile, NBC (2.785 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.3, #4) aired new episodes of "The Blacklist" (3.147 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.3, #8) and "Dateline NBC" (2.605 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5).

And finally, The CW (0.741 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) closed out the night with "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (0.748 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T10), a repeat "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (0.790 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.2, #9) and "Penn & Teller: Fool Us" (0.712 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T10).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+33.33% - Dateline NBC
+20.00% - WWE SmackDown
0.00% - Shark Tank
0.00% - 20/20
0.00% - Magnum P.I. (vs. 2/19/21)
0.00% - The Blacklist
0.00% - Whose Line Is It Anyway?
0.00% - Penn & Teller: Fool Us
-20.00% - Blue Bloods (vs. 2/12/21)
-20.00% - MacGyver (vs. 2/19/21)

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - Penn & Teller: Fool Us (vs. Whose Line Is It Anyway? (Repeats))
-12.50% - Shark Tank
-14.29% - WWE SmackDown
-14.29% - 20/20
-16.67% - Magnum P.I. (vs. Hawaii Five-0)
-33.33% - Dateline NBC
-33.33% - Blue Bloods
-33.33% - MacGyver
-40.00% - The Blacklist (vs. Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector)
-50.00% - Whose Line Is It Anyway? (vs. Penn & Teller: Fool Us (Repeat))


Here are the highlights of the 11 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (3/6/20):

ABC (4.354 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T1) shared in the demo honors with new episodes from "Shark Tank" (4.372 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.8, #1) and "20/20" (4.345 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T2).

FOX (2.453 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T1) likewise led the adults 18-49 race with "WWE SmackDown" (2.453 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T2).

Next up was CBS (6.618 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #3) and its trio of "MacGyver" (5.646 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T4), "Hawaii Five-0" (6.905 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T4) and "Blue Bloods" (7.304 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T4).

Meanwhile, NBC (3.743 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4) offered up new episodes of "Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector" (3.709 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.5, #8) and "Dateline NBC" (3.760 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T4).

And finally, The CW (0.711 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) opted for repeats of "Penn & Teller: Fool Us" (0.843 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.2, #9), "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (0.543 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T10) and another "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (0.614 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T10) to round out the night.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+25.00% - Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector
+20.00% - Dateline NBC
+16.67% - 20/20
+14.29% - Shark Tank
0.00% - MacGyver
-12.50% - WWE SmackDown
-14.29% - Blue Bloods (vs. 2/14/20)
-14.29% - Hawaii Five-0

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+60.00% - Shark Tank (vs. Fresh Off the Boat/Speechless)
+16.67% - 20/20
+16.67% - WWE SmackDown (vs. Various)
+9.09% - Dateline NBC (vs. The Blacklist/Dateline NBC)
0.00% - Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector (vs. Blindspot)
-33.33% - Blue Bloods
-33.33% - Hawaii Five-0
-50.00% - MacGyver (vs. CBS News Special: The Gayle King Interview with R. Kelly)

Source: Nielsen Media Research, ShowBuzzDaily.com





  [december 2025]  
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
[12/10/25 - 02:59 PM]
FOX NFL Scores Massive Week 14 Viewership
28 million viewers watched FOX Sports' Week 14 "America's Game of the Week," featuring the Green Bay Packers divisional win over the Chicago Bears.

[12/10/25 - 12:08 PM]
NBCU's November to Remember Showcases the Power of Company's Programming
"All Her Fault" became the most-watched original series launch in Peacock history with 46 million hours.

[12/10/25 - 09:54 AM]
ABC Unwraps Holiday Presentations of Fan Favorite Shows
"Dancing with the Holidays" was the top-performing holiday-themed special across the broadcast networks among Adults 18-49 in two years.

[12/09/25 - 04:11 PM]
"College GameDay" Delivers Second Most-Watched Conference Championship Episode Ever; ABC/ESPN Score Second Most-Watched Conference Championship Week Since 2014
The SEC Championship delivered 16.9 million viewers on Saturday, December 6.

[12/09/25 - 02:03 PM]
18.3 Million Viewers Tuned in for Big Ten Championship Game on FOX
Indiana's win peaked with 19,993,000 viewers from 11:00-11:15 PM ET.

[12/08/25 - 11:30 AM]
College Football on The CW Network Sees Double Digit Year-Over-Year Viewership Gains for 2025 Season
ACC football experienced the largest year-over-year growth, up 26% in total audience compared to 2024.

[12/05/25 - 03:31 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers
"Nightline" improved on the previous week in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, hitting nine-week highs in both measures.

[12/05/25 - 02:05 PM]
ESPN Networks Deliver Best College Football Regular Season Since 2011; "College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" Scores Most-Watched Season Ever
ESPN networks aired the most-watched game in 34 of 42 key Saturday windows, including seven of 14 noon windows, 13 of 14 late afternoon windows and all 14 prime windows.

[12/05/25 - 12:35 PM]
2025 CFB Viewership Surges on FOX & FS1
The 2025 regular season wrapped with big numbers for "Big Noon Saturday," "Big Noon Kickoff" and more - including year-over-year gains across the board.

[12/05/25 - 11:00 AM]
CBS Premiere Week Episodes Post Gains and Lead In Live Plus 35-Day Multiplatform Viewership
"Tracker" delivered 17.3 million viewers, up +6% versus its year-ago premiere.

[12/05/25 - 08:45 AM]
ESPN Delivered Most-Watched Women's College Volleyball Season on Record
Said coverage averaged 190,000 viewers, up 36% from the 2024 season.

[12/04/25 - 04:19 PM]
"College GameDay Built By The Home Depot" Delivers Second-Best Regular Season Episode Ever; ESPN Scores Best Rivalry Week Since 2012
The Lone Star Showdown drew over 13 million viewers, peaking with 14.3 million viewers.

[12/04/25 - 03:45 PM]
"Big Noon Kickoff" Scores 4.36 Million Viewers on FOX
The 2025 season was "Big Noon Kickoff's" most-watched season in history.

[12/04/25 - 02:41 PM]
18.4M Viewers Tuned in for Ohio State-Michigan on FOX
Ohio State's win over Michigan scored 18,424,000 viewers on FOX.

[12/04/25 - 02:28 PM]
Record Audience Watches Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix on ESPN2
The November 30 telecast earned an average audience of 1.4 million viewers, the largest audience ever to watch the event on U.S. television.