or


[04/18/14 - 08:22 AM]
Thursday's Broadcast Ratings: "Scandal" Finale Powers ABC Into the Top Spot
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 17 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (4/17/14):

ABC (7.323 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 2.2, #1) pulled in front on Thursday with its mix of a repeat "Grey's Anatomy" (3.417 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.8, #15), a new "Grey's Anatomy" (8.100 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 2.5, #3) and the season finale of "Scandal" (10.451 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 3.4, #1).

CBS (7.369 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.6, #T2) then was the most-watched network thanks to repeats of "The Big Bang Theory" (9.668 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 2.2, #4), another "The Big Bang Theory" (10.829 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.6, #2), a new "The Crazy Ones" (6.303 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.6, #7), the season finale of "The Crazy Ones" (5.362 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 1.3, #T8) and a special repeat of "NCIS" (6.026 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T10).

Next up was FOX (5.457 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.6, #T2) and originals from "Hell's Kitchen" (4.823 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 1.7, #6), "American Idol" (7.884 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.9, #5) and "Surviving Jack" (4.297 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T10).

Meanwhile, NBC (3.267 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.0, #4) served up the season finale of "Community" (2.902 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T10), a new "Parks & Recreation" (2.386 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T13), an original "Hollywood Game Night" (3.196 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T13) and the season finale of "Parenthood" (3.962 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 1.3, #T8).

And finally, fresh installments of "The Vampire Diaries" (1.663 million viewers, #16; adults 18-49: 0.7, #16) and "Reign" (1.394 million viewers, #17; adults 18-49: 0.4, #17) closed out the night on The CW (1.529 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.6, #5). In the netlet's target demo (women 18-34), "Diaries" delivered a 1.2 rating at 8:00/7:00c and "Reign" a 0.4 rating at 9:00/8:00c.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+25.00% - Community
+21.43% - Hell's Kitchen
+18.18% - Parenthood
+13.33% - Scandal
+11.76% - American Idol
0.00% - Grey's Anatomy
0.00% - The Vampire Diaries (vs. 3/27/14)
0.00% - Reign
-10.00% - Parks & Recreation
-16.67% - Surviving Jack
-18.18% - Hollywood Game Night (vs. 4/3/14)
-23.53% - The Crazy Ones

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+277.78% - Scandal (vs. Scandal (Repeat))
+127.27% - Grey's Anatomy (vs. Grey's Anatomy (Repeat))
-7.14% - Parenthood (vs. Hannibal)
-10.00% - Parks & Recreation (vs. The Office (Repeat))
-13.64% - American Idol (vs. Glee)
-22.22% - The Vampire Diaries
-23.08% - Community
-33.33% - Reign (vs. Beauty and the Beast)
-40.91% - The Crazy Ones (vs. 2 Broke Girls (Repeat))
-41.38% - Hell's Kitchen (vs. American Idol)
-47.06% - Hollywood Game Night (vs. Parks & Recreation)
-50.00% - The Crazy Ones - 9:00 (vs. The Big Bang Theory (Repeat))
-54.55% - Surviving Jack (vs. Glee)

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," 2.1/5 with an encore telecast; CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman," 2.1/5 with an encore; and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 3.4/8.

· In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, adult 18-49 results were: "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," 0.8/4 with an encore; "Late Show," 0.4/2 with an encore; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 1.4/6.

· From 12:35-1:05 a.m. ET, ABC's "Nightline" averaged a 2.3/7 in metered-market households and a 0.9/5 in 18-49 in the Local People Meters.

· From 12:35-1:35 a.m. ET, "Late Night with Seth Meyers" (1.1/4 in metered-market households with an encore) tied CBS's first-run "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" (1.1/4). In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Late Night" (0.4/3 in 18-49 with an encore) topped "Late Late Show" (0.3/2).

· At 1:35 a.m., "Last Call with Carson Daly" averaged a 0.7/3 in metered-market households with an encore and a 0.2/2 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.


Here are the highlights of the 17 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (4/18/13):

FOX (9.144 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 2.5, #1) held onto the demo crown on Thursday thanks to new episodes of "American Idol" (11.900 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.9, #3) and "Glee" (6.388 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 2.2, #T5).

CBS (9.248 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.3, #2) then was a competitive second place despite its all-repeat lineup of "The Big Bang Theory" (11.191 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 3.0, #2), "Two and a Half Men" (8.732 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 2.3, #4), another "The Big Bang Theory" (10.751 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 3.2, #1), "2 Broke Girls" (7.694 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 2.2, #T5) and "Person of Interest" (8.559 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.7, #T7).

Next up was NBC (3.181 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.4, #3) with an original "Community" (3.187 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 1.3, #12) followed by a repeat of "The Office" (2.307 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 1.0, #14) and new episodes of "Parks & Recreation" (3.341 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 1.7, #T7), another "Parks & Recreation" (3.248 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 1.7, #T7) and "Hannibal" (3.500 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.4, #11).

Meanwhile, ABC (4.028 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.2, #4) offered up a new "Wife Swap" (4.732 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 1.5, #10) plus repeats of "Grey's Anatomy" (3.981 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 1.1, #13) and "Scandal" (3.371 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T15).

And finally, the return of "The Vampire Diaries" (2.143 million viewers, #16; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T15) and "Beauty and the Beast" (1.598 million viewers, #17; adults 18-49: 0.6, #17) on The CW (1.871 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.7, #5) closed out the evening. In the netlet's target demo (women 18-34), "Diaries" delivered a 1.3 rating at 8:00/7:00c and "Beast" a 0.5 rating at 9:00/8:00c.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+13.33% - Parks & Recreation
+8.33% - Community
+7.14% - Wife Swap
0.00% - Beauty and the Beast (vs. 3/28/13)
-6.45% - American Idol
-8.33% - Glee
-12.50% - Hannibal
-25.00% - The Vampire Diaries (vs. 3/28/13)

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+75.00% - Hannibal (vs. Awake)
+20.00% - Beauty and the Beast (vs. The Secret Circle)
+15.38% - Wife Swap (vs. Missing)
+4.76% - Glee (vs. Touch)
0.00% - Community
-5.56% - Parks & Recreation - 9:30
-10.00% - The Vampire Diaries
-22.73% - Parks & Recreation - 9:00 (vs. The Office)
-25.64% - American Idol

In late-night metered market ratings (via NBC's press release):

* In Nielsen's 56 metered markets, household results were: "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," 2.3/6 with an encore telecast; CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman," 2.3/6 with an encore; and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 2.2/6.

* In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, adult 18-49 Wednesday results were: "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," 0.8/4 with an encore; "Late Show," 0.5/3 with an encore; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 0.7/4.

* From 12:35-1:05 a.m. ET Wednesday night, ABC's "Nightline" averaged a 1.4/5 in metered-market households and a 0.5/3 in 18-49 in the Local People Meters.

* From 12:35-1:35 a.m. ET, "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" (1.2/4 in metered-market households with an encore) trailed CBS's first-run "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" (1.3/4). In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Late Night" (0.5/3 in 18-49 with an encore) topped "Late Late Show" (0.3/2).

* At 1:35 a.m., "Last Call with Carson Daly" averaged a 0.7/3 in metered-market households with an encore and a 0.3/3 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [april 2014]  
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
[05/21/26 - 02:32 PM]
ESPN Delivered Most-Watched NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 Since 2018
The New York Knicks overtime victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 19 generated an average audience of 7.1 million viewers and peaked with 8.87 million viewers at 10:45 p.m. ET.

[05/21/26 - 02:00 PM]
"Survivor" Historic 50th Season Concludes with Most-Watched Finale Since 2020
The season finale drew an average of 5.78 million viewers, based on Nielsen Preliminary panel only data.

[05/21/26 - 07:01 AM]
NBC Sports' 2026 SuperMotocross Coverage Delivers Viewership Gains and Milestones
The seven races featured on NBC and Peacock averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 468,000 viewers on NBC and Peacock, up 8% vs. 2025.

[05/20/26 - 03:05 PM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver the Most-Watched Western Conference Finals Game 1 Ever for Monday's Spurs-Thunder Double Overtime Thriller
Coverage peaked with 12.0 million viewers from 11:30-11:43 p.m. ET for the second overtime and game's conclusion.

[05/20/26 - 03:04 PM]
ESPN Aired Its Most Viewed 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round of the Current Rights Deal
Collectively all 11 Second Round games, with nine airing on ESPN and two on ABC, delivered 2.2 million viewers, up 76% year-over-year.

[05/20/26 - 07:36 AM]
After Record-Setting 2025 Season, "Sunday Night Football" Finishes Fall-Spring TV Season as Primetime's No. 1 Show for Unprecedented 15th Consecutive Year
The series averaged 23.5 million viewers in 2025, marking the show's best-ever viewership - up nearly 1 million viewers from the prior record for the series set a decade ago (22.6 million in 2015 season) and an increase of 9% over the '24 season (21.6 million).

[05/19/26 - 02:52 PM]
Subway Series Delivers Second Most-Watched FOX Saturday Baseball Telecast of the Season
2,500,000 viewers tuned-in to the two-game slate highlighted by the Mets' 6-3 victory over the Yankees in most of the country.

[05/19/26 - 02:01 PM]
Netflix Viewership Peaks with Nearly 17 Million Global Viewers for MVP MMA's Rousey vs. Carano, Averaging 12.4 Million Viewers Across the Triple Main Event
In the US, the triple-main card averaged 9.3 million viewers, peaking at 11.6 million viewers during Rousey vs. Carano.

[05/19/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of May 11 - "The Roast of Kevin Hart" Heats Up to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
True crime audiences also streamed the second season of "Worst Ex Ever," which rose to the No. 2 spot on the English TV list with 8.1 million views.

[05/19/26 - 07:07 AM]
TNT Sports Posts Its Most-Watched NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round Ever
Thursday's Game 5 of the Montreal/Buffalo series averaged 1.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched, Second Round, Game 5 on cable ever featuring a Canadian team.

[05/18/26 - 04:03 PM]
"The Rookie" Season 8 Finale Surges to Over 9 Million Total Viewers
Setting new records with its exceptional momentum this season, "The Rookie" finale earned an all-time streaming high for the series based on views over seven days on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

[05/15/26 - 02:03 PM]
ABC News Is #1 in Total Viewers on Sunday Morning, in Late-Night and on Friday Night
"20/20" saw week-to-week increases in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, hitting 4-week highs in both measures.

[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.