or


[05/08/15 - 08:31 AM]
Thursday's Broadcast Ratings: ABC, CBS Share Demo Crown
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 15 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (5/7/15):

CBS (8.420 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.8, #T1) was the most-watched network thanks to the season finale of "The Big Bang Theory" (14.315 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.5, #1) followed by a new "The Odd Couple" (8.509 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.8, #4), a second "The Odd Couple" (7.026 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.5, #5), a repeat "The Big Bang Theory" (6.911 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.4, #T6) and a new "Elementary" (6.879 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T8).

ABC (6.528 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.8, #T1) then shared in the demo honors with its penultimate weeks of "Grey's Anatomy" (7.880 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 2.2, #T2), "Scandal" (7.447 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 2.2, #T2) and "American Crime" (4.259 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 1.0, #11).

Next up was FOX (4.522 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.1, #3) with a new "Bones" (4.684 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T8) and an additional "Bones" (4.361 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T8).

Meanwhile, NBC (4.990 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.9, #4) served up a repeat "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (3.306 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T13) alongside new episodes of "The Blacklist" (6.746 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 1.4, #T6) and "Dateline NBC" (4.917 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.8, #12).

And finally, new episodes of "The Vampire Diaries" (1.311 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T13) and "Reign" (0.964 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.3, #15) on The CW (1.138 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.5, #5) closed out the evening. In the netlet's target demo (women 18-34), the former delivered a 1.0 rating at 8:00/7:00c and the latter a 0.4 rating at 9:00/8:00c.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+22.22% - Bones
+20.00% - The Vampire Diaries
+16.67% - The Blacklist
+9.38% - The Big Bang Theory
0.00% - American Crime
0.00% - Reign
-4.35% - Scandal (vs. 4/23/15)
-8.33% - Elementary
-10.00% - The Odd Couple
-11.11% - Dateline NBC
-12.00% - Grey's Anatomy

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+266.67% - Grey's Anatomy (vs. Grey's Anatomy (Repeat))
+40.00% - The Blacklist (vs. American Comedy Awards)
-4.35% - Scandal (vs. Grey's Anatomy)
-5.41% - The Big Bang Theory
-9.09% - American Crime (vs. Black Box)
-10.00% - The Odd Couple - 8:30 (vs. The Millers)
-14.29% - The Vampire Diaries
-20.00% - Dateline NBC (vs. American Comedy Awards)
-21.43% - Bones - 9:00 (vs. American Idol/Surviving Jack)
-26.67% - Bones - 8:00 (vs. Hell's Kitchen)
-26.67% - Elementary
-28.57% - The Odd Couple - 9:00 (vs. Two and a Half Men)
-40.00% - Reign

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," 2.4/6; CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman," 2.8/7; and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 1.9/5.

· In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, adult 18-49 results were: "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," 0.8/4; "Late Show," 0.6/3; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 0.8/4.

· From 12:35-1:05 a.m. ET, ABC's "Nightline" averaged a 1.3/4 in metered-market households and a 0.6/4 in 18-49 in the Local People Meters.

· From 12:35-1:35 a.m. ET, "Late Night with Seth Meyers" (1.0/4 in metered-market households) trailed CBS's "Late Late Show with James Corden" (1.3/4). In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Late Night" (0.3/2 in 18-49) tied "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 and a 0.2/2 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.


Here are the highlights of the 14 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (5/8/14):

CBS (8.776 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.0, #1) was of course the network to beat on Thursday with its mix of "The Big Bang Theory" (14.166 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.7, #1), "The Millers" (9.151 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 2.0, #4), the season finale of "Two and a Half Men" (8.489 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 2.1, #3), "Bad Teacher" (5.838 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.3, #8) and "Elementary" (7.504 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.5, #T6).

FOX (4.901 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.5, #2) then snagged the silver with originals from "Hell's Kitchen" (4.212 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 1.5, #T6), "American Idol" (7.075 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.6, #5) and the departing "Surviving Jack" (4.104 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.2, #9).

Next up was ABC (4.938 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.3, #3) with a repeat of "Grey's Anatomy" (2.935 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.6, #14) alongside originals from "Grey's Anatomy" (7.468 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 2.3, #2) and "Black Box" (4.411 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 1.1, #10).

Meanwhile, NBC (3.186 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.0, #4) offered up the return of "Hollywood Game Night" (3.264 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.9, #12) alongside the "American Comedy Awards" (3.146 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 1.0, #11).

And finally, the penultimate weeks of "The Vampire Diaries" (1.604 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.7, #13) and "Reign" (1.472 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.5, #15) closed out the night on The CW (1.538 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.6, #5). In the netlet's target demo (women 18-34), "Diaries" delivered a 1.0 rating at 8:00/7:00c and "Reign" a 0.7 rating at 9:00/8:00c.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+20.00% - Surviving Jack
+6.67% - American Idol
0.00% - Two and a Half Men
0.00% - Hollywood Game Night (vs. 4/17/14)
0.00% - The Vampire Diaries
0.00% - Reign
-4.76% - The Millers
-6.25% - Elementary
-6.25% - Hell's Kitchen
-11.54% - Grey's Anatomy
-13.33% - Bad Teacher
-15.38% - Black Box
-15.91% - The Big Bang Theory

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - Reign (vs. Beauty and the Beast)
-12.50% - Two and a Half Men (vs. Person of Interest)
-16.67% - Elementary
-19.57% - The Big Bang Theory
-20.69% - Grey's Anatomy
-22.22% - The Vampire Diaries
-23.81% - American Idol (vs. Glee)
-25.00% - Hollywood Game Night (vs. Community/The Office (Repeat))
-40.48% - American Comedy Awards (vs. The Office/Hannibal)
-41.18% - The Millers (vs. Two and a Half Men)
-42.86% - Surviving Jack (vs. Glee)
-45.83% - Bad Teacher (Vs. Person of Interest)
-46.43% - Hell's Kitchen (vs. American Idol)
-65.63% - Black Box (vs. Scandal)

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," 2.5/6; CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman," 2.0/5; and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 2.0/5.

·In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, adult 18-49 results were: "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,"1.0/5; "Late Show," 0.4/2; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 0.6/3.

·From 12:35-1:05 a.m. ET, ABC's "Nightline" averaged a 1.2/4 in metered-market households and a 0.3/2 in 18-49 in the Local People Meters.

·From 12:35-1:35 a.m. ET, "Late Night with Seth Meyers" (1.3/4 in metered-market households) beat CBS's "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" (1.1/4). In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Late Night" (0.6/4 in 18-49) topped "Late Late Show" (0.3/2).

·At 1:35 a.m., "Last Call with Carson Daly" averaged a 0.8/3 in metered-market households and a 0.4/2 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [may 2015]  
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
[09/30/26 - 01:00 PM]
Historic "Big Brother" Season Hits 14.8 Billion Minutes Viewed, Up +9% from Last Year
The summer staple also saw year-over-year audience growth, averaging 5.1 million viewers in seven-day multiplatform viewing, up +8% from last summer, while ranking as the summer's most social program across all television programs (excluding sports).

[09/30/26 - 12:50 PM]
ABC's Tuesday Night Kicks Off Strong as "Dancing with the Stars" and Sophomore Drama "R.J. Decker" Each Score 10 Million Total Audience
Sophomore drama "R.J. Decker" earned a total cross-platform audience of 9.61 million, based on viewing over seven days across Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and linear encores.

[09/30/26 - 11:01 AM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of September 21
"Neagley," "Reacher," "Sterling Point," "Off Campus," and "El Juicio" led all original series worldwide.

[09/29/26 - 03:28 PM]
FOX Sports Hits Home Run with Best MLB on FOX Regular Season Since '21 - No. 1 Among All Networks
Regular season coverage on FOX averaged 2.35 million viewers, up +15% vs. '25.

[09/29/26 - 03:12 PM]
FOX NFL Delivers Most-Watched Early Window of the Day on Any Network in Week 3
17,898,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX's 1:00 PM ET window.

[09/29/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of September 21 - "Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story" Takes the No. 1 Spot for a Second Week
"Unabomber" premiered in the top spot on the English film list, gathering 16.4 million views.

[09/29/26 - 12:00 PM]
USA Sports Delivers Viewership Records and Milestones in Inaugural Season of WNBA Coverage Ahead of WNBA Finals on USA Network This October
USA Sports averaged 525,000 viewers across its 48 regular-season games - the most national games of any broadcaster - up 25% vs. 2025 WNBA cable average viewership.

[09/29/26 - 09:50 AM]
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" Finishes 2025-2026 Season with Largest Overall Audience in Eight Years and Strongest Adults 18-49 in Four Years
In the final week of the 2025-2026 season, "Jimmy Kimmel Live" ranked No. 1 in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.

[09/28/26 - 02:45 PM]
The "VMAs" Scores 8.4 Million Viewers, Up +51% from Last Year, and Hits 11-Year Viewership High
The telecast peaked with over 15 million viewers across CBS and MTV in the opening act, which featured Madonna's first "VMAs" performance in 23 years, including a show-opening medley with Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX.

[09/25/26 - 10:51 AM]
Cartman, Kenny, Stan, Kyle and "South America's" Season 29 Premiere Delivers 4.2 Million Multiplatform U.S. Viewers Across Comedy Central and Paramount+
The season premiere on Comedy Central outperformed last season's premiere by double digits on persons 18-49 rating and share and was the #1 non-sports cable telecast for the week with persons 18-49.

[09/25/26 - 10:35 AM]
ESPN Delivered Its Most-Watched WNBA Regular Season Ever!
Across 29 games, the WNBA on ESPN networks averaged 1.37M viewers, up 17% year-over-year and ranking as ESPN networks' most-viewed WNBA regular season on record.

[09/24/26 - 12:25 PM]
ABC News Wins Across the Board in Late Night and Friday Night
"20/20" ranks as Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, drawing its largest audience in two months and growing year to year in all key measures.

[09/23/26 - 02:56 PM]
Giants-Rams Becomes ESPN's Most-Watched Week 2 "Monday Night Football" Game Ever with 19.4 Million Viewers
Through the first two weeks, "Monday Night Football" is averaging 21.4 million viewers, up 29% compared to the first two weeks of the 2025 season.

[09/23/26 - 11:01 AM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of September 14
"Reacher," "Neagley," "Sterling Point," "El Juicio," and "The Grand Tour" led all original series worldwide.

[09/22/26 - 03:08 PM]
Record-Breaking Week 3: ESPN/ABC Claim Every Saturday Window; "College GameDay" Continues Historic Start to the Season
ESPN networks delivered the top five most-watched games of Week 3 and accounted for two-thirds of all college football viewing.