or


[05/10/15 - 09:07 AM]
Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: NBA Playoffs Put ABC on Top
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 (5/9/15):

ABC (3.974 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.5, #1) was the demo champ on Saturday thanks to its "NBA Countdown" (3.096 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.0, #2) and coverage of "NBA Playoffs: Golden State at Memphis" (4.150 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.6, #1).

CBS (4.227 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #2) then claimed the silver with repeats of "Hawaii Five-0" (3.576 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #6) and "Criminal Minds" (3.658 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T4) plus a new "48 Hours" (5.448 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.8, #3).

Next up was NBC (2.098 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3) with encores of "The Voice" (1.951 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T8) and "Saturday Night Live" (2.394 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T4).

And finally, FOX (1.335 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3) closed out the evening with second runs of "Hell's Kitchen" (1.002 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T8) and "Bones" (1.668 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.4, #7).

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

· "Saturday Night Live," with host Reese Witherspoon and musical guest Florence + the Machine (3.7 rating, 10 share in household results in Nielsen's 56 metered markets, 2.0/9 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with Local People Meters) matched the show's highest 18-49 rating in the Local People Meters since Jan. 31 (2.1/10 with host J.K. Simmons and musical guest D'Angelo and The Vanguard), equaling over that span the April 4 telecast (with host Michael Keaton and musical guest Carly Rae Jepsen, 2.0/9) and the March 7 edition (2.0/10 with host Chris Hemsworth and musical guest Zac Brown Band). In metered-market households, it's the top "SNL" since April 11 (3.8/10 with host Taraji P. Henson and musical guest Mumford & Sons).

· This week's "SNL" is the #1 non-sports telecast of the night on the Big 4 networks in metered-market households and adults 18-49 in the Local People Meters, ahead of all primetime entertainment programs on those networks in both measures.

· Versus the same night last year, "Saturday Night Live" is virtually matching the year-ago telecast in metered-market households (3.7/10 vss. 3.8/10 on May 10, 2014) and is up +11% in 18-49 in the Local People Meters (2.0/9 vs. 1.8/8).

· Note that "SNL" adds significant viewership via time-shifting, with originals this season growing by an average of +43% going from "live plus same day ratings" to "live plus seven day" in national adult 18-49 rating (from a 1.91 rating to a 2.74).


Here are the highlights of the nine ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (5/10/14):

ABC (4.691 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.7, #1) was the demo champ on Saturday with its coverage of "NBA Countdown" (3.263 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.0, #3) and "NBA Playoffs: Miami at Brooklyn" (4.976 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.8, #1).

FOX (5.151 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.1, #2) then was the most-watched network behind "NASCAR Sprint Cup Racing" (5.151 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.1, #2).

Next up was NBC (3.567 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.7, #3) with a two-hour "Dateline Saturday Night Mystery" (3.912 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #6) alongside a repeat of "Saturday Night Live" (2.876 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.8, #5).

And finally, CBS (3.237 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #4) closed out the evening with repeats of "Mike & Molly" (2.290 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T8), "The Millers" (2.138 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T8), "48 Hours" (2.522 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.5, #7) and a new "48 Hours" (4.975 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.9, #4).

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

·"Saturday Night Live," with host Charlize Theron and musical guest The Black Keys, averaged a 3.8/10 in household results in Nielsen's 56 metered markets and a 1.8/8 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
[06/12/26 - 01:11 PM]
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" Is No. 1 Across Late-Night with Best Numbers Since Season Premiere Week
Rising week to week in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, "Jimmy Kimmel Live" matched a season best in the key Adult demo of premiere week, while drawing its largest overall audience since its season premiere week eight months ago.

[06/12/26 - 12:31 PM]
FOX Sports Scores Record Viewership with FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Match
6,309,000 viewers watched Mexico top South Africa 2-0 across FOX, FOX One and Tubi.

[06/12/26 - 08:15 AM]
"Nightline" Ranks No. 1 Across the Board and Posts Increases Both Week to Week and Year to Year in All Key Target Demos
"Nightline" posted week-to-week increases in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, delivering its strongest numbers in both key Adult demos in nearly 2 1/2 years.

[06/11/26 - 03:51 PM]
ESPN's Presentation of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final Game 4 Draws Largest Audience Since 2017
Game 4, which saw the Carolina Hurricanes defeat the Vegas Golden Knights 5-3 in Las Vegas to even the series at 2-2, averaged 5.3 million viewers on ABC and drew the largest Game 4 audience since 2017.

[06/11/26 - 03:15 PM]
ABC Dominates Full Season Competitive Multiplatform Rankers
"High Potential" and "Dancing with the Stars" rank in the Top 5 among Total Viewers while the network excels among Adults 18-49 with four of the Top 5 shows.

[06/10/26 - 01:49 PM]
23.8M Viewers! ABC and ESPN Deliver Largest NBA Finals Game 3 Audience Since 1998
Through three games, the 2026 NBA Finals is ABC and ESPN's second most-watched ever, averaging 19.1M viewers.

[06/10/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of June 1
"Off Campus," "Spider-Noir," "The Boys," "Clarkson's Farm," and "Citadel" led all original series worldwide.

[06/10/26 - 09:08 AM]
NBC Sports Delivers 2nd-Largest Final Round Audience for U.S. Women's Open Since 2014
Coverage averaged 1.3 million viewers across NBC and Peacock.

[06/09/26 - 03:59 PM]
Belmont Stakes Audience Peaks at 4.7 Million Viewers Across FOX & FS1
The combined telecast on FOX and FS1 averaged 3,730,000 viewers.

[06/09/26 - 03:51 PM]
ESPN's Presentation of 2026 Stanley Cup Final Off to Best Start Through Three Games Since 2015
Game 3 averaged 5 million viewers on ABC helping lead the Stanley Cup to its best start in over a decade.

[06/09/26 - 03:34 PM]
FOX UFL Scores Strong Finish
1,066,000 viewers watched FOX UFL as the Louisville Kings defeated the St. Louis Battlehawks Sunday and advanced to the United Bowl.

[06/09/26 - 02:50 PM]
ABC's Most-Watched NBA Finals Game 2 Since 2018 with Average Audience of 16.43M Viewers
Viewership peaked with 19.42 million viewers at 11:15 p.m. ET.

[06/09/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of June 1 - "Office Romance" Sneaks to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
Plus: "Michael Jackson: The Verdict" has grabbed viewers' attention, landing at No. 1 on the English TV list with 17.8 million views.

[06/09/26 - 10:29 AM]
May Continues ESPN Studio Shows' Year-Long Viewership Success
Combined, all ESPN studio shows were up 27 percent in viewership over May of 2025 and up 11% year-over-year (YOY) among younger viewers in the Persons ages 18-49 demographic.

[06/09/26 - 10:01 AM]
ESPN Delivers Most-Watched NCAA DI Women's College World Series on Record
The WCWS Finals, featuring Texas and Texas Tech, averaged 2.2 million viewers as the Longhorns claimed their second-straight national championship in the two-game series.