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[05/18/15 - 08:35 AM]
Sunday's Broadcast Ratings: "Billboard Music Awards" Wins Big for ABC
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 (5/17/15):

ABC (9.939 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.1, #1) overshadowed the competition on Sunday with the season finale of "America's Funniest Home Videos" (6.395 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.4, #2) and "The 2015 Billboard Music Awards" (11.120 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.7, #1).

FOX (2.300 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.0, #2) then was a distant second with its mix of a repeat "The Simpsons" (1.540 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T12), a new "Bob's Burgers" (1.933 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T9) and the season finales of "The Simpsons" (2.793 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.2, #4), "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" (2.295 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T5), "Family Guy" (2.820 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 1.3, #3) and "Bob's Burgers" (2.420 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T5).

Next up was CBS (6.376 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T3) and its combination of "60 Minutes" (8.699 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T7), "I Love Lucy Superstar Special" (6.408 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T9), "Battle Creek" (5.104 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T12) and a second "Battle Creek" (5.292 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T12).

And finally, new episodes of "Dateline NBC" (5.740 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T7), "AD: The Bible Continues" (4.846 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.8, #11) and "American Odyssey" (2.665 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.4, #15) closed out the evening on NBC (4.748 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T3).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+11.11% - Dateline NBC
0.00% - America's Funniest Home Videos
0.00% - The Simpsons
-8.33% - Bob's Burgers - 9:30
-8.33% - Brooklyn Nine-Nine
-9.09% - 60 Minutes
-10.00% - Bob's Burgers - 7:30 (vs. 5/3/15)
-11.11% - AD: The Bible Continues
-18.75% - Family Guy (vs. 5/3/15)
-20.00% - American Odyssey
-25.00% - Battle Creek

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+150.00% - Dateline NBC (vs. Coldplay: Ghost Stories/American Dream Builders)
+18.18% - Family Guy (vs. Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey)
+5.71% - The 2015 Billboard Music Awards
0.00% - Bob's Burgers - 9:30 (vs. Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey)
0.00% - AD: The Bible Continues (vs. The Women of SNL (Repeat))
-12.50% - America's Funniest Home Videos
-23.08% - 60 Minutes
-25.00% - Bob's Burgers - 7:30 (vs. American Dad)
-25.00% - The Simpsons
-45.00% - Brooklyn Nine-Nine (vs. Family Guy)
-47.06% - I Love Lucy Superstar Special (vs. The Amazing Race)
-50.00% - American Odyssey (vs. The Women of SNL (Repeat))
-50.00% - Battle Creek - 9:00 (vs. The Good Wife)
-60.00% - Battle Creek - 10:00 (vs. The Mentalist)


Here are the highlights of the 14 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (5/18/14):

ABC (9.495 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.0, #1) was the network to beat on Sunday thanks to the season finale of "America's Funniest Home Videos" (6.626 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.6, #T4) followed by its presentation of "The 2014 Billboard Music Awards" (10.452 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.5, #1).

CBS (9.175 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.4, #2) then claimed the silver with its night of finales for "60 Minutes" (9.821 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.3, #7), "The Amazing Race 23" (8.158 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.7, #3), "The Good Wife" (9.042 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.2, #T8) and "The Mentalist" (9.680 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.5, #6).

Next up was FOX (2.992 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.3, #3) and its respective finales for "Bob's Burgers" (1.955 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.9, #11), "American Dad" (2.364 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 1.2, #T8), "The Simpsons" (3.283 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 1.6, #T4) and "Family Guy" (3.849 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 2.0, #2) plus a new "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey" (3.252 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 1.1, #10).

And finally, NBC (2.142 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #4) was out of the hunt with its mix of "Coldplay: Ghost Stories" (1.713 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T14), "American Dream Builders" (1.758 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T14) and an encore of "The Women of SNL" (2.548 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T12).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+25.00% - The Mentalist
+18.18% - 60 Minutes
+9.09% - American Dad
+6.67% - America's Funniest Home Videos
0.00% - The Amazing Race 23
0.00% - The Simpsons
0.00% - The Good Wife
0.00% - Bob's Burgers
-4.76% - Family Guy
-8.33% - Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
-20.00% - American Dream Builders (vs. 5/4/14)

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+30.77% - The Amazing Race 23 (vs. 60 Minutes)
+25.00% - The Mentalist (vs. ACM Presents: Tim McGraw's Superstar Summer Night)
+9.09% - American Dad (vs. The Cleveland Show)
0.00% - The Good Wife (vs. ACM Presents: Tim McGraw's Superstar Summer Night)
0.00% - Bob's Burgers (vs. The Cleveland Show)
-2.78% - The 2014 Billboard Music Awards
-4.76% - Family Guy (vs. The Simpsons)
-7.14% - 60 Minutes
-11.11% - America's Funniest Home Videos
-11.11% - The Simpsons
-42.86% - American Dream Builders (vs. The Voice (Repeat))
-42.86% - Coldplay: Ghost Stories (vs. The Voice (Repeat))
-56.86% - Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (vs. Family Guy)

Source: Nielsen Media Research





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