or


[08/30/15 - 08:36 AM]
Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: CBS Rides NFL Preseason to Another Victory
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 seven ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (8/29/15):

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Due to significant local NFL pre-season preemptions, all Fast Nationals are inflated.]

CBS (4.721 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.2, #1) claimed the top spot with its coverage of "NFL Preseason: Seattle at San Diego" (4.721 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.2, #T1).

NBC (4.151 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.1, #2) then was a close second with a repeat "American Ninja Warrior" (4.800 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.2, #T1) and the finale of "Hannibal" (2.854 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T5).

Next up was ABC (3.280 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T3) and repeats of "Cars" (3.386 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T3) and "Last Man Standing" (2.750 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.7, #7).

And finally, encores of "Bullseye" (2.975 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T5) and "Home Free" (3.144 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T3) on FOX (3.059 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T3) closed out the evening.

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

· An encore "Saturday Night Live," with host Taraji P. Henson and musical guest Mumford and Sons, averaged a 2.5 rating, 7 share in household results in Nielsen's 56 metered markets and a 0.9/5 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with Local People Meters, matching the show's highest metered-market household rating in 10 weeks (since June 20, with host and musical guest Blake Shelton, 2.7/7). Over that span, "SNL" also earned a 2.5 on July 18 (with host Kevin Hart and musical guest Sia).

· It's the third straight week "SNL" has grown in metered-market households (from a 2.2 on Aug. 8 to a 2.3 on Aug. 15 to a 2.4 on Aug. 22 to a 2.5 on Aug. 29).

· Last night's "SNL" was the #1 non-sports program of the night on the Big 4 networks in metered-market households and adults 18-49 in the Local People Meters, beating all the night's primetime entertainment programming on those networks in both measures.

· Versus the same night last year, "SNL" was up +9% in 18-49 (2.5 vs. 2.3) and up +13% in 18-49 in the Local People Meters (0.9 vs. 0.8).

· Note that "SNL" adds significant viewership via time-shifting, with originals this season growing by an average of +44% going from "live plus same day ratings" to "live plus seven day" in adults 18-49 (from a 1.84 rating to a 2.65).


Here are the highlights of the seven ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (8/30/14):

The return of "Saturday Night Football" (5.438 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.7, #1) put ABC (5.438 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.7, #1) on top on Saturday.

NBC (3.782 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.7, #2) then was a distant second place with a two-hour "Dateline Saturday Night Mystery" (4.164 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.8, #2) and a repeat of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (3.020 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T4).

Next up was CBS (3.509 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #3) with special Saturday editons of "Unforgettable" (4.349 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #3) and "Reckless" (2.895 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T4) plus a repeat "48 Hours" (3.284 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T4).

And finally, "College Football on FOX" (0.920 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.2, #7) closed out the evening on FOX (0.920 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.2, #4).

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

·An encore telecast of "Saturday Night Live," with host and musical guest Lady Gaga, averaged a 2.3/6 in household results in Nielsen's 56 metered markets and a 0.8/3 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with Local People Meters, to rank as the #1 non-sports telecast of the night on the Big 4 networks in 18-49 in the Local People Meters. "SNL" matched the metered-market household rating of the previous week and the same night last year.

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [august 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
[10/07/25 - 03:52 PM]
FOX Sports' ALDS Coverage Up 14% Year-Over-Year Across FOX and FS1
3,187,000 viewers tuned in on average for the first four games of the 2025 ALDS across FOX and FS1.

[10/07/25 - 03:10 PM]
"College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" Delivers Second Most-Watched Regular Season Episode Ever; ESPN & ABC Score Three of Week 6's Top Four Games
ABC's telecast of Vanderbilt at Alabama on Saturday averaged 6.4 million viewers.

[10/07/25 - 02:54 PM]
College Football on FOX Scores Big in Week Six
In Week 6, "Big Noon Saturday" scored 4,627,000 viewers for Michigan's 24-10 win over Wisconsin on FOX - the most-watched noon game on any network.

[10/07/25 - 02:54 PM]
ESPN Scores Most-Watched Game 1 of the WNBA Finals in 28 Years
Coverage averaged 1.9 million viewers, up 62% from last year.

[10/07/25 - 02:40 PM]
"America's Game of the Week" on FOX Roars in Week 5 as Most-Watched Telecast of the Week on Any Network
20,333,000 average viewers on average tuned into the network for Week 5.

[10/07/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of September 29: "French Lover" Swoons at No. 1, "Monster: The Ed Gein Story" Chills in Top 10 Debut
Plus: "Wayward" reached No. 1 on the TV list for a second consecutive week, with 14.1 million views.

[10/06/25 - 10:04 AM]
ESPN Sets Multiple MLB Wild Card Series Viewership Records
ESPN networks averaged 4,625,000 viewers across 11 games, making it the most-watched Wild Card Series ever under the current format.

[10/03/25 - 02:46 PM]
With Largest Viewership in 7 Years, "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in All Key Demos for Season Premiere
"Nightline" drew its largest overall audience in nearly 2 years and delivered its strongest Adult 25-54 performance in 20 months.

[10/03/25 - 02:45 PM]
"20/20" Is Friday's No. 1 Newsmagazine in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49
"20/20" opened its new season with its strongest performance in Total Viewers (2.752 million) and Adults 25-54 (386,000) in over 3 months.

[10/03/25 - 02:17 PM]
ESPN's Record-Setting '25 MLB Wild Card Series
Across eight games, the MLB Wild Card Series is averaging 4.4 million viewers, up 65% from last year.

[10/03/25 - 12:07 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Continues to Shatter Records - Growing Two Weeks in a Row Since Season Premiere for First Time Since 2005
Plus: "High Potential" hit a season high in Total Viewers (4.24 million), growing by double digits over the show's comparable third episode from last fall.

[10/02/25 - 04:09 PM]
ESPN Delivers the Most-Watched WNBA Semifinals Ever
Game 5 between the Indiana Fever and the Las Vegas Aces averaged 1.8 million viewers, peaking at 2.1 million.

[10/02/25 - 02:51 PM]
ESPN's Record-Setting Day One of MLB Wild Card Series
Coverage of Red Sox versus Yankees averaged 6.5 million viewers, peaking at 9.9 million.

[10/02/25 - 11:00 AM]
"Survivor" and "The Amazing Race" Season Premieres Hit Their Largest 3-Day Streaming Viewerships Ever
The "Survivor" season 49 premiere grew to 6.83 million viewers with three days of multiplatform viewership; while "The Amazing Race" season 38 premiere grew to 4.01 million viewers.

[10/02/25 - 09:38 AM]
"Celebrity Wheel of Fortune" Scores on Friday Nights with Biggest Total Viewer Audience in Nearly Two Years
"Celebrity Wheel of Fortune" stood as the No. 1 program of the night, rising by double digits in Total Viewers over its previous season premiere.