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[05/13/16 - 08:30 AM]
Thursday's Broadcast Ratings: "Big Bang" Season Finale Tops Demo Race
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 (5/12/16):

CBS (7.935 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.7, #1) was still the network to beat on Thursday with the season finale of "The Big Bang Theory" (14.454 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.3, #1) followed by new episodes of "The Odd Couple" (8.559 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.6, #6) and "Mom" (8.436 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.8, #T3), the season finale of "2 Broke Girls" (7.040 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.7, #5) and an original "Rush Hour" (4.560 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T8).

ABC (6.181 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.6, #2) then was a close second with a new "Grey's Anatomy" (7.674 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 2.1, #2), the season finale of "Scandal" (6.647 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.8, #T3) and a new "The Catch" (4.221 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T8).

Next up was NBC (4.145 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.9, #3) with fresh installments from "STRONG" (2.600 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T11), "The Blacklist" (6.442 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.3, #7) and "Game of Silence" (3.393 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T11).

Meanwhile, FOX (3.030 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #4) offered up originals from "Bones" (4.166 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.8, #10) and "American Grit" (1.894 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T13).

And finally, the penultimate weeks of "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" (1.877 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T13) and "The 100" (1.179 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.4, #15) on The CW (1.528 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.5, #5) closed out the night.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+20.00% - Scandal
+16.67% - STRONG
+13.79% - The Big Bang Theory
+12.50% - Mom
+8.33% - The Blacklist
+6.25% - 2 Broke Girls
+5.00% - Grey's Anatomy
0.00% - The Odd Couple
0.00% - Rush Hour
0.00% - The Catch
0.00% - Game of Silence
0.00% - American Grit
0.00% - DC's Legends of Tomorrow
0.00% - The 100
-11.11% - Bones

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+65.00% - The Big Bang Theory (vs. The Big Bang Theory (Repeat))
0.00% - The 100 (vs. Reign)
-4.55% - Grey's Anatomy
-5.26% - Mom (vs. Mom (Repeat))
-5.56% - 2 Broke Girls (vs. The Big Bang Theory (Repeat))
-10.00% - The Catch (vs. American Crime)
-11.11% - The Odd Couple
-12.50% - STRONG (vs. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Repeat))
-13.33% - The Blacklist
-14.29% - DC's Legends of Tomorrow (vs. The Vampire Diaries)
-20.00% - Bones
-21.74% - Scandal
-25.00% - Rush Hour (vs. Elementary)
-30.00% - Game of Silence (vs. Dateline NBC)
-40.00% - American Grit (vs. Wayward Pines)

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; "Late Show with Stephen Colbert," 1.9/5; 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," 0.8/4; "Late Show," 0.5/2; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 0.5/3.

· From 12:35-1:05 a.m. ET, ABC's "Nightline" averaged a 1.4/4 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" (1.1/4 in metered-market households) beat CBS's "Late Late Show" (0.9/3). In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Late Night" (0.4/3 in 18-49) 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 and a 0.2/2 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.


Here are the highlights of the 15 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (5/14/15):

On a night packed with finales, ABC (6.893 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.8, #1) was the network to beat among adults 18-49 with "Grey's Anatomy" (8.252 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 2.2, #2), "Scandal" (8.120 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 2.3, #1) and "American Crime" (4.308 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T9).

CBS (7.926 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.6, #2) then claimed the silver with a repeat "The Big Bang Theory" (9.568 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.0, #3) followed by the season finale of "The Odd Couple" (8.220 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.8, #T5), repeats of "Mom" (8.046 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.9, #4) and "The Big Bang Theory" (7.861 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.8, #T5) plus the season finale of "Elementary" (6.929 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 1.2, #8).

Next up was NBC (5.367 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.1, #3) with a repeat "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (3.795 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.8, #13) alongside the season finale of "The Blacklist" (7.262 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.5, #7) and a new "Dateline NBC" (5.045 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T9).

Meanwhile, FOX (4.231 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.0, #4) served up a new "Bones" (4.647 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T9) and the premiere of "Wayward Pines" (3.815 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T9).

And finally, the season finales of "The Vampire Diaries" (1.450 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.7, #14) and "Reign" (0.866 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.4, #15) on The CW (1.158 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 0.5 rating at 9:00/8:00c.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+33.33% - Reign
+25.00% - Dateline NBC
+16.67% - The Vampire Diaries
+9.09% - Elementary
+7.14% - The Blacklist
+4.55% - Scandal
0.00% - Grey's Anatomy
0.00% - The Odd Couple
0.00% - American Crime
-9.09% - Bones

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+266.67% - Grey's Anatomy (vs. Grey's Anatomy (Repeat))
+50.00% - The Blacklist (vs. Rosemary's Baby, Part 2)
0.00% - Dateline NBC (vs. Rosemary's Baby, Part 2)
-8.00% - Scandal (vs. Grey's Anatomy)
-9.09% - American Crime (vs. Black Box)
-12.50% - The Vampire Diaries
-14.29% - Elementaryv -20.00% - Reign
-25.00% - The Odd Couple (vs. The Millers)
-41.18% - Bones (vs. Hell's Kitchen)
-50.00% - Wayward Pines (vs. 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 Starring Jimmy Fallon," 2.5/6; CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman," 3.3/8; 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," 1.0/5; "Late Show," 0.6/3; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 0.7/3.

· From 12:35-1:05 a.m. ET, ABC's "Nightline" averaged a 1.2/4 in metered-market households and a 0.4/2 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) trailed CBS's "Late Late Show with James Corden" (1.4/5). In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Late Night" (0.5/4 in 18-49) topped "Late Late Show" (0.2/2).

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

Source: Nielsen Media Research





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