or


[12/31/17 - 08:48 AM]
Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: NBC Wins Penultimate Night of 2017
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 10 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (12/30/17):

NBC (3.818 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.7, #1) was the top draw on the penultimate night of 2017 with "Dateline Saturday Night Mystery" (4.353 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.8, #1) and a vintage "Saturday Night Live" (2.748 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #2).

CBS (3.051 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #2) then was the number two broadcaster with repeats of "Hawaii Five-0" (2.962 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T4), "48 Hours" (2.313 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T4) and another "48 Hours" (3.879 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #3).

Next up was FOX (1.240 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #3) with encores of "The Gifted" (0.942 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T8) and "Lethal Weapon" (1.538 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T4).

And finally, ABC (1.430 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.2, #4) closed out the night with repeats of "The Bachelor: Countdown to Arie" (1.308 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T8) and "Match Game" (1.556 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T4) plus a new "Ten Days in the Valley" (1.428 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T8).

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

· A Dec. 30 encore of "Saturday Night Live," with host Tiffany Haddish and musical guest Taylor Swift, has averaged a 2.8 rating, 7 share in households in Nielsen's 56 metered markets and a 1.1/6 in 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

· "Saturday Night Live" equaled its highest household rating in the metered markets for a regular-slot encore since June 10 (2.9 with host Jimmy Fallon and musical guest Harry Styles, excludes a midnight Oct. 28 hourlong "Halloween Clips" encore and a Dec. 23 rebroadcast that was delayed by a high-rated NFL overrun). "SNL" also scored a 2.8 in the metered markets with the Nov. 25 rebroadcast hosted by Gal Gadot with musical guest Sam Smith.

· In adults 18-49 in the local people meters, it was the show's high for a regular-slot rebroadcast since April 29 (1.1 with host Aziz Ansari and musical guest Big Sean, excludes the Oct. 28 midnight encore and delayed Dec. 23 rebroadcast). The last time a regular-slot encore scored higher was April 1 (1.2 with host Alec Baldwin and musical guest Ed Sheeran).

· Last night's "Saturday Night Live" was the #1 show of the night on the Big 4 networks in 18-49 in the local people meters, topping all primetime shows on those networks in that key demo.


Here are the highlights of the nine ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (12/31/16):

ABC (8.157 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.4, #1) closed out 2016 on top with its primetime portions of "Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2017 - Part 1" (6.519 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.8, #2) and "Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2017 - Part 2" (11.434 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.5, #1).

NBC (3.492 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #2) then was the silver draw with "A Toast to 2016!" (3.639 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T3) and "Late Night with Seth Meyers New Year's Eve Special" (3.197 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T3).

Next up was CBS (3.135 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #3) with repeats of "Hawaii Five-0" (2.833 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T6), "48 Hours" (2.914 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T6) and another "48 Hours" (3.658 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #5).

And finally, FOX (1.389 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #4) closed out the evening with repeats of "Bones" (1.306 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T8) and "Lethal Weapon" (1.472 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T8).

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

· "NBC's New Year's Eve with Carson Daly" has hit a seven-year high in adults 18-49 in the local people meters, with a +22% jump versus last year, while rival New Year's Eve broadcasts on ABC and Fox both declined. In metered-market households, the NBC telecast grew +19% year to year to a three-year high.

· From 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m., "NBC's New Year's Eve with Carson Daly" averaged a 5.1 rating, 11 share in households in the 56 markets metered by Nielsen Media Research and a 3.3/12 in 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

· "NBC's New Year's Eve with Carson Daly" grew +19% in metered market households versus last year's 4.3/10 for a Thursday telecast, making this Daly's top New Year's Eve household rating since 2013 (5.2 on a Tuesday).

· Last night's 3.3 in 18-49 in the local people meters is up +22% versus the year-ago 2.7/10, for the special's best score since 2009 (3.4 on a Thursday).

· The 3.3 ranks as the second-highest rating ever in the local people meters for the annual Carson Daly telecast over its 12 years on the air, trailing since the first telecast in 2005 only the 2009 result.

· Other late-night averages last night in the markets metered by Nielsen included: "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2017" on ABC, 9.0/22 from 11:30 p.m.-1:15 a.m. (versus the year-ago 9.9/24) and 6.8/27 in 18-49 in the local people meters (vs. last year's 7.4/29); and Fox's "Pitbull's New Year's Revolution," 2.6/6 in metered-market households from 11 p.m.-12:30 a.m. (vs. last year's 3.1/7) and 2.4/9 in 18-49 in the local people meters (vs. last year's 2.7/10). National results for the December 31 late-night programs, including viewer numbers, are due from Nielsen Media Research on Wednesday.

· An encore telecast of "Saturday Night Live," airing from 12:30-2 a.m. ET with host with host Benedict Cumberbatch and musical guest Solange, averaged a 2.2/7 in households in Nielsen's 56 metered markets and a 1.6/8 in 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

· It's the highest-rated "Saturday Night Live" encore since February 2015 in the local people meters, with last night's 1.6 in 18-49 the show's best since Feb. 14, 2015 (1.6 with host George Carlin and musical guests Janis Ian and Billy Preston [the "SNL" series premiere from 1975]). The last time an "SNL" rebroadcast has scored higher in the local people meters was Jan. 3, 2015 (1.7 with host Woody Harrelson and musical guest Kendrick Lamar the night of an NFL Playoff overrun).

· National ratings, including viewer totals, for last night's "Saturday Night Live" encore are due from Nielsen on Wednesday.

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [december 2017]  
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
[01/07/26 - 12:32 PM]
Bowl Season on ESPN Networks Delivers Strongest Audience Since 2015-16
ABC delivered its largest non CFP bowl audience in 12 years, averaging 6.2 million viewers across six games.

[01/07/26 - 09:29 AM]
In 2025, Fans Power ESPN and "ESPN on ABC" to Its Most-Watched Year in Over a Decade
ESPN networks increased industry-leading sports share to 35 percent, up from 31 percent in 2024.

[01/06/26 - 03:18 PM]
FOX NFL Rings in Best Regular Season Since 2015
The regular season averaged 19.633 million viewers for the network.

[01/06/26 - 03:00 PM]
Record-Setting Season as "Sunday Night Football" on NBC and Peacock Averages 23.5 Million Viewers & Paces as Primetime's #1 Show for Unprecedented 15th Consecutive Year
"Sunday Night Football" averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 23.5 million viewers for the 2025 season.

[01/06/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of December 29 - "Stranger Things 5" Concludes Right Side Up at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
At No. 2 on the English TV list with 12.7 million views is the new Harlan Coben mystery series "Run Away," centered on a father desperate for clues about his missing daughter while a string of related murders heightens the urgency to find her.

[01/05/26 - 02:34 PM]
2025-26 College Football Playoff Quarterfinals on ESPN Score 19.3 Million Average Viewers; CFP Up YOY Through Two Rounds
The Rose Bowl (Indiana vs. Alabama) topped all coverage with 23.9 million viewers on average.

[01/05/26 - 09:49 AM]
Prime Video Delivers "Thursday Night Football's" Most-Watched Season Ever
The 2025 season averaged 15.33 million viewers throughout its 15-game campaign, marking a +16% increase over the 2024 season and the third-consecutive year of double-digit, year-over-year viewership growth.

[01/02/26 - 03:45 PM]
"Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" Rises to Four Year High Reaching 30 Million Total Viewers at Midnight
The telecast averaged 18.8 million total viewers in the 11:30pm-12:30am hour alone.

[01/02/26 - 09:49 AM]
FOX NFL's Week 17 "America's Game of the Week" Comes Out on Top with 28.8 Million Viewers
The Eagles-Bills close finish marked FOX's second most-watched telecast of the regular season.

[12/31/25 - 12:46 PM]
NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix Scores Again With the Lions-Vikings Becoming the Most-Streamed NFL Game in US History
Said coverage averaged 27.5 million viewers in the US, with US viewership peaking at over 30 million viewers.

[12/31/25 - 10:11 AM]
NFL on Prime's Christmas Night Showdown Between the Broncos and Chiefs Sets New Viewership Marks for "TNF"
The streamer's "Thursday Night Football" finale averaged 21.06 million viewers, peaking with 22.90 million.

[12/31/25 - 10:08 AM]
ESPN Delivered Largest Average NBA Christmas Audience Since 2018
The San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game in the 2:30 p.m. window became ESPN's most-watched NBA Christmas game in the timeslot since 2017, averaging 6.7 million viewers.

[12/30/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of December 22 - "Stranger Things 5" Runs Up That Hill to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
At No. 2 on the list was "Emily in Paris" Season 5 with 13.3 million views.

[12/30/25 - 08:00 AM]
Aced It! ESPN Scored Most-Watched 2025 NCAA Women's College Volleyball Season on Record
The entirety of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament finished up 13% year over year, averaging 666,000 viewers across the 15 matches and featured the most-watched Regionals on record.

[12/24/25 - 10:01 AM]
Dec. 20 Holiday Episode Ranks as #1 "Saturday Night Live" Telecast of the Season
Hosted by Ariana Grande with musical guest Cher, the episode drew 5.4 million viewers.