or


[05/20/18 - 08:55 AM]
Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: NBC Keeps Demo Crown with NHL Playoffs
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 eight ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (5/19/18):

NBC (2.817 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #1) held onto the top demo spot on Saturday with its coverage of the "NHL Playoffs: Capitals @ Lightning" (2.959 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.9, #1) and a vintage "Saturday Night Live" (2.531 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.7, #2).

CBS (4.429 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #2) then claimed the silver with its news special "Royal Romance: The Marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle" (4.680 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #3) and a new "48 Hours" (3.930 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T4).

Next up was ABC (2.531 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #3) with second runs of "American Idol" (2.031 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T6) and "20/20 Saturday" (3.530 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T4).

And finally, encores of "MasterChef Junior" (1.022 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T6) and "Showtime at the Apollo" (0.981 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.2, #8) on FOX (1.001 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #4) rounded out the night.

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

· "Saturday Night Live" has delivered its highest overnight ratings since April 7.

· The May 19 edition of "Saturday Night Live," the season finale with host Tina Fey and musical guest Nicki Minaj, has averaged a 4.5 rating, 11 share in "live plus same day" household results from the 56 local markets metered by Nielsen Media Research and a 1.9/10 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

· It's the highest-rated "Saturday Night Live" in both measures since the April 7 telecast, with host Chadwick Boseman and musical guest Cardi B (4.6 in metered-market households, 2.0 in 18-49 in the local people meters).

· The May 19 telecast, which included appearances by Alec Baldwin, Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Jerry Seinfeld, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Rock, Fred Armisen, Anne Hathaway, Tracy Morgan, Donald Glover, Lin-Manuel Miranda and John Goodman, scored as the #1 show of the night on the Big 4 networks in both metered-market households and 18-49 in the local people meters, topping in both measures all primetime programs on those nets.

· The May 19 "SNL" aired live coast to coast (11:30 p.m. ET, 8:30 p.m. PT) and was replayed at 11:30 in western markets.


Here are the highlights of the 10 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (5/20/17):

NBC (2.697 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #1) claimed the demo crown on Saturday with its primetime portion of the "NHL Playoffs: Predators at Ducks" (2.688 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T1) followed by "SNL Vintage" (2.716 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T1).

CBS (2.853 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.3, #4) then was the most-watched network with a repeat "NCIS: New Orleans" (3.196 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T7) alongside the departing "Training Day" (2.536 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T7) and a new "48 Hours" (2.826 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5).

Next up was ABC (2.544 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) and its encore lineup of "American Housewife" (1.503 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T7), "Downward Dog" (1.390 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T7), "20/20 Saturday" (2.854 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3) and another "20/20 Saturday" (3.330 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3).

And finally, "FOX Sports Saturday Presents Major League Baseball" (2.544 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5) rounded out the night on FOX (2.194 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2).

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

· "Saturday Night Live" has outrated every primetime telecast on the broadcast networks so far this week in adults 18-49, while delivering the show's most-watched season finale in six years.

· The May 20 edition of "Saturday Night Live," with host Dwayne Johnson and musical guest Katy Perry, averaged 8.272 million viewers overall and a 2.32 rating in adults 18-49 in "fast official" "live plus same day" results from Nielsen Media Research.

· The telecast, which aired live coast to coast (11:30 p.m. ET, 8:30 p.m. PT) and counted unduplicated viewers from 11:30 encores in western markets, ranks as the #1 telecast so far this week on the broadcast networks in adult 18-49 rating, outrating the week's current #2 show, Fox's "Empire" (2.17) by a +7% margin.

· The 8.272 million is "Saturday's Night Live's" biggest overall audience for a season finale since May 21, 2011 (with host Justin Timberlake and musical guest Lady Gaga, 9.818 million). In 18-49, it's the top-rated "SNL" season-closer since May 18, 2013 (with host Ben Affleck and musical guest Kanye West, 2.37).

· Versus "Saturday Night Live's" average with originals for the month of May last year, this week's telecast is up +45% in adults 18-49 (with a 2.32 rating vs. a 1.60) and +3.0 million persons or +58% in total viewers (8.272 million vs. 5.233 million for the month of May 2016).

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [may 2018]  
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
[05/28/26 - 03:23 PM]
2026 NBA Eastern Conference Finals Presented by Dunkin' Finishes Strong with Average Audience of 7.4 Million Viewers Across ESPN and ABC
Additionally, Game 4 on ESPN averaged 7.2 million viewers, marking the most-viewed Eastern Conference Finals Game 4 across any network since 2018.

[05/28/26 - 11:00 AM]
CBS Outpaces Competitors with Eight of the Top 25 Series Across All Streaming and Broadcast Originals in Nielsen's All-Series Ranker
CBS has the most top 25 series of any streaming or broadcast competitor and twice as many as its closest broadcast competitor, including six series with 10+ million viewers.

[05/28/26 - 10:31 AM]
FOX Delivers Most-Watched UFL Game Since League Started in 2024
1,593,000 viewers watched as Louisville defeated Dallas 37-23 on Sunday.

[05/28/26 - 10:26 AM]
FOX Scores with 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500
6,635,000 viewers watched Felix Rosenqvist edge David Malukas by 0.0233 seconds with a last-lap pass to win the Indy 500 Sunday on FOX.

[05/27/26 - 03:13 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Draws Strong Audience Over Holiday Weekend
2,355,000 viewers tuned in to the two-game slate highlighted by the Dodgers' 11-3 victory over the Brewers in most of the country.

[05/26/26 - 12:03 PM]
"Off Campus" Season 1 Has Reached 36 Million Viewers Worldwide in Its First 12 Days
Off Campus. On everyone's screen.

[05/26/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of May 18 - In Ruthless Pursuit, "Nemesis" Steals No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
Retirement in "The Boroughs" is anything but sleepy as the Duffer Brothers-produced sci-fi series took No. 2 on the list with 5.6 million views.

[05/26/26 - 11:00 AM]
"Dutton Ranch" Is the Biggest Original Series Debut in Paramount+ History
In addition to its record-setting performance on Paramount+, "Dutton Ranch" is also the #1 streaming series according to Nielsen based on average audience for the week of May 11 according to preliminary data.

[05/21/26 - 02:32 PM]
ESPN Delivered Most-Watched NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 Since 2018
The New York Knicks overtime victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 19 generated an average audience of 7.1 million viewers and peaked with 8.87 million viewers at 10:45 p.m. ET.

[05/21/26 - 02:00 PM]
"Survivor" Historic 50th Season Concludes with Most-Watched Finale Since 2020
The season finale drew an average of 5.78 million viewers, based on Nielsen Preliminary panel only data.

[05/21/26 - 07:01 AM]
NBC Sports' 2026 SuperMotocross Coverage Delivers Viewership Gains and Milestones
The seven races featured on NBC and Peacock averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 468,000 viewers on NBC and Peacock, up 8% vs. 2025.

[05/20/26 - 03:05 PM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver the Most-Watched Western Conference Finals Game 1 Ever for Monday's Spurs-Thunder Double Overtime Thriller
Coverage peaked with 12.0 million viewers from 11:30-11:43 p.m. ET for the second overtime and game's conclusion.

[05/20/26 - 03:04 PM]
ESPN Aired Its Most Viewed 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round of the Current Rights Deal
Collectively all 11 Second Round games, with nine airing on ESPN and two on ABC, delivered 2.2 million viewers, up 76% year-over-year.

[05/20/26 - 07:36 AM]
After Record-Setting 2025 Season, "Sunday Night Football" Finishes Fall-Spring TV Season as Primetime's No. 1 Show for Unprecedented 15th Consecutive Year
The series averaged 23.5 million viewers in 2025, marking the show's best-ever viewership - up nearly 1 million viewers from the prior record for the series set a decade ago (22.6 million in 2015 season) and an increase of 9% over the '24 season (21.6 million).

[05/19/26 - 02:52 PM]
Subway Series Delivers Second Most-Watched FOX Saturday Baseball Telecast of the Season
2,500,000 viewers tuned-in to the two-game slate highlighted by the Mets' 6-3 victory over the Yankees in most of the country.