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[12/14/18 - 08:23 AM]
Thursday's Broadcast Ratings: "Thursday Night Football" Powers FOX 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 15 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (12/13/18):

[Note: Fast affiliate ratings are inaccurate for live sports.]

FOX (12.314 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.4, #1) was the network to beat on Thursday thanks to its final telecasts of "Thursday Night Football Pre-Game" (11.157 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 2.9, #2) and "Thursday Night Football" (12.545 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.5, #1).

CBS (6.172 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #2) then was the silver draw with its mix of "The Big Bang Theory" (8.078 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T4) and "Young Sheldon" (7.720 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T4) repeats, followed by new episodes of "Mom" (7.671 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.2, #3) and "Murphy Brown" (5.513 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T6) and a second run "SWAT" (4.024 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T11).

Next up was ABC (2.984 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #3) with encores of "Disney Prep & Landing" (3.193 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T6) and "Disney Prep & Landing 2: Naughty vs. Nice" (2.552 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T9) plus a new "The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition" (3.039 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T9).

Meanwhile, NBC (2.223 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4) offered up originals from "Superstore" (3.004 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T6) and "I Feel Bad" (1.850 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T13) alongside a rebroadcast of "A Saturday Night Live Christmas Special" (2.121 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T11).

And finally, The CW (1.251 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.4, #5) closed out the evening with its fall finales to "Supernatural" (1.426 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T13) and "Legacies" (1.076 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.3, #15).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+70.59% - Thursday Night Football Pre-Game
+52.17% - Thursday Night Football
0.00% - Mom
0.00% - I Feel Bad
-12.50% - Murphy Brown
-14.29% - The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition
-20.00% - Supernatural
-22.22% - Superstore
-25.00% - Legacies

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+400.00% - Thursday Night Football (vs. Various)
+314.29% - Thursday Night Football Pre-Game (vs. Showtime at the Apollo: Christmas)
0.00% - Supernatural (vs. iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2017)
0.00% - Legacies (vs. Various)
-14.29% - Mom
-14.29% - The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition
-36.36% - Murphy Brown (vs. Life in Pieces)
-53.33% - Superstore (vs. Thursday Night Football Pre-Game)
-80.95% - I Feel Bad (vs. Thursday Night Football)

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," 1.8/5; "Late Show with Stephen Colbert," 2.4/7; and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 1.6/4.

· In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, adult 18-49 results were: "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," 0.5/3; "Late Show," 0.4/2; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 0.4/3.

· From 12:35-1:05 a.m. ET, ABC's "Nightline" averaged a 1.0/3 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, ratings were: "Late Night with Seth Meyers," 1.2/4 in metered-market households; CBS's "Late Late Show," 1.2/5. In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, averages were: "Late Night," 0.4/4 in 18-49; "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.


Here are the highlights of the 15 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (12/14/17):

NBC (7.697 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 2.0, #1) was still the demo champ on Thursday with "Thursday Night Football Pre-Game" (6.190 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.5, #4) and "Thursday Night Football" (7.998 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 2.1, #2).

CBS (8.886 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.5, #2) then was the silver draw - but most watched overall - with its mix of "The Big Bang Theory" (13.545 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.6, #1), "Young Sheldon" (11.622 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 2.0, #3), "Mom" (8.734 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.4, #T5), "Life in Pieces" (6.634 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T7) and "SWAT" (6.392 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.0, #9).

Next up was ABC (3.612 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.9, #3) and its repeat lineup of "Olaf's Frozen Adventure" (5.670 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 1.4, #T5), "Disney Prep & Landing" (4.145 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T7), "The Great Christmas Light Fight" (3.255 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.8, #10) and another "The Great Christmas Light Fight" (2.673 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.6, #13).

Meanwhile, FOX (2.989 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #4) served up its specials "Showtime at the Apollo: Christmas" (3.186 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T11) and "Taraji's White Hot Holidays" (2.792 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T11).

And finally, the "iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2017" (1.183 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.4, #14) and a repeat "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (0.754 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.2, #15) on The CW (1.076 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.3, #5) rounded out the night.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+11.11% - SWAT
0.00% - Mom
0.00% - Life in Pieces
-7.14% - The Big Bang Theory
-9.09% - Young Sheldon
-21.05% - Thursday Night Football Pre-Game
-27.59% - Thursday Night Football

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+40.00% - Taraji's White Hot Holidays (vs. Hell's Kitchen (Repeat))
+17.65% - Young Sheldon (vs. The Great Indoors)
+16.67% - Showtime at the Apollo: Christmas (vs. Hell's Kitchen (Repeat))
+11.11% - SWAT (vs. Pure Genius)
0.00% - iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2017
-6.67% - Mom
-15.38% - Life in Pieces
-21.21% - The Big Bang Theory
-22.22% - Thursday Night Football
-31.82% - Thursday Night Football Pre-Game

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

TBA

Source: Nielsen Media Research





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