or


[02/09/20 - 08:56 AM]
Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: NBA Tops Demos for ABC; NBC Leads Total Viewers
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 nine ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (2/8/20):

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

ABC (2.161 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #1) led the low key demo race with "NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC" (2.161 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T1).

FOX (1.750 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #2) was a close second with encores of "The Masked Singer" (1.973 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T1) and "LEGO Masters" (1.528 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3).

Next up was NBC (3.134 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #3) with "Dateline Saturday Night Mystery" (3.205 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5), a second "Dateline Saturday Night Mystery" (3.553 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3) and "SNL Vintage" (2.644 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5).

And finally, rounding out the night with CBS (2.693 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.3, #4) and its mix of "Tommy" (2.573 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T8), "48 Hours" (2.158 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T8) and a new "48 Hours" (3.350 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5).

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

· The Feb. 8 telecast of "Saturday Night Live," with host RuPaul and musical guest Justin Bieber, has averaged a 4.3 rating in "live plus same day" household results from 44 local markets metered by Nielsen Media Research and a 1.9 rating in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

· The 4.3 in households ties last night's "Saturday Night Live" as the #2 highest-rated "SNL" in metered-market households among the 12 originals that have aired since Nielsen changed its methodology Oct. 5, ranking behind only the high-rated Dec. 21 telecast hosted by Eddie Murphy with musical guest Lizzo (6.7). "SNL" also generated a 4.3 on Nov. 23 with host Will Ferrell and musical guest King Princess.

· Note that current metered-market results are not compatible with data issued before Oct. 5 due to changes in Nielsen methodology.


Here are the highlights of the seven ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (2/9/19):

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

CBS (3.002 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #1) was the demo champ on Saturday with its inaugural coverage of the "Alliance of American Football" (3.002 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #1).

ABC (2.370 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.7, #2) then was a close second with its weekly "NBA Countdown" (2.031 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.5, #5) and "NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC" (2.438 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #2).

Next up was NBC (3.339 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #3) with an encore of "America's Got Talent: The Champions" (3.562 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T3) and a vintage "Saturday Night Live" (2.891 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T3).

And finally on FOX (1.090 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.2, #4), repeats of "9-1-1" (1.386 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.3, #6) and "The Passage" (0.793 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.2, #7) rounded out the evening.

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

· The Feb. 9 telecast of "Saturday Night Live," with host and musical guest Halsey, averaged a 4.7 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.

· These are the show's second highest metered-market ratings since "SNL's" Sept. 29, 2018 season premiere, trailing over that span only the Dec. 15, 2018 edition (hosted by Matt Damon with musical guests Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus, 4.8 in metered-market households, 2.0 in 18-49 in the local people meters). The season premiere, with host Adam Driver and musical guest Kanye West, earned a 4.8 in households and a 2.3 in 18-49.

· The Feb. 9 "Saturday Night Live" ranks 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 all primetime shows on those nets, including ABC's primetime Thunder-Rockets NBA Basketball coverage and CBS' inaugural Alliance of American Football telecast featuring the San Diego Fleet at the San Antonio Commanders and the Atlanta Legends at the Orlando Apollos.

· Versus what "Saturday Night Live" averaged with originals for the month of February last year, the Feb. 9 telecast is up +2% in metered-market households (4.7 vs. 4.6).

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [february 2020]  
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
[12/16/25 - 02:15 PM]
FOX NFL Week 15 Scores 19.4 Million Viewers for "America's Game of the Week"
Season-to-date, the NFL on FOX is averaging 20,055,000 viewers; up +8% over last year's average (18,630,000) and its best since 2015.

[12/16/25 - 02:15 PM]
"CBS News Presents: A Town Hall with Erika Kirk" Boosts CBS' Time Period Performance in Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49
The special delivered 1.9 million viewers with 265,000 in the adults 25-54 demographic on Saturday, December 13.

[12/16/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of December 8 - "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery" Cracks the Case at No. 1 in the Top 10
New comedy series "Man vs. Baby" took No. 1 on the English TV list with 19.1 million views, with the Rowan Atkinson vehicle eliciting laughs over the bumbling Trevor Bingley trying to earn money house-sitting for millionaires while a lost baby keeps him on his toes.

[12/15/25 - 09:19 AM]
Driven by Strong November Viewership, ESPN Earns Third Straight Month of Year-Over-Year Audience Growth for Weekday Studio Programming
Highlights include "The Pat McAfee Show" having its most-viewed November of all time across linear and YouTube with 445,000 average viewers per show and "NFL Live" reaching its second most-watched November since 2016 with 445,000 average viewers.

[12/12/25 - 03:04 PM]
ESPN Scored Most-Watched Jimmy V Women's Classic Ever; Men's Classic Most-Watched in Five Years
The former averaged 1.0 million viewers, peaking with 1.3 million.

[12/11/25 - 03:15 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in All Key Target Demos
The series also saw gains on the same week last year in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.

[12/10/25 - 02:59 PM]
FOX NFL Scores Massive Week 14 Viewership
28 million viewers watched FOX Sports' Week 14 "America's Game of the Week," featuring the Green Bay Packers divisional win over the Chicago Bears.

[12/10/25 - 12:08 PM]
NBCU's November to Remember Showcases the Power of Company's Programming
"All Her Fault" became the most-watched original series launch in Peacock history with 46 million hours.

[12/10/25 - 09:54 AM]
ABC Unwraps Holiday Presentations of Fan Favorite Shows
"Dancing with the Holidays" was the top-performing holiday-themed special across the broadcast networks among Adults 18-49 in two years.

[12/09/25 - 04:11 PM]
"College GameDay" Delivers Second Most-Watched Conference Championship Episode Ever; ABC/ESPN Score Second Most-Watched Conference Championship Week Since 2014
The SEC Championship delivered 16.9 million viewers on Saturday, December 6.

[12/09/25 - 02:03 PM]
18.3 Million Viewers Tuned in for Big Ten Championship Game on FOX
Indiana's win peaked with 19,993,000 viewers from 11:00-11:15 PM ET.

[12/09/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of December 1 - "My Secret Santa" Sleigh Rides to No. 1 and "Stranger Things" Slays the Top 10 Again
The extensive four-part docuseries "Sean Combs: The Reckoning" grabbed the No. 2 spot on the TV list with 21.8 million views in its opening weekend.

[12/08/25 - 11:30 AM]
College Football on The CW Network Sees Double Digit Year-Over-Year Viewership Gains for 2025 Season
ACC football experienced the largest year-over-year growth, up 26% in total audience compared to 2024.

[12/05/25 - 03:31 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers
"Nightline" improved on the previous week in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, hitting nine-week highs in both measures.

[12/05/25 - 02:05 PM]
ESPN Networks Deliver Best College Football Regular Season Since 2011; "College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" Scores Most-Watched Season Ever
ESPN networks aired the most-watched game in 34 of 42 key Saturday windows, including seven of 14 noon windows, 13 of 14 late afternoon windows and all 14 prime windows.