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[04/24/20 - 08:13 AM]
Thursday's Broadcast Ratings: ABC Gets Boost from Opening Round of NFL Draft
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 16 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (4/23/20):

ABC (6.141 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.6, #1) got a boost on Thursday thanks to its primetime coverage of the "2020 NFL Draft - Round 1" (6.141 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.6, #1).

CBS (5.081 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2) was the silver draw with its mix of "Young Sheldon" (5.734 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T4), a new "Man with a Plan" (5.740 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T4), "Mom" (4.901 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T9) and originals from "Broke" (4.823 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T4) and "Tommy" (4.644 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T9).

Next up was NBC (3.141 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2) with its season finales of "Superstore" (3.099 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T2) and "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" (2.322 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T4) plus the final episode of "Will & Grace" (3.133 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T9), the special "A Will & Graceful Goodbye" (2.935 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T9) and the season finale of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (3.677 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T2).

Meanwhile, FOX (2.527 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4) served up a new "Last Man Standing" (4.071 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T4) alongside repeats of "Last Man Standing" (2.890 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T9) and "Mental Samurai" (1.573 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.3, #14).

And finally, fresh installments of "Katy Keene" (0.503 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T15) and "In the Dark" (0.398 million viewers, #16; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T15) closed out the night on The CW (0.450 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
0.00% - Superstore (vs. 4/2/20)
0.00% - Last Man Standing
0.00% - Brooklyn Nine-Nine
0.00% - Tommy
0.00% - Katy Keene
0.00% - In the Dark
-14.29% - Man with a Plan
-14.29% - Broke
-16.67% - Will & Grace

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+66.67% - A Will & Graceful Goodbye (vs. Abby's)
+50.00% - Brooklyn Nine-Nine (vs. AP Bio)
+33.33% - 2020 NFL Draft - Round 1
+20.00% - Last Man Standing (vs. Gotham)
0.00% - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
0.00% - Superstore
0.00% - Will & Grace (vs. Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
-25.00% - Broke (vs. Life in Pieces)
-28.57% - Tommy (vs. SWAT)
-50.00% - In the Dark
-57.14% - Man with a Plan (vs. Young Sheldon)
-66.67% - Katy Keene (vs. Supernatural)


Here are the highlights of the 15 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (4/25/19):

ABC (4.876 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.2, #1) was the demo champ on Thursday thanks to its primetime coverage of the "2019 NFL Draft - Round 1" (4.876 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.2, #3).

CBS (7.652 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.1, #2) then was a close second with its lineup of "The Big Bang Theory" (11.549 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.7, #1), "Young Sheldon" (10.272 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.4, #2), "Mom" (8.005 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.1, #4), "Life in Pieces" (5.807 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.8, #5) and "SWAT" (5.139 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T6).

Next up was FOX (2.562 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #3) with the series finale of "Gotham" (2.210 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T10) and the season finale of "The Orville" (2.915 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T6).

Meanwhile, NBC (2.504 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4) offered up its mix of "Superstore" (2.949 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T6), "AP Bio" (1.683 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.4, #12), "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" (1.733 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T10), "Abby's" (1.470 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T13) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (3.594 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T6).

And finally, The CW (1.040 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.2, #5) rounded out the night with the season finale of "Supernatural" (1.311 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T13) and a new "In the Dark" (0.769 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.2, #15).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+16.67% - The Orville
+10.00% - Mom
0.00% - Young Sheldon (vs. 4/4/19)
0.00% - Life in Pieces
0.00% - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (vs. 4/11/19)
0.00% - Brooklyn Nine-Nine
0.00% - In the Dark
-5.56% - The Big Bang Theory
-12.50% - SWAT
-16.67% - Gotham
-20.00% - AP Bio
-22.22% - Superstore
-25.00% - Abby's
-25.00% - Supernatural

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+25.00% - Brooklyn Nine-Nine (vs. Will & Grace (Repeat))
+20.00% - 2019 NFL Draft - Round 1 (vs. Various)
0.00% - Superstore
-10.53% - The Big Bang Theory
-12.50% - SWAT
-15.38% - Mom
-17.65% - Young Sheldon
-20.00% - Life in Pieces
-20.00% - AP Bio
-22.22% - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (vs. Chicago Fire)
-25.00% - Abby's (vs. Champions)
-25.00% - Supernatural
-33.33% - In the Dark (vs. Arrow)
-36.36% - The Orville (vs. 2018 NFL Draft - Round 1)
-54.55% - Gotham (vs. 2018 NFL Draft - Round 1)

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," 1.7/5; "Late Show with Stephen Colbert," 2.0/6 with an encore; and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," delayed by overrun coverage of the NFL Draft.

· In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, adult 18-49 results were: "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," 0.4/3; "Late Show," 0.3/2 with an encore; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," delayed by overrun coverage of the NFL Draft.

· ABC's "Nightline" was delayed by overrun coverage of the NFL Draft.

· From 12:35-1:35 a.m. ET, ratings were: "Late Night with Seth Meyers," 1.0/4 in metered-market households with an encore; CBS's "Late Late Show," 1.0/4 with an encore. In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, averages were: "Late Night," 0.2/2 in 18-49 with an encore; "Late Late Show," 0.2/2 with an encore.

· At 1:35 a.m., "Last Call with Carson Daly" averaged a 0.6/3 in metered-market households with an encore and a 0.1/2 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

Source: Nielsen Media Research





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