or


[08/22/20 - 08:43 AM]
Friday's Broadcast Ratings: FOX, "WWE SmackDown" Keep Demo Crown
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 12 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (8/21/20):

FOX (2.168 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #1) once again was the demo champ on Friday thanks to "WWE SmackDown" (2.168 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.6, #1).

NBC (2.190 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) and ABC (2.418 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) shared the silver with their respective duos of "America's Got Talent" (2.133 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) and "Dateline NBC" (2.305 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2); and "Shark Tank" (2.746 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) and "20/20" (2.254 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T6).

Next up was CBS (3.544 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.3, #4) and its trio of "MacGyver" (3.216 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T6), "Magnum P.I." (3.404 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T6) and "Blue Bloods" (4.011 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2).

And finally, repeats of "Masters of Illusion" (0.645 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T9) and another "Masters of Illusion" (0.515 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T9) led into a new "Being Rueben" (0.236 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.0, #T11) and a second "Being Rueben" (0.246 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.0, #T11) to round out the night on The CW (0.411 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+20.00% - WWE SmackDown
#DIV/0! - Being Rueben - 9:30
#DIV/0! - Being Rueben - 9:00

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+100.00% - WWE SmackDown (vs. Various)
-100.00% - Being Rueben - 9:30 (vs. Hypnotize Me (Repeat))
-100.00% - Being Rueben - 9:00 (vs. Hypnotize Me (Repeat))


Here are the highlights of the 12 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (8/23/19):

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Some high rated local pre-season NFL games (across all networks) are included here but will be excluded from Officials.]

CBS (3.525 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.7, #1) was the network to beat on Friday with its coverage of "NFL Preseason: Buffalo at Detroit" (3.525 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.7, #1).

ABC (2.896 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2) then was the number two draw with its mix of "American Housewife" (2.871 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3), "Fresh Off the Boat" (2.300 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3), "What Would You Do?" (3.066 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3) and "20/20" (3.036 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3).

Sharing the silver was NBC (2.522 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2) with repeats of "American Ninja Warrior" (2.286 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #7) and "Dateline NBC" (2.994 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #2).

Meanwhile, FOX (1.092 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #4) offered up encores of "BH90210" (1.044 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T8) and "MasterChef" (1.139 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T8).

And finally, new episodes of "Masters of Illusion" (0.889 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.2, #10) and "The Big Stage" (0.632 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T11) plus a repeat "Hypnotize Me" (0.436 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T11) on The CW (0.598 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) rounded out the night.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - What Would You Do?
0.00% - Masters of Illusion (vs. 8/9/19)
0.00% - The Big Stage (vs. 8/9/19)

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
-16.67% - What Would You Do?
-50.00% - Masters of Illusion (vs. Masters of Illusion (Repeat))
-75.00% - The Big Stage (vs. Masters of Illusion (Repeat))

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," 1.5/4 with an encore telecast; "Late Show with Stephen Colbert," 1.7/5 with an encore; and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 1.4/4 with an encore.

· In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, adult 18-49 results were: "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," 0.3/2 with an encore; "Late Show," 0.3/2 with an encore; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 0.3/2 with an encore.

· From 12:35-1:05 a.m. ET, ABC's "Nightline" averaged a 0.9/3 in metered-market households and a 0.2/2 in 18-49 in the Local People Meters.

· From 12:35-1:35 a.m. ET, ratings were: "Late Night with Seth Meyers," 0.9/3 in metered-market households with an encore; CBS's "Late Late Show," 0.9/3 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





  [august 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
[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.

[05/19/26 - 02:01 PM]
Netflix Viewership Peaks with Nearly 17 Million Global Viewers for MVP MMA's Rousey vs. Carano, Averaging 12.4 Million Viewers Across the Triple Main Event
In the US, the triple-main card averaged 9.3 million viewers, peaking at 11.6 million viewers during Rousey vs. Carano.

[05/19/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of May 11 - "The Roast of Kevin Hart" Heats Up to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
True crime audiences also streamed the second season of "Worst Ex Ever," which rose to the No. 2 spot on the English TV list with 8.1 million views.

[05/19/26 - 07:07 AM]
TNT Sports Posts Its Most-Watched NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round Ever
Thursday's Game 5 of the Montreal/Buffalo series averaged 1.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched, Second Round, Game 5 on cable ever featuring a Canadian team.

[05/18/26 - 04:03 PM]
"The Rookie" Season 8 Finale Surges to Over 9 Million Total Viewers
Setting new records with its exceptional momentum this season, "The Rookie" finale earned an all-time streaming high for the series based on views over seven days on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

[05/15/26 - 02:03 PM]
ABC News Is #1 in Total Viewers on Sunday Morning, in Late-Night and on Friday Night
"20/20" saw week-to-week increases in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, hitting 4-week highs in both measures.

[05/14/26 - 10:07 AM]
"Rooster" Capped Off a Standout First Season, Becoming HBO's Most-Watched Comedy Debut in Over 15 Years
The series is averaging 6.5 million U.S. viewers per episode, with the finale reaching 2.2 million viewers in its first three days.

[05/14/26 - 10:01 AM]
Home Run! ESPN Scores Most-Consumed College Softball Regular Season on Record
The 2026 campaign featured four of ESPN's eight most-watched regular season games of all-time and delivered a record-high 10 games with more than 500,000 viewers.

[05/13/26 - 10:30 AM]
Viewership for 2026 NBA Draft Lottery Presentation on ABC Up 23 Percent Year Over Year
ESPN's presentation of the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery on Sunday, May 10, on ABC averaged 2.3 million viewers.