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[10/09/20 - 08:16 AM]
Thursday's Broadcast Ratings: FOX Sparks to Victory with "Thursday Night Football"
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 14 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (10/8/20):

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

FOX (10.071 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.9, #1) rocketed to the top spot on Thursday thanks to its primetime coverage of "Thursday Night Football Pre-Game" (8.632 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 2.3, #2) and "Thursday Night Football" (10.551 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.1, #1).

ABC (3.456 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2) was a distant second with originals from "Celebrity Family Feud" (4.803 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.7, #4), "Press Your Luck" (3.128 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.5, #5) and "Match Game" (2.436 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T8).

Sharing the silver was CBS (2.587 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2) and its mix of "Big Brother 22" (3.861 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.9, #3), "Young Sheldon" (2.215 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T8), "Mom" (1.964 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T11) and "Star Trek: Discovery" (1.810 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T11).

Meanwhile, NBC (2.235 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #4) served up the debut of "Connecting..." (1.646 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T8) alongside the special "Late Night with Seth Meyers: Closer Look Thursday" (1.412 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T11) and a two-hour "Dateline NBC" (2.588 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T6).

And finally, the return of "Supernatural" (1.131 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T6) and "The Outpost" (0.504 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.1, #14) rounded out the evening on The CW (0.818 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.2, #5).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - Dateline NBC
-12.50% - Celebrity Family Feud
-18.18% - Big Brother 22
-28.57% - Press Your Luck
-33.33% - Star Trek: Discovery
-40.00% - Match Game

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+5.88% - Big Brother 22 (vs. Young Sheldon/The Unicorn)
0.00% - Supernatural
-11.54% - Thursday Night Football Pre-Game
-16.22% - Thursday Night Football
-24.53% - Dateline NBC (vs. Various)
-37.50% - Press Your Luck (vs. A Million Little Things)
-40.00% - Match Game (vs. How to Get Away with Murder)
-46.15% - Celebrity Family Feud (vs. Grey's Anatomy)
-50.00% - Late Night with Seth Meyers: Closer Look Thursday (vs. Perfect Harmony)
-60.00% - Star Trek: Discovery (vs. Evil)
-62.50% - Connecting... (vs. Superstore)
-66.67% - The Outpost (vs. Legacies)


Here are the highlights of the 17 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (10/10/19):

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

FOX (11.969 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.5, #1) continued its reign on Thursday with its weekly offerings of "Thursday Night Football Pre-Game" (9.565 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 2.6, #2) and "Thursday Night Football" (12.449 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.7, #1).

ABC (4.203 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.9, #2) then remained a distant second with its trio of "Grey's Anatomy" (6.018 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.3, #3), "A Million Little Things" (4.263 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T5) and "How to Get Away with Murder" (2.327 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T12).

Next up was CBS (5.151 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.7, #3) and its mix of "Young Sheldon" (7.497 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.0, #4), "The Unicorn" (5.216 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.7, #8), "Mom" (5.817 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T5), "Carol's Second Act" (4.943 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T9) and "Evil" (3.716 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T12).

Meanwhile, NBC (2.469 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #4) served up originals from "Superstore" (2.846 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T5), "Perfect Harmony" (2.138 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T14), "The Good Place" (1.956 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T9), "Sunnyside" (1.221 million viewers, #16; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T16) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (3.326 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T9).

And finally, the return of "Supernatural" (1.261 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T14) and "Legacies" (0.824 million viewers, #17; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T16) rounded out the night on The CW (1.042 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.3, #5).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - Grey's Anatomy
0.00% - Young Sheldon
0.00% - Mom
0.00% - Superstore
0.00% - The Good Place
0.00% - How to Get Away with Murder
0.00% - Sunnyside
-5.13% - Thursday Night Football
-10.34% - Thursday Night Football Pre-Game
-11.11% - A Million Little Things
-12.50% - The Unicorn
-14.29% - Carol's Second Act
-14.29% - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
-16.67% - Evil
-20.00% - Perfect Harmony

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+50.00% - Legacies (vs. All American (Repeat))
+8.82% - Thursday Night Football
0.00% - Superstore
0.00% - Thursday Night Football Pre-Game
-13.33% - Grey's Anatomy
-20.00% - Supernatural
-25.00% - The Good Place (vs. Will & Grace)
-33.33% - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
-37.50% - How to Get Away with Murder
-37.50% - Evil (vs. SWAT)
-38.46% - A Million Little Things (vs. Station 19)
-40.00% - Carol's Second Act (vs. Murphy Brown)
-42.86% - Mom
-50.00% - Sunnyside (vs. I Feel Bad)
-50.00% - Perfect Harmony (vs. The Good Place)
-54.55% - Young Sheldon (vs. The Big Bang Theory)
-61.11% - The Unicorn (vs. Young Sheldon)

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

TBA

Source: Nielsen Media Research





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