or


[10/17/20 - 08:30 AM]
Friday's Broadcast Ratings: FOX, "SmackDown" Hold Off Demo Competition
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 (10/16/20):

FOX (1.986 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #1) held off the demo competition on Friday with its weekly installment of "WWE SmackDown" (1.986 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.5, #2).

ABC (3.287 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) was the most-watched network thanks to the season premiere of "Shark Tank" (3.814 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #1) and a new "20/20" (3.024 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3).

Next up was CBS (2.862 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) with originals from "The Greatest #AtHome Videos" (3.126 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3) and "Undercover Boss" (2.654 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3) plus a repeat "Blue Bloods" (2.805 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T7).

Meanwhile, NBC (2.120 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) offered up an encore of "American Ninja Warrior" (1.863 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T7) alongside "Dateline NBC" (2.634 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3).

And finally, The CW (0.669 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) rounded out the night with "Masters of Illusion" (0.718 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T9), a repeat "Masters of Illusion" (0.638 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T9), "World's Funniest Animals" (0.682 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T9) and a repeat "World's Funniest Animals" (0.637 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T9).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+33.33% - Undercover Boss
0.00% - The Greatest #AtHome Videos
0.00% - Masters of Illusion
0.00% - World's Funniest Animals
-16.67% - WWE SmackDown
-20.00% - 20/20 (vs. 9/25/20)
-20.00% - Dateline NBC

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+9.09% - Shark Tank (vs. American Housewife/Fresh Off the Boat)
0.00% - World's Funniest Animals (vs. Dynasty)
0.00% - 20/20
-20.00% - Undercover Boss (vs. Magnum P.I.)
-20.00% - Dateline NBC
-28.57% - WWE SmackDown
-33.33% - The Greatest #AtHome Videos (vs. Hawaii Five-0)
-50.00% - Masters of Illusion (vs. Charmed)


Here are the highlights of the 11 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (10/18/19):

FOX (2.441 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #1) held onto the demo crown on Friday with another installment of "WWE SmackDown" (2.441 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.7, #1).

CBS (6.441 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #2) then was a close second with its trio of "Hawaii Five-0" (6.214 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2), "Magnum P.I." (5.778 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T5) and "Blue Bloods" (7.331 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2).

Next up was NBC (3.281 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3) with new episodes of "The Blacklist" (3.509 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T8) and "Dateline NBC" (3.167 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T5).

Meanwhile, ABC (2.772 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3) offered up originals from "American Housewife" (3.323 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2), "Fresh Off the Boat" (2.474 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T5) and "20/20" (2.709 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T8).

And finally, The CW (0.622 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) offered up new episodes of "Charmed" (0.764 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.2, #10) and "Dynasty" (0.480 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.1, #11).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+66.67% - Fresh Off the Boat
+20.00% - American Housewife
0.00% - 20/20
0.00% - Charmed
0.00% - Dynasty
-14.29% - Hawaii Five-0
-14.29% - Blue Bloods
-16.67% - Magnum P.I.
-16.67% - Dateline NBC
-20.00% - The Blacklist
-30.00% - WWE SmackDown

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - Fresh Off the Boat (vs. Speechless)
0.00% - American Housewife (vs. Fresh Off the Boat)
0.00% - Charmed (vs. Dynasty)
0.00% - Dynasty (vs. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)
0.00% - The Blacklist (vs. Blindspot)
-11.11% - 20/20 (vs. Child Support/20/20)
-14.29% - Hawaii Five-0 (vs. MacGyver)
-16.67% - Dateline NBC
-22.22% - WWE SmackDown (vs. Various)
-25.00% - Blue Bloods
-37.50% - Magnum P.I. (vs. Hawaii Five-0)

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

TBA

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [october 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
[10/17/25 - 01:16 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Hits Season Highs with Best Audience Performance Since July
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 139 consecutive weeks across all key measures.

[10/17/25 - 10:38 AM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Continues Historic Hot Streak - Rising for Fourth Straight Week Since Premiere with 6 Million Total Viewers
Plus: "High Potential" dominated the 10 p.m. hour with 4.15 million Total Viewers and a 0.33 rating among Adults 18-49.

[10/16/25 - 06:01 AM]
ESPN's Monumental 2025 WNBA Season Sets New Viewership Records
Across all networks, the 2025 WNBA Postseason was the most-viewed since 1999.

[10/15/25 - 04:02 PM]
"20/20" Is Friday's No. 1 Program on Broadcast TV
"20/20" increased its lead week to week over "Dateline" in Total Viewers to post its largest of the season.

[10/15/25 - 04:01 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, Leading NBC in All Key Demos for the 3rd Straight Week
"Nightline" saw double-digit gains in the year-ago week in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.

[10/14/25 - 03:06 PM]
ESPN Records the Most-Watched WNBA Postseason Ever Across Its Networks
Across 24 games, the '25 WNBA postseason averaged 1.2 million viewers, up 5% from last year.

[10/14/25 - 03:03 PM]
"College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" Delivers Most-Watched West Coast Episode Ever; ESPN College Football on ABC Scores Top Three Programs Across All Networks and Content for Saturday, Oct. 11
The Texas Longhorns' upset victory over the Oklahoma Sooners averaged 8.7 million viewers.

[10/14/25 - 02:50 PM]
ALCS Game 1 on FOX and FOX Deportes Draws 5.3 Million Viewers
The Mariners victory over the Blue Jays averaged 5,310,000 viewers across FOX, FOX Deportes and FOX Sports streaming services.

[10/14/25 - 02:39 PM]
FOX Sports Delivers Most-Watched LDS on FOX/FS1 Since Launch of Postseason Baseball on FS1 in 2014
On Friday, 8,723,000 viewers tuned in for the Mariners' historic 15-inning ALDS Game 5 victory.

[10/14/25 - 02:15 PM]
"Sunday Night Football" Registers Record Fourth Blockbuster Audience of 25+ Million Viewers This Season, As Lions-Chiefs Averages 27.3 Million Viewers on NBC & Peacock
Lions-Chiefs averaged 27.3 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, based on official Nielsen Big Data + Panel and digital data from Adobe Analytics, marking the second-most watched October audience in the history of NBC "SNF."

[10/14/25 - 01:45 PM]
ABC Wednesday Comedies Return Strong for New Seasons
"Shifting Gears" earned the biggest audience since the show's Valentine's Day episode; while "Abbott Elementary" jumped over the show's season four premiere among Total Viewers as well as the season four average.

[10/14/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of October 6: "The Woman in Cabin 10" Rocks the Boat as No. 1 Debut in This Week's Top 10
In the spirit of the season of chills, "Monster: The Ed Gein Story" claimed the No. 1 spot on the English TV list, rising to the top in its second week with 20.7 million views.

[10/10/25 - 03:07 PM]
3,287,000 Viewers Tuned in on Average Through Game 4 of the ALDS Across FOX, FS1 and FS2
Through Game 4, coverage of the ALDS across FOX, FS1 and FS2 is up +11% from 2024 and +31% over 2023.

[10/10/25 - 09:04 AM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Scores Historic Growth in Week Four
"Dancing with the Stars" rose for the third straight week following its season premiere, for the first time in the show's history, in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.

[10/09/25 - 05:01 PM]
3,177,000 Viewers Tuned in on Average Through Game 3 of the ALDS Across FOX, FS1 and FS2
Through Game 3, coverage of the ALDS across FOX, FS1 and FS2 is up +14% from 2024 and +28% over 2023.