or


[11/01/20 - 11:11 AM]
Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: College Football Sparks Another ABC Victory
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 eight ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (10/31/20):

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

ABC (5.632 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.3, #1) was back on top on Saturday with its coverage of "Saturday Night Football" (5.632 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.3, #1).

FOX (2.484 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #2) was the silver draw with its own telecast of "CFB on FOX" (2.484 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #2).

Next up was NBC (2.126 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T3) with its lineup of "Weakest Link" (2.127 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T4), "Ellen's Game of Games" (2.066 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.4, #3) and "SNL Vintage" (2.184 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T4).

And finally, CBS (1.882 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T3) closed out the night with its trio of "Manhunt: Deadly Games" (1.588 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T7), another "Manhunt: Deadly Games" (1.511 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T7) and "48 Hours" (2.545 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T4).

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

· The Oct. 31 telecast of "Saturday Night Live," with host John Mulaney and musical guest The Strokes, has averaged a 4.7 rating in "live plus same day" household results from 44 local markets metered by Nielsen Media Research and a 2.2 rating in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

· The 4.7 in metered-market households is up +21% versus "SNL's" 3.9 average last October. In 18-49, the local-market 2.2 is up +29% versus the 1.7 average for October 2019.

· The Oct. 31 "Saturday Night Live" is tied as the #4 highest-rated "SNL" in metered-market households and 18-49 in the local people meters among the 22 originals that have aired since Nielsen changed its methodology Oct. 5, 2019, ranking behind only last week's episode (5.0 in households, 2.4 in 18-49 with host Adele and musical guest H.E.R.), the high-rated Oct. 3 season premiere (5.6 in households, 2.9 in 18-49 with host Chris Rock and musical guest Megan Thee Stallion) and the historic Dec. 21, 2019 telecast hosted by Eddie Murphy with musical guest Lizzo (6.7 in households, 3.4 in 18-49).

· The 4.7 in households and 2.2 in 18-49 tops 16 of the 17 originals measured last season under Nielsen's current metered-market methodology (effective beginning Oct. 5, 2019), trailing over that span only the historic Dec. 21, 2019 Eddie Murphy telecast (6.7 in households, 3.4 in 18-49).

· Versus primetime programming on the Big 4 networks last night, "SNL" is the #1 show of the night in metered-market households (4.7 vs. 4.4 for the #2 show, ABC's Ohio State-Penn State college football).


Here are the highlights of the eight ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (11/2/19):

ABC (2.933 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #1) was still the demo champ on Saturday with its presentation of "Saturday Night College Football" (2.933 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.8, #1).

FOX (2.807 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.7, #2) then was a close second with its "CFB on FOX" (2.807 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.7, #2) coverage.

Next up was CBS (3.069 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3) with repeats of "Bull" (2.976 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5) and "NCIS: Los Angeles" (2.645 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T7) plus a new "48 Hours" (3.586 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3).

And finally, NBC (2.449 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3) closed out the night with its mix of "2019 Breeders' Cup" (2.082 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T7), "Dateline Saturday Night Mystery" (2.836 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3) and a vintage "SNL Vintage" (2.429 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5).

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

· The Nov. 2 edition of "Saturday Night Live," with host Kristen Stewart and musical guest Coldplay, has averaged a 4.1 rating in "live plus same day" household results from 44 local markets metered by Nielsen Media Research and a 1.7 rating in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

· Note that current metered-market results are not compatible with data issued before Oct. 12 due to changes in Nielsen methodology.

· "Saturday Night Live" grew +8% versus the metered-market household rating for its prior two originals (3.8 each on Oct. 26 and Oct. 12), making this the highest "SNL" household rating since Nielsen changed its methodology starting with Oct. 12 results. In adult 18-49 rating in the local people meters, the Nov. 2 "SNL" equaled its 1.7 rating of both Oct. 26 and Oct. 12).

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [november 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
[12/05/25 - 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.

[12/05/25 - 12:35 PM]
2025 CFB Viewership Surges on FOX & FS1
The 2025 regular season wrapped with big numbers for "Big Noon Saturday," "Big Noon Kickoff" and more - including year-over-year gains across the board.

[12/05/25 - 11:00 AM]
CBS Premiere Week Episodes Post Gains and Lead In Live Plus 35-Day Multiplatform Viewership
"Tracker" delivered 17.3 million viewers, up +6% versus its year-ago premiere.

[12/05/25 - 08:45 AM]
ESPN Delivered Most-Watched Women's College Volleyball Season on Record
Said coverage averaged 190,000 viewers, up 36% from the 2024 season.

[12/04/25 - 04:19 PM]
"College GameDay Built By The Home Depot" Delivers Second-Best Regular Season Episode Ever; ESPN Scores Best Rivalry Week Since 2012
The Lone Star Showdown drew over 13 million viewers, peaking with 14.3 million viewers.

[12/04/25 - 03:45 PM]
"Big Noon Kickoff" Scores 4.36 Million Viewers on FOX
The 2025 season was "Big Noon Kickoff's" most-watched season in history.

[12/04/25 - 02:41 PM]
18.4M Viewers Tuned in for Ohio State-Michigan on FOX
Ohio State's win over Michigan scored 18,424,000 viewers on FOX.

[12/04/25 - 02:28 PM]
Record Audience Watches Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix on ESPN2
The November 30 telecast earned an average audience of 1.4 million viewers, the largest audience ever to watch the event on U.S. television.

[12/03/25 - 11:59 AM]
"9-1-1: Nashville" Season Premiere Catapults to Over 19 Million Total Viewers
Over 35 days, ABC's Thursday night drama premieres amassed impressive audiences based on competitive cross-platform broadcast series rankings, with all three dramas landing in the Top 10 among Adults 18-49.

[12/03/25 - 08:57 AM]
Record NFL Viewership Caps Thanksgiving Night on NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo
Bengals-Ravens is the most-watched Thanksgiving night NFL game ever with an average of 28.4 million viewers.

[12/03/25 - 08:55 AM]
"NFL on CBS" Shatters Record for Most-Watched Regular-Season Game in NFL History with More Than 57 Million Viewers
Viewership peaked with 61.357 million viewers for the game's thrilling conclusion (7:45-8:00 PM ET).

[12/03/25 - 08:49 AM]
FOX Sports Feasts on Thanksgiving Day with 47.7 Million Viewers for Packers-Lions
Viewership peaked with 57,957,000 viewers from 4:00-4:15 PM ET.

[12/03/25 - 08:47 AM]
Most-Watched NBA on ESPN Thanksgiving Eve in Six Years
The inaugural tripleheader averaged 2,099,000 viewers, up 54 percent from last year's Thanksgiving Eve doubleheader, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel.

[12/02/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of November 24 - "Stranger Things" Escapes the Upside Down to Take No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
The series returned last week with Volume 1 of its fifth and final season, touting the biggest premiere week ever for an English language show in the history of Netflix, amassing 59.6 million views and securing No. 1 on the English TV list.