or


[12/18/20 - 09:36 AM]
Thursday's Broadcast Ratings: FOX Tops Competition 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 15 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (12/17/20):

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

FOX (8.635 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.2, #1) scored another victory on Thursday thanks to "Thursday Night Football Pre-Game" (8.395 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 2.0, #2) and "Thursday Night Football" (8.683 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.2, #1).

The silver went to ABC (4.749 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #2) with its fall finales of "Station 19" (5.394 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.9, #4), "Grey's Anatomy" (5.547 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.0, #3) and "A Million Little Things" (3.306 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T6).

Next up was CBS (3.742 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3) with its 2020 closers to "Young Sheldon" (6.690 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.7, #5), "B Positive" (4.568 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T6), "Mom" (4.487 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T6) and "The Unicorn" (3.275 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T9) plus "Star Trek: Discovery" (1.716 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.2, #12).

Meanwhile, NBC (3.127 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3) offered up the feature "Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors" (3.124 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T9) and "Dateline NBC" (3.131 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T9).

And finally, The CW (0.696 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) closed out the night with "Dogs of the Year" (0.817 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T13), "World's Funniest Animals" (0.595 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T13) and a repeat "World's Funniest Animals" (0.555 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T13).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+12.50% - Station 19
0.00% - Thursday Night Football Pre-Game
0.00% - A Million Little Things
0.00% - Dateline NBC (vs. 12/3/20)
0.00% - Star Trek: Discovery
0.00% - World's Funniest Animals (vs. 12/3/20)
-9.09% - Grey's Anatomy
-9.17% - Thursday Night Football
-12.50% - Young Sheldon (vs. 12/3/20)
-16.67% - B Positive (vs. 12/3/20)
-16.67% - Mom (vs. 12/3/20)
-20.00% - The Unicorn (vs. 12/3/20)

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+489.19% - Thursday Night Football (vs. Various (Repeats))
+300.00% - Thursday Night Football Pre-Game (vs. Last Man Standing (Repeat))
+100.00% - Grey's Anatomy (vs. The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition)
+50.00% - Station 19 (vs. Various (Repeats))
+40.00% - Young Sheldon (vs. Young Sheldon (Repeat))
+25.00% - B Positive (vs. The Unicorn (Repeat))
+25.00% - Mom (vs. Mom (Repeat))
0.00% - A Million Little Things (vs. The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition)
0.00% - Star Trek: Discovery (vs. Evil (Repeat))
0.00% - The Unicorn (vs. Carol's Second Act (Repeat))
-20.00% - Dateline NBC (vs. Gwen Stefani's You Make It Feel Like Christmas (Repeat))
-66.67% - World's Funniest Animals (vs. iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2019)
-66.67% - Dogs of the Year (vs. iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2019)


Here are the highlights of the 15 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (12/19/19):

NBC (3.341 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #1) claimed the adults 18-49 crown on Thursday thanks to "Miss America 2020" (3.609 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T1) followed by a rebroadcast of "Gwen Stefani's You Make It Feel Like Christmas" (2.805 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T4).

ABC (2.712 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #2) was a close second with encores of "Disney Prep & Landing" (3.032 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T1) and "Disney Prep & Landing 2: Naughty vs. Nice" (2.639 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T1) plus a new "The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition" (2.651 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T4).

Next up was CBS (3.574 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3) and its repeat lineup of "Young Sheldon" (5.528 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T4), "The Unicorn" (3.906 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T9), "Mom" (4.111 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T9), "Carol's Second Act" (3.520 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T9) and "Evil" (2.188 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T14).

Meanwhile, FOX (2.004 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3) offered up second runs of "Last Man Standing" (2.659 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T4), another "Last Man Standing" (2.669 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T4) and "Prodigal Son" (1.344 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T12).

And finally, The CW (0.907 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.2, #5) closed out the night with "iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2019" (0.983 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T12) and a repeat "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (0.680 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T14).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+50.00% - iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2019 (vs. The 4th Annual Howie Mandel Stand-Up Extravaganza)
0.00% - Miss America 2020 (vs. Timeless)
-28.57% - The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [december 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
[08/19/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of August 10
"Reacher," "Sterling Point," "Off Campus," "The Traitors," and "Elle" led all original series worldwide.

[08/19/26 - 10:02 AM]
2026 Little League Baseball Region Tournaments Deliver Largest Audience Since 2009
The Metro Region Championship matchup between Darien, Conn., and Bayonne, N.J., on August 14 averaged 1.2 million viewers, making it the third most-watched Little League Baseball Region Tournament game ever.

[08/19/26 - 09:31 AM]
For Third Week in a Row, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" Is the No. 1 Primetime Entertainment Program Among Total Viewers
Scoring a new season high among Total Viewers (4.41 million), the August 12 episode earned the show's best performance in over a year.

[08/18/26 - 03:05 PM]
ESPN Delivers Its Most-Watched WNBA Game Ever!
The Atlanta Dream-Indiana Fever matchup averaged 2.6 million viewers on Sunday, August 16.

[08/18/26 - 03:04 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Sizzles with Most-Watched MLB Telecast of the Week on Any Network
3,083,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX for a three-game slate highlighted by the Brewers' 4-1 win over the Dodgers in most of the country.

[08/18/26 - 02:43 PM]
FOX IndyCar Celebrates Viewership Win at Markham
913,000 viewers watched Andretti Global racer Marcus Ericsson cap a late-race run through the field to score the win at Markham Sunday on FOX.

[08/18/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of August 10 - "My Life with the Walter Boys" Lassos No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
"Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes" launched in the No. 2 spot on the English TV list, gathering 4.9 million views.

[08/14/26 - 01:45 PM]
ABC News Is No. 1 on Sunday Morning and Friday Night
"20/20" saw year-to-year increases in all key target demos: Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.

[08/13/26 - 03:39 PM]
ESPN Delivers Its Second Most-Watched WNBA Regular Season Game in 30 Years of Coverage!
The New York Liberty-Indiana Fever matchup averaged 2 million viewers on Tuesday, August 11.

[08/12/26 - 02:29 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Jumps to Best Audience in Three Months
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 182 consecutive weeks (more than three years) across all key measures.

[08/12/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of August 3
"Sterling Point," "Ride or Die," "Off Campus," "Reacher," and "Elle" led all original series worldwide.

[08/11/26 - 02:45 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Delivers #1 MLB Telecast of the Week on Any Network
2,223,000 viewers tuned-in to a three-game slate that featured the White Sox's 6-3 victory over the Guardians in most of the country.

[08/11/26 - 02:43 PM]
ESPN Delivers Its 2nd Most-Watched WNBA Game Ever for the Second Consecutive Week!
The Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky matchup averaged 2.6 million viewers on ABC on Saturday, August 8.

[08/11/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of August 3 - "The Last House" Invites You to Stay at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
"The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare" held the top spot on the English TV list with 10.6 million views.

[08/10/26 - 10:37 AM]
Discovery's Shark Week Delivers Best Ratings in Seven Years
Primetime telecasts averaged a 0.77 L3 rating among Adults 25-54, marking the largest year-over-year increase in 13 years and the first year of ratings growth since 2023.