or


[05/01/21 - 10:08 AM]
Friday's Broadcast Ratings: CBS Tops Viewers; FOX Leads Demos
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 nine ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (4/30/21):

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

CBS (5.201 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) was the most-watched network on Friday thanks to the series finale of "MacGyver" (4.340 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) followed by new episodes of "Magnum P.I." (5.109 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) and "Blue Bloods" (6.154 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2).

FOX (1.923 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #1) was the demo champ with its latest edition of "WWE SmackDown" (1.923 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.5, #1).

Next up was NBC (3.247 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) with new episodes of "The Blacklist" (3.301 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #7) and "Dateline NBC" (3.221 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2).

Meanwhile, ABC (1.833 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) offered up its coverage of the "2021 NFL Draft - Rounds 2-3" (1.833 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2).

And finally, the special "World's Funniest Animals: Spring Fling" (1.018 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.2, #8) and a repeat "Penn & Teller: Fool Us" (0.943 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.1, #9) on The CW (0.981 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.2, #5) rounded out the night.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - WWE SmackDown
0.00% - MacGyver (vs. 4/16/20)
-20.00% - Magnum P.I. (vs. 4/16/20)
-20.00% - Dateline NBC
-25.00% - The Blacklist
-33.33% - Blue Bloods (vs. 4/16/20)

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - WWE SmackDown
0.00% - World's Funniest Animals: Spring Fling (vs. Charmed)
-33.33% - MacGyver
-40.00% - The Blacklist
-42.86% - Magnum P.I.
-42.86% - Dateline NBC
-42.86% - Blue Bloods
-42.86% - 2021 NFL Draft - Rounds 2-3 (vs. 4/24/20)


Here are the highlights of the 10 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (5/1/20):

CBS (7.153 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.7, #1) was the top draw on Friday with its mix of "MacGyver" (5.891 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #5), "Magnum P.I." (7.101 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T2) and the season finale of "Blue Bloods" (8.468 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T2).

NBC (4.570 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #2) was a close second with its duo of "The Blacklist" (4.545 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T6) and "Dateline NBC" (4.583 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T2).

Next up was ABC (3.480 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3) with a new "Shark Tank" (4.848 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.8, #1) and a repeat "20/20" (2.795 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #8).

Meanwhile, FOX (1.919 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3) offered up another edition of "WWE SmackDown" (1.919 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T6).

And finally, The CW (0.488 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) closed out the night with the season finale of "Charmed" (0.639 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.2, #9) and a new "Dynasty" (0.336 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.1, #10).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+16.67% - Dateline NBC
0.00% - Shark Tank (vs. 4/10/20)
0.00% - Magnum P.I.
0.00% - WWE SmackDown
0.00% - Charmed (vs. 4/17/20)
0.00% - Dynasty (vs. 4/17/20)
-12.50% - Blue Bloods
-14.29% - MacGyver
-16.67% - The Blacklist

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+100.00% - Charmed (vs. Dynasty)
+60.00% - Shark Tank (vs. ScreenTime: Diane Sawyer Reporting)
+16.67% - Dateline NBC
0.00% - Magnum P.I. (vs. Hawaii Five-0)
0.00% - WWE SmackDown (vs. Various)
0.00% - Dynasty (vs. Whose Line Is It Anyway? (Repeats))
0.00% - MacGyver
-12.50% - Blue Bloods
-16.67% - The Blacklist

Source: Nielsen Media Research, ShowBuzzDaily.com





  [may 2021]  
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
[02/05/26 - 12:42 PM]
"20/20" Ranks No. 1 in the Two-Hour Time Period Across the Board
Hitting new season highs on January 30, "20/20" grew from the previous week in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.

[02/05/26 - 10:03 AM]
ABC's Juggernaut Tuesday Scores More Wins
"High Potential's" January 20 episode jumped to 12.98 million Total Viewers and a 2.17 rating among Adults 18-49 after seven days of viewing on ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and digital platforms, scoring a series high among Total Viewers.

[02/04/26 - 08:00 AM]
ESPN Delivers Most-Viewed Australian Open in Six Years
The men's championship, featuring No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz defeating No. 4 Novak Djokovic in four sets, delivered 730K viewers and was up 57% YoY, ranking as most-viewed since 2017.

[02/04/26 - 07:00 AM]
FOX Celebrates Three Breakout Debuts, Each Delivering Over 11 Million Multiplatform Viewers, Driving +21% Year-Over-Year Growth in Total Minutes Watched
"Best Medicine," "Fear Factor: House of Fear" and "Memory of a Killer" drive FOX's strongest midseason performance in 14 years.

[02/04/26 - 06:00 AM]
ESPN's Studio Show Lineup Scores Record Highs, Double-Digit Growth & More Big Viewership Wins in Jan.
On Monday, January 19, following the NFL Divisional Round and ahead of the College Football Playoff National Championship, fans fueled milestone episodes for "Get Up," "First Take" and "The Pat McAfee Show," with the 7 a.m. ET edition of "SportsCenter" delivering its best episode of the month the following morning.

[02/03/26 - 03:01 PM]
2026 NHL Stadium Series Delivered Most-Viewed NHL Regular Season Game Ever on Cable
The Bruins-Lightning matchup on ESPN averaged 2.1 million viewers, peaking with 2.4 million.

[02/03/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of January 26 - Rags to Romance Wins as "Bridgerton" Season 4 Sweeps to No. 1 in the Top 10
"His & Hers" took No. 2 on the English TV list with 11 million views; while YA romance series "Finding Her Edge" moved up to No. 3 on the list with 6.7 million views.

[02/03/26 - 11:51 AM]
"American Idol" Blasts Off with Biggest Season Debut in Four Years
"American Idol" returned for a new season jumping to 8.27 million Total Viewers and a 1.04 rating among Adults 18-49 after three days of viewing on ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and digital platforms.

[02/02/26 - 10:38 AM]
New Year, New Viewership Milestones for ESPN: Signature Events Deliver Second-Best Month in 30 Years
Continuing ESPN's landmark viewership success to start the year, January 2025 and 2026 now account for two of the top three most-watched months in the platform's history.

[01/30/26 - 10:11 AM]
"20/20" Ranks No. 1 in the Two-Hour Time Period Across the Board Versus CBS and NBC
"20/20" posted across-the-board gains week to week: Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, hitting 9-week highs in both key Adult demos.

[01/30/26 - 06:20 AM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers
"Nightline" was also up year to year in Total Viewers for the week of January 19.

[01/28/26 - 06:36 AM]
FOX Scores 46 Million Viewers for NFC Championship Between NFC West Rivals
The Seahawks are soaring to the Super Bowl.

[01/28/26 - 06:01 AM]
AFC Championship Game Is This Year's Most-Watched NFL Postseason Game as "NFL on CBS" Caps Off Record-Setting Season
Patriots-Broncos averaged 48,618,000 viewers and peaked with 57,759,000.

[01/27/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of January 19 - "The Rip" Is Right on the Money at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
Audiences kept the suspense going as they streamed the murder-mystery thriller "His & Hers," putting the series at No. 1 on the English TV list with 17.2 million views.

[01/26/26 - 04:13 PM]
BET's "Tyler Perry's Sistas" Milestone Season 10 Premiere Garners 1 Million Viewers
The Season 10 premiere delivered a notable lift for BET, posting its strongest performance in nearly six months and improving by double digits versus the prior season launch.