or


[01/25/20 - 08:16 AM]
Friday's Broadcast Ratings: "WWE SmackDown" Remains on Top in 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 10 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (1/24/20):

FOX (2.469 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.7, #1) held off the demo competition on Friday with another edition of "WWE SmackDown" (2.469 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.7, #1).

ABC (3.329 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #2) was a close second with its mix of "American Housewife" (3.404 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2), "Fresh Off the Boat" (2.379 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4) and "20/20" (3.547 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2).

Next up was NBC (2.390 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #4) and its primetime coverage of the "U.S. Figure Skating Championships" (2.390 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.3, #8).

Meanwhile, CBS (5.146 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #3) opted for repeats of "Hawaii Five-0" (5.298 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5), "Magnum P.I." (4.968 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5) and "Blue Bloods" (5.171 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5).

And finally, originals from "Charmed" (0.609 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.2, #9) and "Dynasty" (0.347 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.1, #10) closed out the night on The CW (0.478 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+25.00% - Fresh Off the Boat
+20.00% - 20/20
+20.00% - American Housewife
0.00% - Charmed
0.00% - Dynasty
-12.50% - WWE SmackDown

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+16.67% - WWE SmackDown (vs. Various)
0.00% - Charmed (vs. Dynasty)
0.00% - Dynasty (vs. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)
-14.29% - American Housewife (vs. Fresh Off the Boat)
-16.67% - Fresh Off the Boat (vs. Speechless)
-25.00% - 20/20
-25.00% - U.S. Figure Skating Championships


Here are the highlights of the 13 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (1/25/19):

CBS (4.941 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T1) was the top draw on a low key Friday thanks to a new "Celebrity Big Brother" (4.567 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.0, #1) and repeats of "Hawaii Five-0" (4.615 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T7) and "Blue Bloods" (5.642 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T7).

ABC (4.103 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T1) then shared in the demo honors with new episodes of "Fresh Off the Boat" (3.370 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T3), "Speechless" (2.554 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T5) and a two-hour "20/20" (4.673 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #2).

Next up was FOX (3.010 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #3) with repeats of "Last Man Standing" (3.754 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T5) and "The Cool Kids" (2.926 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T7) followed by a new "Hell's Kitchen" (2.681 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T3).

Meanwhile, NBC (3.044 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #4) served up a full night of the "U.S. Figure Skating Championships" (3.044 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #10).

And finally, The CW (0.517 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) closed out the night with new episodes of "Dynasty" (0.645 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.2, #11) and "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" (0.389 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.1, #12).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+14.29% - 20/20
0.00% - Fresh Off the Boat
0.00% - Hell's Kitchen
0.00% - Speechless
0.00% - Dynasty
-50.00% - Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+75.00% - Hell's Kitchen (vs. The Resident (Repeat))
+42.86% - Celebrity Big Brother (vs. Bruno Mars: 24k Magic Live at the Apollo (Repeat))
+33.33% - 20/20 (vs. Marvel's Agents of SHIELD/20/20)
0.00% - Fresh Off the Boat (vs. Child Support)
0.00% - Dynasty (vs. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)
-14.29% - Speechless (vs. Child Support)
-33.33% - U.S. Figure Skating Championships (vs. Various)
-50.00% - Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (vs. Jane the Virgin)

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

· In Nielsen's 56 metered markets, household results were: "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," 1.7/4; "Late Show with Stephen Colbert," 2.8/7; and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 1.7/4 with an encore.

· In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, adult 18-49 results were: "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," 0.5/3; "Late Show," 0.5/3; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 0.4/2 with an encore.

· From 12:35-1:05 a.m. ET, ABC's "Nightline" averaged a 1.3/4 in metered-market households and a 0.3/2 in 18-49 in the Local People Meters.

· From 12:35-1:35 a.m. ET, ratings were: "Late Night with Seth Meyers," 1.0/4 in metered-market households with an encore; CBS's "Late Late Show," 1.3/4 with an encore. In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, averages were: "Late Night," 0.3/2 in 18-49 with an encore; "Late Late Show," 0.2/2 with an encore.

· At 1:35 a.m., "Last Call with Carson Daly" averaged a 0.6/2 in metered-market households with an encore and a 0.2/2 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [april 2026]  
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
[04/24/26 - 08:59 AM]
NBA Playoffs Return to NBC Sports Delivers Big Viewership Gains Over First Three Nights
NBC Sports' first six NBA Playoff games averaged 4.9 million viewers, up 38% vs. comparable coverage last year and the most-watched for the first Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights of the playoffs since 1994.

[04/23/26 - 03:13 PM]
"Euphoria" Season 3 Premiere Surpasses 20M Global Viewers, Up 68% vs. Season 2
Episode 2 matched the premiere with approximately 8.5 million U.S. viewers in its first three days.

[04/23/26 - 02:50 PM]
Goal! ESPN Airs Two Most-Viewed First Round Game 2's on Cable Ever, Continuing Successful Start to 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Monday's Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins matchup (Game 2, 7 p.m. ET) delivered 1.6 million viewers and Tuesday's Boston Bruins-Buffalo Sabres matchup (Game 2, 7:30 p.m.) delivered 1.2 million viewers, setting the new Game 2 record.

[04/23/26 - 12:19 PM]
USA Sports Delivers Most-Watched Match in LOVB Volleyball History to Cap Inaugural Season of Record Viewership on USA Network
The first Finals match on Thursday, April 16, which Salt Lake won 3-2 in a closely-contested fifth set, averaged 163,000 viewers, ranking as the most-watched LOVB game of all-time.

[04/22/26 - 01:00 PM]
ESPN Opens NBA Playoffs with Most-Watched Playoff Game of Opening Weekend
Saturday's Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers matchup on ABC averaged 5.2 million viewers, peaking at 6.4 million viewers during the 11 p.m. ET quarter hour.

[04/22/26 - 11:07 AM]
NBC Sports' Manchester City-Arsenal Is Most-Watched Premier League Match in U.S. History
Coverage averaged 2.6 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, Telemundo and NBC Sports Digital platforms this past Sunday.

[04/22/26 - 09:32 AM]
Record Setter! ESPN Opens 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs with Three Most-Watched First Round Games on Cable Ever, Excluding Game 7's
The Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins matchup (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET) drew 2.1 million viewers, becoming the most-viewed First Round Playoff game ever on cable (excluding game 7's).

[04/22/26 - 08:51 AM]
"High Potential" Shoots to Six-Week High with Season Two Finale
On linear over seven days, the show earned 8.71 million Total Viewers and a 0.61 rating among Adults 18-49, also marking a six-week high in both measures and standing as the No. 1 show of the night.

[04/21/26 - 02:35 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Scores Double-Digit Year-Over-Year Growth
2,094,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX Saturday for a two-game slate highlighted by Atlanta's 3-1 victory over Philadelphia in most of the country.

[04/21/26 - 10:51 AM]
A New High! NHL on ESPN Networks Score Most-Viewed Regular Season of the Current Rights Deal
Individually, the NHL on ESPN averaged 602K viewers (38 games) and the NHL on ABC averaged 1.1 million viewers (16 games), both new highs in ESPN's current rights era.

[04/20/26 - 02:36 PM]
"The Pitt" Delivers Its Biggest Episode Yet, With the Season 2 Finale Reaching a Series-High 9.7 Million U.S. Viewers in Its First Weekend
The season is now averaging 15.4 million viewers, up 50% vs. Season 1, becoming the sixth current HBO Max series to surpass 15 million U.S. viewers.

[04/17/26 - 03:01 PM]
ABC News Is #1 on Sunday Morning and Friday Night
For the third week in a row, "20/20" built on its year-ago telecast in all key target demos: Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.

[04/16/26 - 10:36 AM]
"American Idol" Rocks to a 5-Week High
Among Adults 18-49, "American Idol" grew over the prior week, delivering its best performance in 7 weeks.

[04/16/26 - 09:01 AM]
HBO Originals "Euphoria" and "DTF St. Louis" Viewership Performance
"Euphoria" made its much-anticipated season 3 return to amass 8.5 million U.S. viewers in its first three days of availability.

[04/15/26 - 02:03 PM]
ESPN Delivers Second Most-Watched WNBA Draft Ever
Said coverage averaged 1.50 million viewers, up 20% year-over-year.