or


[07/10/20 - 08:11 AM]
Thursday's Broadcast Ratings: Originals Pave the Way to Victory for ABC
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 (7/9/20):

ABC (3.423 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #1) held onto the top spot on Thursday with originals from "Holey Moley" (3.744 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2), "Don't" (3.253 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.7, #1) and "To Tell the Truth" (3.274 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2).

CBS (3.197 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #2) took home the silver with its repeat lineup of "Young Sheldon" (4.164 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4), "The Unicorn" (3.003 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T7), "Mom" (3.275 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5), another "Mom" (3.326 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5) and "NCIS: Los Angeles" (2.709 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T7).

Next up was NBC (2.018 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T3) with a new "Blindspot" (2.429 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T7), a second "Blindspot" (1.806 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T7) and a repeat "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1.819 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T12).

Meanwhile, FOX (1.202 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T3) offered up new episodes of "Celebrity Watch Party" (1.444 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T7) and "Labor of Love" (0.959 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T12).

And finally, the season finales of "Burden of Truth" (0.481 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T14) and "In the Dark" (0.411 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T14) rounded out the evening on The CW (0.446 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - Don't (vs. 6/25/20)
0.00% - To Tell the Truth (vs. 6/25/20)
0.00% - Blindspot
0.00% - Celebrity Watch Party (vs. 6/25/20)
0.00% - Labor of Love (vs. 6/25/20)
0.00% - Burden of Truth
0.00% - In the Dark
-14.29% - Holey Moley (vs. 6/25/20)

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+50.00% - To Tell the Truth (vs. Reef Break)
+40.00% - Don't (vs. Family Food Fight)
0.00% - In the Dark (vs. The Outpost)
-25.00% - Holey Moley
-40.00% - Blindspot - 9:00 (vs. Hollywood Game Night)
-40.00% - Blindspot - 8:00 (vs. The Wall (Repeat))
-50.00% - Burden of Truth (vs. iZombie)
-57.14% - Celebrity Watch Party (vs. MasterChef)
-66.67% - Labor of Love (vs. Spin the Wheel)


Here are the highlights of the 13 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (7/11/19):

CBS (3.165 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T1) was the network to beat on Thursday with its original lineup of "Love Island" (2.613 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T4), "Big Brother 21" (3.989 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.0, #1) and "Elementary" (2.893 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T9).

FOX (2.842 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T1) then shared in the demo honors thanks to fresh installments of "MasterChef" (3.040 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #3) and "Spin the Wheel" (2.644 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T4).

Next up was ABC (2.869 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #3) and its trio of "Holey Moley" (3.946 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #2), "Family Food Fight" (2.401 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T6) and "Reef Break" (2.260 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T9).

Meanwhile, NBC (2.822 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4) offered up the return of "Hollywood Game Night" (2.647 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T6) bookended by repeats of "The Wall" (3.411 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T6) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (2.408 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T9).

And finally, a new "iZombie" (0.594 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.2, #12) and the season premiere of "The Outpost" (0.611 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.1, #13) rounded out the evening on The CW (0.603 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+33.33% - Elementary
+33.33% - Reef Break (vs. 6/27/19)
0.00% - MasterChef (vs. 6/27/19)
0.00% - Spin the Wheel (vs. 6/27/19)
0.00% - iZombie (vs. 6/27/19)
-11.11% - Holey Moley (vs. 6/27/19)
-16.67% - Family Food Fight (vs. 6/27/19)

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+60.00% - Holey Moley (vs. The Gong Show)
0.00% - iZombie (vs. Supernatural (Repeat))
-12.50% - MasterChef (vs. The Four: Battle for Stardom)
-16.67% - Family Food Fight (vs. Match Game)
-16.67% - Hollywood Game Night (vs. Marlon)
-20.00% - Elementary (vs. SWAT (Repeat))
-20.00% - Reef Break (vs. Take Two)
-33.33% - Spin the Wheel (vs. The Four: Battle for Stardom)
-33.33% - Big Brother 21
-36.84% - Love Island (vs. The Big Bang Theory/Young Sheldon (Repeats))
-50.00% - The Outpost (vs. Black Lightning (Repeat))

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

TBA

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.