or


[08/15/20 - 08:55 AM]
Friday's Broadcast Ratings: FOX Keeps Demo Crown; CBS Tops Total Viewers
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 12 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (8/14/20):

FOX (1.978 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #1) led the demo race on Friday thanks to "WWE SmackDown" (1.978 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #1).

CBS (3.585 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.3, #4) was the most-watched broadcaster with the season finale of "The Greatest #AtHome Videos" (3.913 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) alongside repeats of "Magnum P.I." (3.138 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T6) and "Blue Bloods" (3.704 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T6).

Next up was NBC (2.709 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) with encores of "The Wall" (2.292 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T6) and "Dateline NBC" (2.917 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2).

Meanwhile, ABC (2.600 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) also offered up second runs of "Shark Tank" (2.714 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) and "20/20" (2.543 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2).

And finally, The CW (0.332 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) closed out the night with repeats of "Masters of Illusion" (0.449 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T9), another "Masters of Illusion" (0.459 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T9), a new "Being Rueben" (0.214 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.0, #T11) and a second "Being Rueben" (0.206 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.0, #T11).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - Being Rueben - 9:00
0.00% - Being Rueben - 9:30
0.00% - WWE SmackDown
0.00% - The Greatest #AtHome Videos

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+66.67% - WWE SmackDown (vs. Various)
+33.33% - The Greatest #AtHome Videos (vs. Hawaii Five-0 (Repeat))
-100.00% - Being Rueben - 9:00 (vs. Hypnotize Me (Repeat))
-100.00% - Being Rueben - 9:30 (vs. Hypnotize Me (Repeat))


Here are the highlights of the 14 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (8/16/19):

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Some high rated local pre-season NFL games (across all networks) are included here but will be excluded from Officials.]

NBC (3.054 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #1) was the demo champ on a repeat heavy Friday with its duo of "American Ninja Warrior" (3.025 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.6, #1) and "Dateline NBC" (3.111 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2).

CBS (3.424 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) then was the most-watched network with its trio of "Hawaii Five-0" (3.265 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T8), "Magnum P.I." (3.252 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T8) and "Blue Bloods" (3.755 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T4).

Next up was ABC (2.594 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) and its mix of "American Housewife" (2.542 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T4), "Fresh Off the Boat" (1.999 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T8), "What Would You Do?" (2.774 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2) and "20/20" (2.737 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T4).

Meanwhile, FOX (1.362 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #4) served up encores of "BH90210" (1.426 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T4) and "MasterChef" (1.297 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T8).

And finally, repeats of "Masters of Illusion" (1.316 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T8), "The Big Stage" (1.198 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T13) and "Hypnotize Me" (1.104 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T13) rounded out the night on The CW (1.180 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.2, #5).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - What Would You Do?

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
-16.67% - What Would You Do?

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

TBA

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [october 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
[10/27/26 - 03:36 PM]
College Football on FOX Scores Big Numbers in Week 8
7,015,000 viewers tuned into FOX "Big Noon Saturday" for Indiana's win over Michigan.

[10/27/26 - 03:14 PM]
FOX's "America's Game of the Week" Roars with 24,670,000 Viewers in Week 7
The network's Sunday window ranks as the #1 program in all of television through the first seven weeks of the season (24,749,000 average).

[10/27/26 - 03:03 PM]
No Time Like October: FOX Sports Drives in 12,259,000 Viewers for Game 1 and 10,854,000 Viewers for Game 2
Both telecasts were the most-watched of their respective days on any network.

[10/27/26 - 02:59 PM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver Most-Watched WNBA Finals Game 4 Ever
Led by Gabby Williams' 17 points, Golden State's 67-62 win over Atlanta peaked at 2.5 million viewers for the game's exciting conclusion from 3:30-3:45 p.m. ET.

[10/27/26 - 02:40 PM]
"College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" Continues Record-Setting Season; ESPN Networks Deliver Three of the Top Five Games Across All Nets
Ole Miss/Texas (8.1 million) was the top game of the week and added to ESPN's nine total games this season with 8+ million viewers.

[10/27/26 - 02:06 PM]
Chiefs-Seahawks Is Most Watched Week 7 NBC "Sunday Night Football" Game Since 2013, Averaging 26.3 Million Viewers on NBC & Peacock
The audience peaked at 29.0 million viewers on NBC and Peacock in the second quarter (9:30-9:45 p.m. ET).

[10/27/26 - 01:01 PM]
"Crystal Lake" Makes Killer Debut on Peacock
"Crystal Lake" has generated 1.3 billion minutes watched over its first 11 days, making it the fourth highest scripted original series ever on Peacock.

[10/26/26 - 11:32 AM]
ESPN's NBA Opening Week Delivered Its Largest Audience Since 2014
The Philadelphia 76ers' victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers averaged 2.5 million viewers, up 26% from last year's comparable game.

[10/26/26 - 09:26 AM]
"CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton" Scores Nearly 5 Million Total Viewers on ABC and Disney+
The special ranked No. 1 in Total Viewers from 9-11 p.m. (4.74 million), leading its closest competitors in the timeslot by double digits.

[10/23/26 - 03:54 PM]
ESPN's NBA Opening Wednesday Delivered Its Second-Largest Audience Ever
The Minnesota Timberwolves' victory over the Miami Heat averaged 2.52 million viewers, up 16% from last year's comparable game.

[10/23/26 - 03:25 PM]
USA Sports Delivers Most-Watched WNBA Finals Game 3 Since 1999, Best Ever on Cable
1.71 million viewers on average tuned into Wednesday night's Game 3 coverage across USA Sports' linear platforms (USA Network and CNBC) and streaming on Peacock.

[10/23/26 - 08:30 AM]
Record College Football Viewership Propels ESPN to Second Best Start Since 2011 with "College GameDay" on Track for Most-Watched Season Ever
ESPN networks are averaging 2.2 million viewers across 120 games on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU - the second-best start for ESPN since 2011.

[10/22/26 - 04:01 PM]
ABC News Wins Across Friday Night, Sunday Morning and Late-Night
"20/20: The Suitcase Murders" ranked as Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, and Adults 18-49.

[10/22/26 - 04:00 PM]
CBS Dominates Its Premiere Week in Seven-Day Multiplatform Viewership, Up +14% from Last Year, with Six Series Topping 10 Million Viewers
Among its broadcast competition, CBS claimed eight of the top 10 series.

[10/22/26 - 02:50 PM]
NBC Sports Delivers Most-Watched NBA Tip-Off Primetime Game Ever with 76ers-Knicks
Viewership peaked at 9.1 million - an NBA Tip-Off record - from 9:45-10:00 pm ET as the 76ers clinched the victory.