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 (9/17/20):

[EDITOR'S NOTE: The ABC station in Cleveland and the CBS station in Cincinnati carried NFL football.]

CBS (2.732 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.7, #1) pulled in front on Thursday with thanks to a new "Big Brother 22" (4.143 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.0, #1) and a special two-hour "Love Island" (2.027 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3).

ABC (2.978 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.5, #2) was the most-watched broadcaster with its mix of "Celebrity Family Feud" (4.290 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #2), "Holey Moley II: The Sequel: The Special: Unhinged, Part Two" (2.497 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3) and "Match Game" (2.147 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5).

Next up was NBC (2.084 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T3) and its repeat lineup of "Transplant" (2.346 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T7), another "Transplant" (2.113 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.2, #10) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1.792 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T7).

Meanwhile, FOX (1.279 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T3) offered up second runs of "Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back" (1.324 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5) and "The Masked Singer: Special Season Four Sneak Peek" (1.235 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T7).

And finally, The CW (0.716 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) closed out the night with "Mysteries Decoded" (0.740 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T11) and "Penn & Teller: Fool Us" (0.691 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T11).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+66.67% - Holey Moley II: The Sequel: The Special: Unhinged
+25.00% - Love Island
0.00% - Big Brother 22

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+66.67% - Big Brother 22 (vs. Young Sheldon (Repeats))
-28.57% - Holey Moley II: The Sequel: The Special: Unhinged (vs. The Last Days of Phil Hartman)
-28.57% - Love Island (vs. Big Brother 21/FBI (Repeat))

Here are the highlights of the 13 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (9/19/19):

[EDITOR'S NOTE: The ABC station in Jacksonville carried NFL football.]

ABC (4.178 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T1) held onto the top spot on Thursday with a repeat "Celebrity Family Feud" (4.675 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.8, #2) and the two-hour special "The Last Days of Phil Hartman" (3.929 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T3).

CBS (3.824 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T1) then shared in the demo honors with its mix of "Young Sheldon" (4.453 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T5), another "Young Sheldon" (4.556 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T5), "Big Brother 21" (4.406 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.1, #1) and "FBI" (2.562 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.3, #8).

Likewise on top among adults 18-49 was FOX (3.058 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T1) with a primetime edition of "MLB on FOX" (3.058 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T3).

Meanwhile, NBC (1.945 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #4) served up its specials "Return to Downton Abbey: A Grand Event" (2.832 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #7) and "The Paley Center Salutes The Good Place" (1.337 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T9) plus a repeat "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1.667 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T9).

And finally, new episodes of "The Outpost" (1.254 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T9) and "Two Sentence Horror Stories" (1.111 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T9) followed by the season finale of "Two Sentence Horror Stories" (0.609 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.1, #13) rouned out the evening on The CW (1.057 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.2, #5).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+100.00% - Two Sentence Horror Stories - 9:00
0.00% - Big Brother 21
0.00% - The Outpost
-50.00% - Two Sentence Horror Stories - 9:30 (vs. 8/15/19)

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+100.00% - Two Sentence Horror Stories - 9:00 (vs. The Originals (Repeat))
+100.00% - The Last Days of Phil Hartman (vs. Station 19/How to Get Away with Murder (Repeats))
0.00% - The Outpost (vs. Supernatural (Repeat))
0.00% - Two Sentence Horror Stories - 9:30 (vs. The Originals (Repeat))
-31.25% - Big Brother 21
-33.33% - Return to Downton Abbey: A Grand Event (vs. The Good Place (Repeats))
-71.43% - The Paley Center Salutes The Good Place (vs. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Repeat))

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," 1.4/4; "Late Show with Stephen Colbert," 2.1/6; and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 1.8/5.

· In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, adult 18-49 results were: "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," 0.4/3; "Late Show," 0.4/3; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 0.5/4.

· From 12:35-1:05 a.m. ET, ABC's "Nightline," averaged a 1.1/4 in metered-market households and a 0.2/2 in 18-49 in the Local People Meters.

· From 12:35-1:35 a.m. ET, ratings were: "Late Night with Seth Meyers," 0.9/4 in metered-market households; CBS's "Late Late Show," 1.0/4. In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, averages were: "Late Night," 0.2/3 in 18-49; "Late Late Show," 0.2/2.

· At 1:35 a.m., "A Little Late with Lilly Singh" averaged a 0.6/3 in metered-market households and a 0.2/2 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

Source: Nielsen Media Research