or


[10/17/20 - 08:30 AM]
Friday's Broadcast Ratings: FOX, "SmackDown" Hold Off Demo Competition
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 (10/16/20):

FOX (1.986 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #1) held off the demo competition on Friday with its weekly installment of "WWE SmackDown" (1.986 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.5, #2).

ABC (3.287 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) was the most-watched network thanks to the season premiere of "Shark Tank" (3.814 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #1) and a new "20/20" (3.024 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3).

Next up was CBS (2.862 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) with originals from "The Greatest #AtHome Videos" (3.126 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3) and "Undercover Boss" (2.654 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3) plus a repeat "Blue Bloods" (2.805 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T7).

Meanwhile, NBC (2.120 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) offered up an encore of "American Ninja Warrior" (1.863 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T7) alongside "Dateline NBC" (2.634 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3).

And finally, The CW (0.669 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) rounded out the night with "Masters of Illusion" (0.718 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T9), a repeat "Masters of Illusion" (0.638 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T9), "World's Funniest Animals" (0.682 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T9) and a repeat "World's Funniest Animals" (0.637 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T9).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+33.33% - Undercover Boss
0.00% - The Greatest #AtHome Videos
0.00% - Masters of Illusion
0.00% - World's Funniest Animals
-16.67% - WWE SmackDown
-20.00% - 20/20 (vs. 9/25/20)
-20.00% - Dateline NBC

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+9.09% - Shark Tank (vs. American Housewife/Fresh Off the Boat)
0.00% - World's Funniest Animals (vs. Dynasty)
0.00% - 20/20
-20.00% - Undercover Boss (vs. Magnum P.I.)
-20.00% - Dateline NBC
-28.57% - WWE SmackDown
-33.33% - The Greatest #AtHome Videos (vs. Hawaii Five-0)
-50.00% - Masters of Illusion (vs. Charmed)


Here are the highlights of the 11 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (10/18/19):

FOX (2.441 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #1) held onto the demo crown on Friday with another installment of "WWE SmackDown" (2.441 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.7, #1).

CBS (6.441 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #2) then was a close second with its trio of "Hawaii Five-0" (6.214 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2), "Magnum P.I." (5.778 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T5) and "Blue Bloods" (7.331 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2).

Next up was NBC (3.281 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3) with new episodes of "The Blacklist" (3.509 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T8) and "Dateline NBC" (3.167 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T5).

Meanwhile, ABC (2.772 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3) offered up originals from "American Housewife" (3.323 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2), "Fresh Off the Boat" (2.474 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T5) and "20/20" (2.709 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T8).

And finally, The CW (0.622 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) offered up new episodes of "Charmed" (0.764 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.2, #10) and "Dynasty" (0.480 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.1, #11).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+66.67% - Fresh Off the Boat
+20.00% - American Housewife
0.00% - 20/20
0.00% - Charmed
0.00% - Dynasty
-14.29% - Hawaii Five-0
-14.29% - Blue Bloods
-16.67% - Magnum P.I.
-16.67% - Dateline NBC
-20.00% - The Blacklist
-30.00% - WWE SmackDown

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - Fresh Off the Boat (vs. Speechless)
0.00% - American Housewife (vs. Fresh Off the Boat)
0.00% - Charmed (vs. Dynasty)
0.00% - Dynasty (vs. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)
0.00% - The Blacklist (vs. Blindspot)
-11.11% - 20/20 (vs. Child Support/20/20)
-14.29% - Hawaii Five-0 (vs. MacGyver)
-16.67% - Dateline NBC
-22.22% - WWE SmackDown (vs. Various)
-25.00% - Blue Bloods
-37.50% - Magnum P.I. (vs. Hawaii Five-0)

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
[10/01/26 - 08:35 AM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Kicks Off Season 39 with Best Premiere Week in Three Years
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 189 consecutive weeks (more than three years) across all key measures.

[09/30/26 - 04:44 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Sails to 7 Million Total Viewers on "Yacht Rock Night"
At 10 p.m., "R.J. Decker" hit a season high in early Live+Same Day Panel Only numbers with 3.20 million Total Viewers.

[09/30/26 - 03:27 PM]
Eagles-Bears on "Monday Night Football" Records 22.6 Million Viewers
Said audience marks the second largest Week 3 crowd in the ESPN era (since 2006).

[09/30/26 - 01:00 PM]
Historic "Big Brother" Season Hits 14.8 Billion Minutes Viewed, Up +9% from Last Year
The summer staple also saw year-over-year audience growth, averaging 5.1 million viewers in seven-day multiplatform viewing, up +8% from last summer, while ranking as the summer's most social program across all television programs (excluding sports).

[09/30/26 - 12:50 PM]
ABC's Tuesday Night Kicks Off Strong as "Dancing with the Stars" and Sophomore Drama "R.J. Decker" Each Score 10 Million Total Audience
Sophomore drama "R.J. Decker" earned a total cross-platform audience of 9.61 million, based on viewing over seven days across Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and linear encores.

[09/30/26 - 11:01 AM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of September 21
"Neagley," "Reacher," "Sterling Point," "Off Campus," and "El Juicio" led all original series worldwide.

[09/29/26 - 03:28 PM]
FOX Sports Hits Home Run with Best MLB on FOX Regular Season Since '21 - No. 1 Among All Networks
Regular season coverage on FOX averaged 2.35 million viewers, up +15% vs. '25.

[09/29/26 - 03:12 PM]
FOX NFL Delivers Most-Watched Early Window of the Day on Any Network in Week 3
17,898,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX's 1:00 PM ET window.

[09/29/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of September 21 - "Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story" Takes the No. 1 Spot for a Second Week
"Unabomber" premiered in the top spot on the English film list, gathering 16.4 million views.

[09/29/26 - 12:00 PM]
USA Sports Delivers Viewership Records and Milestones in Inaugural Season of WNBA Coverage Ahead of WNBA Finals on USA Network This October
USA Sports averaged 525,000 viewers across its 48 regular-season games - the most national games of any broadcaster - up 25% vs. 2025 WNBA cable average viewership.

[09/29/26 - 09:50 AM]
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" Finishes 2025-2026 Season with Largest Overall Audience in Eight Years and Strongest Adults 18-49 in Four Years
In the final week of the 2025-2026 season, "Jimmy Kimmel Live" ranked No. 1 in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.

[09/28/26 - 02:45 PM]
The "VMAs" Scores 8.4 Million Viewers, Up +51% from Last Year, and Hits 11-Year Viewership High
The telecast peaked with over 15 million viewers across CBS and MTV in the opening act, which featured Madonna's first "VMAs" performance in 23 years, including a show-opening medley with Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX.

[09/25/26 - 10:51 AM]
Cartman, Kenny, Stan, Kyle and "South America's" Season 29 Premiere Delivers 4.2 Million Multiplatform U.S. Viewers Across Comedy Central and Paramount+
The season premiere on Comedy Central outperformed last season's premiere by double digits on persons 18-49 rating and share and was the #1 non-sports cable telecast for the week with persons 18-49.

[09/25/26 - 10:35 AM]
ESPN Delivered Its Most-Watched WNBA Regular Season Ever!
Across 29 games, the WNBA on ESPN networks averaged 1.37M viewers, up 17% year-over-year and ranking as ESPN networks' most-viewed WNBA regular season on record.

[09/24/26 - 12:25 PM]
ABC News Wins Across the Board in Late Night and Friday Night
"20/20" ranks as Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, drawing its largest audience in two months and growing year to year in all key measures.