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[05/07/11 - 09:04 AM]
Friday's Broadcast Ratings: ABC, CBS & FOX Share Demo Honors
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

nielsen ratings
(fast national numbers for friday, may 6, 2011)

Here are the highlights of the 12 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night:

CBS (8.77 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.4, #T1) was Friday's most-watched network with the return of "Flashpoint" (6.89 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.1, #9) followed by new episodes of "CSI: NY" (9.31 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.5, #T4) and "Blue Bloods" (10.12 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.5, #T4).

ABC (4.87 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.4, #T1) then took home the silver in said category with fresh installments of "Shark Tank" (4.48 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.2, #T6), "Primetime: What Would You Do?" (4.04 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.2, #T6) and "20/20" (6.09 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.7, #1).

Next up was FOX (3.48 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.4, #T1) with a new "Kitchen Nightmares" (3.65 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 1.6, #T2) followed by the season finale of "Fringe" (3.30 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 1.2, #T6).

Meanwhile, NBC (4.83 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.3, #4) offered up new episodes of "Friday Night Lights" (2.72 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T11) and "Dateline NBC" (5.88 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.6, #T2).

And finally, the penultimate weeks of "Smallville" (2.00 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T11) and "Supernatural" (2.08 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.9, #10) on The CW (2.04 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.9, #5) rounded out the evening.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49): Dateline NBC (33.30%), Friday Night Lights (33.30%), Kitchen Nightmares (23.10%), 20/20 (13.30%), Primetime: What Would You Do? (9.10% vs. 4/22/11), Shark Tank (0.00%), Supernatural (0.00%), Smallville (0.00%), Blue Bloods (-6.30%), Fringe (-7.70%), CSI: NY (-11.80%).

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

In Nielsen's 56 metered markets (the Birmingham market is delayed), household results were: "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," 3.1/7; CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman," 2.6/6; and ABC's combo of "Nightline," 3.3/7; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 1.5/4 with an encore.

In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, adult 18-49 results were: �The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,� 1.0/4; "Late Show," 0.7/3; "Nightline," 1.0/4; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 0.6/3 with an encore.

At 12:35 a.m., "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" (1.6/5 in metered-market households) beat CBS's "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" (1.4/4). In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Late Night" (0.6/4 in 18-49) topped "Late Late Show" (0.5/3).

At 1:35 a.m., Last Call with Carson Daly" averaged a 0.9/4 in metered-market households and a 0.4/3 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.


Here are the highlights of the 12 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (5/7/10):

CBS (6.64 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.6, #T1) took home top honors on Friday thanks to new episodes of "Ghost Whisperer" (6.51 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.6, #T3), "Medium" (7.14 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.8, #2) and "Miami Medical" (6.27 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.4, #T5).

Sharing the adults 18-49 crown then was ABC (5.32 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.6, #T1) with a new "Wife Swap" (4.50 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.4, #T5), the return of "Primetime: What Would You Do?" (5.98 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.9, #1) and a new "20/20" (5.49 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.6, #T3).

Next up was FOX (3.82 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.3, #3) with a repeat of "House" (3.10 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.1, #10) followed by a new "Kitchen Nightmares" (3.47 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 1.4, #T5).

Meanwhile, NBC (4.83 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.2, #4) offered up the season premiere of "Friday Night Lights" (3.90 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 1.2, #T8) and a new two-hour "Dateline NBC" (5.30 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.2, #T8).

And finally, a new "Smallville" (1.92 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.8, #11) and a repeat of "America's Next Top Model" (0.90 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.4, #12) on The CW (1.45 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.6, #5) rounded out the evening.

Source: Nielsen Media Research





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