or


[08/28/16 - 08:26 AM]
Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: NFL Preseason Wins Again for CBS
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 nine ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (8/27/16):

CBS (4.280 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.0, #1) was the network to beat on Saturday with its presentation of "NFL Preseason: Tennessee at Oakland" (4.280 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.0, #1).

FOX (2.221 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.8, #2) then was the number two draw with "UFC Fight Night" (2.221 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.8, #2).

Next up was ABC (2.449 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.5, #3) with repeats of "Last Man Standing" (2.513 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3) and "Dr. Ken" (2.115 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T7) plus a new "Boston EMS" (2.449 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3) and the season finale of "Boston EMS" (2.585 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3).

And finally, NBC (2.175 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #4) closed out the evening with a repeat "America's Got Talent" (2.832 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3), the return of "Aquarius" (2.096 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T7) and a second "Aquarius" (1.596 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.3, #9).

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

· An encore telecast of "Saturday Night Live," with host Jonah Hill and musical guest Future, averaged a 2.2 rating, 6 share in household results from the 56 markets metered by Nielsen Media Research and a 0.9/5 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

· With its first telecast in four weeks, "Saturday Night Live" equaled its highest 18-49 rating in the metered markets since June 25 (1.0/5 with host Matthew McConaughey and musical guest Adele)

· The Aug. 27 "SNL" equaled the show's August 2015 average in 18-49 in the local people meters (0.9 vs. 0.9 for August 2015).

· Note that "SNL" adds significant viewership via time-shifting, with originals this past season growing by +49% going from L+SD to L+7 in adults 18-49 (1.83 to 2.72) and +2.090 million persons in total viewers (6.051 million to 8.141 million).


Here are the highlights of the seven ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (8/29/15):

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Due to significant local NFL pre-season preemptions, all Fast Nationals are inflated.]

CBS (4.721 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.2, #1) claimed the top spot with its coverage of "NFL Preseason: Seattle at San Diego" (4.721 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.2, #T1).

NBC (4.151 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.1, #2) then was a close second with a repeat "American Ninja Warrior" (4.800 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.2, #T1) and the finale of "Hannibal" (2.854 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T5).

Next up was ABC (3.280 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T3) and repeats of "Cars" (3.386 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T3) and "Last Man Standing" (2.750 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.7, #7).

And finally, encores of "Bullseye" (2.975 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T5) and "Home Free" (3.144 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T3) on FOX (3.059 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T3) closed out the evening.

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

· An encore "Saturday Night Live," with host Taraji P. Henson and musical guest Mumford and Sons, averaged a 2.5 rating, 7 share in household results in Nielsen's 56 metered markets and a 0.9/5 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with Local People Meters, matching the show's highest metered-market household rating in 10 weeks (since June 20, with host and musical guest Blake Shelton, 2.7/7). Over that span, "SNL" also earned a 2.5 on July 18 (with host Kevin Hart and musical guest Sia).

· It's the third straight week "SNL" has grown in metered-market households (from a 2.2 on Aug. 8 to a 2.3 on Aug. 15 to a 2.4 on Aug. 22 to a 2.5 on Aug. 29).

· Last night's "SNL" was the #1 non-sports program of the night on the Big 4 networks in metered-market households and adults 18-49 in the Local People Meters, beating all the night's primetime entertainment programming on those networks in both measures.

· Versus the same night last year, "SNL" was up +9% in 18-49 (2.5 vs. 2.3) and up +13% in 18-49 in the Local People Meters (0.9 vs. 0.8).

· Note that "SNL" adds significant viewership via time-shifting, with originals this season growing by an average of +44% going from "live plus same day ratings" to "live plus seven day" in adults 18-49 (from a 1.84 rating to a 2.65).

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [august 2016]  
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
[12/17/25 - 01:30 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks #1 in Total Viewers
"Nightline" also posted week-to-week increases in Total Viewers and Adults 25-54.

[12/17/25 - 06:42 AM]
Cricket Celebration Bowl Delivered Double-Digit Increases on ABC
Coverage averaged 2.3 million viewers with a peak of 3.0 million.

[12/16/25 - 02:15 PM]
FOX NFL Week 15 Scores 19.4 Million Viewers for "America's Game of the Week"
Season-to-date, the NFL on FOX is averaging 20,055,000 viewers; up +8% over last year's average (18,630,000) and its best since 2015.

[12/16/25 - 02:15 PM]
"CBS News Presents: A Town Hall with Erika Kirk" Boosts CBS' Time Period Performance in Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49
The special delivered 1.9 million viewers with 265,000 in the adults 25-54 demographic on Saturday, December 13.

[12/16/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of December 8 - "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery" Cracks the Case at No. 1 in the Top 10
New comedy series "Man vs. Baby" took No. 1 on the English TV list with 19.1 million views, with the Rowan Atkinson vehicle eliciting laughs over the bumbling Trevor Bingley trying to earn money house-sitting for millionaires while a lost baby keeps him on his toes.

[12/15/25 - 09:19 AM]
Driven by Strong November Viewership, ESPN Earns Third Straight Month of Year-Over-Year Audience Growth for Weekday Studio Programming
Highlights include "The Pat McAfee Show" having its most-viewed November of all time across linear and YouTube with 445,000 average viewers per show and "NFL Live" reaching its second most-watched November since 2016 with 445,000 average viewers.

[12/12/25 - 03:04 PM]
ESPN Scored Most-Watched Jimmy V Women's Classic Ever; Men's Classic Most-Watched in Five Years
The former averaged 1.0 million viewers, peaking with 1.3 million.

[12/11/25 - 03:15 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in All Key Target Demos
The series also saw gains on the same week last year in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.

[12/10/25 - 02:59 PM]
FOX NFL Scores Massive Week 14 Viewership
28 million viewers watched FOX Sports' Week 14 "America's Game of the Week," featuring the Green Bay Packers divisional win over the Chicago Bears.

[12/10/25 - 12:08 PM]
NBCU's November to Remember Showcases the Power of Company's Programming
"All Her Fault" became the most-watched original series launch in Peacock history with 46 million hours.

[12/10/25 - 09:54 AM]
ABC Unwraps Holiday Presentations of Fan Favorite Shows
"Dancing with the Holidays" was the top-performing holiday-themed special across the broadcast networks among Adults 18-49 in two years.

[12/09/25 - 04:11 PM]
"College GameDay" Delivers Second Most-Watched Conference Championship Episode Ever; ABC/ESPN Score Second Most-Watched Conference Championship Week Since 2014
The SEC Championship delivered 16.9 million viewers on Saturday, December 6.

[12/09/25 - 02:03 PM]
18.3 Million Viewers Tuned in for Big Ten Championship Game on FOX
Indiana's win peaked with 19,993,000 viewers from 11:00-11:15 PM ET.

[12/09/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of December 1 - "My Secret Santa" Sleigh Rides to No. 1 and "Stranger Things" Slays the Top 10 Again
The extensive four-part docuseries "Sean Combs: The Reckoning" grabbed the No. 2 spot on the TV list with 21.8 million views in its opening weekend.

[12/08/25 - 11:30 AM]
College Football on The CW Network Sees Double Digit Year-Over-Year Viewership Gains for 2025 Season
ACC football experienced the largest year-over-year growth, up 26% in total audience compared to 2024.