or


[11/06/16 - 10:27 AM]
Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: College Football Special Sparks CBS Victory
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 seven ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (11/5/16):

CBS (9.829 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.9, #1) surged to the top spot on Saturday with its special coverage of "College Football: Alabama at LSU" (9.829 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.9, #1).

ABC (5.070 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.4, #2) then had to settle for second place with its weekly edition of "Saturday Night College Football" (5.070 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.4, #2).

Next up was NBC (2.777 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #3) and its mix of "The 2016 Breeders' Cup" (2.099 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T5), "Dateline Saturday Night Mystery" (3.142 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4) and "SNL Vintage" (3.090 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #3).

And finally, repeats of "Pitch" (1.172 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T5) and "Lethal Weapon" (1.554 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T5) closed out the night on FOX (1.363 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #4).

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

· The Nov. 5 edition of "Saturday Night Live" has scored the show's second-highest rating of the season to date in adults 18-49 in Nielsen's markets with local people meters and equaled the show's #2 rating of the season in metered-market households.

· Last night's "Saturday Night Live," with host Benedict Cumberbatch and musical guest Solange, generated a 5.8 rating, 14 share in "live plus same day" household results from the 56 local markets metered by Nielsen Media Research and a 2.8/14 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

· Last night's telecast is up +14% versus the show's November 2015 average for originals in metered-market households (5.8 vs. 5.1) and up +22% in 18-49 in the local people meters (2.8 vs. 2.3 for November 2015).

· The only "Saturday Night Live" telecast so far this fall to top these Nov. 5 overnights is the Oct. 22 edition (6.1 in metered-market households, 3.0 in 18-49 in the local people meters with host Tom Hanks and musical guest Lady Gaga). The season premiere on Oct. 1 (5.8 in households, 2.7 in 18-49 with host Margot Robbie and musical guest The Weeknd) also tied last night's 5.8 in metered-market households.

· Last night's 2.8 in 18-49 in the local people meters is the highest rating for a November telecast of "Saturday Night Live" since Nov. 3, 2012 (3.0 with host Louis C.K. and musical guest fun).


Here are the highlights of the five ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (11/7/15):

CBS (10.676 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.4, #1) took home top honors on Saturday with its special coverage of "College Football: LSU @ Alabama" (10.676 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.4, #1).

ABC (4.629 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.2, #2) then was a distant second place with its "Saturday Night College Football" (4.629 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.2, #2).

Next up was NBC (3.821 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.7, #3) and its duo of "Dateline NBC" (3.958 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #4) and "Saturday Night Live" (3.549 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #3).

And finally, "CFB on FOX" (1.125 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.3, #5) coverage on FOX (1.125 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #4) closed out the evening.

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

·The Nov. 7 telecast of "Saturday Night Live," with host Donald Trump and musical guest Sia, averaged a 6.6 rating, 16 share in metered-market household results from Nielsen Media Research and a 2.7/13 in adults 18-49 in the local people meters.

·In the 56 markets metered by Nielsen, the 6.6 rating is the highest for "Saturday Night Live" since Jan. 7, 2012 (7.0/18 with host Charles Barkley and musical guest Kelly Clarkson). In the 25 markets with local people meters, the 2.7 rating in adults 18-49 is the show's highest since Feb. 1, 2014 (2.9/12 with host Melissa McCarthy and musical guest Imagine Dragons).

·"Saturday Night Live" ranked as the night's #1 telecast on the Big 4 networks in metered-market households, topping all primetime programs on those nets.

·The Nov. 7 "Saturday Night Live" is up +53% versus "SNL's" year-ago November average for originals in metered-market households (6.6 vs. 4.3 on Nov. 1, 15 and 22, 2014). On the same night last year, "SNL" aired a rebroadcast. Versus the 2014-15 season average for originals, this week's "Saturday Night Live" grew +65% (6.6 vs. 4.0).

·Note that "SNL" adds significant viewership via time-shifting, with originals nationally growing by +51% so far this season going from "live plus same day" ratings to "live plus seven day" ratings in adult 18-49 (from a 1.75 rating to a 2.65).

· National ratings, including viewer totals, for last night's "Saturday Night Live" are due from Nielsen on Thursday, Nov. 12.

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [november 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
[11/06/26 - 10:56 AM]
ABC News Wins Across Sunday Morning, Friday Night and Late-Night
"20/20: Justice for Faith" ranked as Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine in Adults 25-54 (437,000) and Adults 18-49 (341,000) on October 30.

[11/05/26 - 09:30 AM]
"Yaga" Is the #1 Exclusive Series Launch in the History of AMC+
The series also charted as the #1 social drama across all U.S. TV and streaming on its premiere day.

[11/04/26 - 03:37 PM]
Bears-Seahawks Draws 16.4M Viewers, Becomes Most-Watched ESPN-Only "Monday Night Football" Game Since 2019
Bears-Seahawks is also "Monday Night Football's" third most-watched Week 8 game of the ESPN era (2006-present).

[11/04/26 - 12:31 PM]
"Saturday Night Live" Hits Season High with Host Inde Navarrette and Musical Guest Gracie Abrams
It was also the top Peacock performance of the season and best since March 14, 2026, with host and musical guest Harry Styles.

[11/04/26 - 11:01 AM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of October 26
"The Terminal List," "Carrie," "Reacher," "Neagley," and "Helluva Boss" led all original series worldwide.

[11/03/26 - 03:01 PM]
USA Sports Delivers Most-Watched WNBA Playoff Game Ever; 3.3 Million Viewers Watch Valkyries Win Title in First-Ever Game 7
Viewership was up 128% vs. the 2025 WNBA Finals deciding game (LV-PHX Game 4).

[11/03/26 - 02:42 PM]
"College GameDay" Continues Historic Run Over Halloween at IU, ABC Takes Top Spot and Delivers Three of Top Five Most-Watched Games
ESPN topped all networks in Week 9, with ABC delivering three of the week's five most-watched games and winning the noon and afternoon windows.

[11/03/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of October 26 - "Lupin" Part 4 Captures the No. 1 Spot in This Week's Top 10
"The One About Matthew Perry" debuted in the No. 1 spot on the English TV list, gathering 9.5 million views.

[11/03/26 - 11:01 AM]
CBS Up +12% from Its Week #2 Last Year - Network Places 14 of the Top 20 Series; Top Two Comedies; Top Three New Series
CBS episodes topped the Nielsen live plus 7-days of multiplatform viewership for the week of October 12-18.

[10/31/26 - 10:48 AM]
USA Sports Delivers 1.5 Million Viewers for Valkyries-Dream Game 6 Thursday Matinee
USA Sports' Game 6 coverage delivered the fifth most-watched WNBA Finals game on cable on record.

[10/30/26 - 08:57 AM]
ABC News Wins Across Friday Night, Sunday Morning and Late-Night
"20/20: Help Dale Find Dee" ranked as Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, and Adults 18-49.

[10/29/26 - 03:25 PM]
Champions at Last: 14.2 Million Viewers Projected for FOX Sports' Coverage of Milwaukee Brewers World Series Clinch
13,476,000 viewers tuned in for World Series Game 4 presented by Capital One across FOX and FOX Deportes.

[10/29/26 - 12:21 PM]
ABC Thursday Returns Strong with "9-1-1" and "9-1-1: Nashville" Rising Over Previous Season Averages
The Season 10 debut of "9-1-1" (8 p.m.) earned 8.14 million Total Viewers after seven days of viewing on ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and digital platforms, based on Nielsen's competitive multiplatform measurement.

[10/28/26 - 03:31 PM]
Cowboys-Eagles on "Monday Night Football" Delivers 18.8M Viewers
Seven weeks into ESPN's Super Bowl LXI season, "Monday Night Football" is up 26% compared to the same point in 2025, averaging 19M viewers.

[10/28/26 - 11:30 AM]
"The Drew Barrymore Show" Hits All-Time Series High
This season to date, "The Drew Barrymore Show" averaged 1.90 million total viewers, up +36% year over year.