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[12/31/17 - 08:48 AM]
Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: NBC Wins Penultimate Night of 2017
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 10 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (12/30/17):

NBC (3.818 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.7, #1) was the top draw on the penultimate night of 2017 with "Dateline Saturday Night Mystery" (4.353 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.8, #1) and a vintage "Saturday Night Live" (2.748 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #2).

CBS (3.051 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #2) then was the number two broadcaster with repeats of "Hawaii Five-0" (2.962 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T4), "48 Hours" (2.313 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T4) and another "48 Hours" (3.879 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #3).

Next up was FOX (1.240 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #3) with encores of "The Gifted" (0.942 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T8) and "Lethal Weapon" (1.538 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T4).

And finally, ABC (1.430 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.2, #4) closed out the night with repeats of "The Bachelor: Countdown to Arie" (1.308 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T8) and "Match Game" (1.556 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T4) plus a new "Ten Days in the Valley" (1.428 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T8).

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

· A Dec. 30 encore of "Saturday Night Live," with host Tiffany Haddish and musical guest Taylor Swift, has averaged a 2.8 rating, 7 share in households in Nielsen's 56 metered markets and a 1.1/6 in 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

· "Saturday Night Live" equaled its highest household rating in the metered markets for a regular-slot encore since June 10 (2.9 with host Jimmy Fallon and musical guest Harry Styles, excludes a midnight Oct. 28 hourlong "Halloween Clips" encore and a Dec. 23 rebroadcast that was delayed by a high-rated NFL overrun). "SNL" also scored a 2.8 in the metered markets with the Nov. 25 rebroadcast hosted by Gal Gadot with musical guest Sam Smith.

· In adults 18-49 in the local people meters, it was the show's high for a regular-slot rebroadcast since April 29 (1.1 with host Aziz Ansari and musical guest Big Sean, excludes the Oct. 28 midnight encore and delayed Dec. 23 rebroadcast). The last time a regular-slot encore scored higher was April 1 (1.2 with host Alec Baldwin and musical guest Ed Sheeran).

· Last night's "Saturday Night Live" was the #1 show of the night on the Big 4 networks in 18-49 in the local people meters, topping all primetime shows on those networks in that key demo.


Here are the highlights of the nine ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (12/31/16):

ABC (8.157 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.4, #1) closed out 2016 on top with its primetime portions of "Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2017 - Part 1" (6.519 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.8, #2) and "Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2017 - Part 2" (11.434 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.5, #1).

NBC (3.492 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #2) then was the silver draw with "A Toast to 2016!" (3.639 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T3) and "Late Night with Seth Meyers New Year's Eve Special" (3.197 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T3).

Next up was CBS (3.135 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #3) with repeats of "Hawaii Five-0" (2.833 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T6), "48 Hours" (2.914 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T6) and another "48 Hours" (3.658 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #5).

And finally, FOX (1.389 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #4) closed out the evening with repeats of "Bones" (1.306 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T8) and "Lethal Weapon" (1.472 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T8).

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

· "NBC's New Year's Eve with Carson Daly" has hit a seven-year high in adults 18-49 in the local people meters, with a +22% jump versus last year, while rival New Year's Eve broadcasts on ABC and Fox both declined. In metered-market households, the NBC telecast grew +19% year to year to a three-year high.

· From 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m., "NBC's New Year's Eve with Carson Daly" averaged a 5.1 rating, 11 share in households in the 56 markets metered by Nielsen Media Research and a 3.3/12 in 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

· "NBC's New Year's Eve with Carson Daly" grew +19% in metered market households versus last year's 4.3/10 for a Thursday telecast, making this Daly's top New Year's Eve household rating since 2013 (5.2 on a Tuesday).

· Last night's 3.3 in 18-49 in the local people meters is up +22% versus the year-ago 2.7/10, for the special's best score since 2009 (3.4 on a Thursday).

· The 3.3 ranks as the second-highest rating ever in the local people meters for the annual Carson Daly telecast over its 12 years on the air, trailing since the first telecast in 2005 only the 2009 result.

· Other late-night averages last night in the markets metered by Nielsen included: "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2017" on ABC, 9.0/22 from 11:30 p.m.-1:15 a.m. (versus the year-ago 9.9/24) and 6.8/27 in 18-49 in the local people meters (vs. last year's 7.4/29); and Fox's "Pitbull's New Year's Revolution," 2.6/6 in metered-market households from 11 p.m.-12:30 a.m. (vs. last year's 3.1/7) and 2.4/9 in 18-49 in the local people meters (vs. last year's 2.7/10). National results for the December 31 late-night programs, including viewer numbers, are due from Nielsen Media Research on Wednesday.

· An encore telecast of "Saturday Night Live," airing from 12:30-2 a.m. ET with host with host Benedict Cumberbatch and musical guest Solange, averaged a 2.2/7 in households in Nielsen's 56 metered markets and a 1.6/8 in 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

· It's the highest-rated "Saturday Night Live" encore since February 2015 in the local people meters, with last night's 1.6 in 18-49 the show's best since Feb. 14, 2015 (1.6 with host George Carlin and musical guests Janis Ian and Billy Preston [the "SNL" series premiere from 1975]). The last time an "SNL" rebroadcast has scored higher in the local people meters was Jan. 3, 2015 (1.7 with host Woody Harrelson and musical guest Kendrick Lamar the night of an NFL Playoff overrun).

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

Source: Nielsen Media Research





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