or


[01/21/18 - 09:04 AM]
Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: NBA Primetime Return Puts ABC on Top
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 11 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (1/20/18):

ABC (3.373 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.1, #1) moved to the top spot last night with the primetime returns of "NBA Countdown" (2.545 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.7, #2) and "NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC" (3.539 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.2, #1).

NBC (2.706 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #2) then was the silver draw with its mix of "Will & Grace" (1.950 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T7), "Superstore" (2.196 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #6), "Dateline Saturday Night Mystery" (3.302 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T3) and a vintage "Saturday Night Live" (2.744 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T3).

Next up was CBS (3.869 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.5, #3) and its lineup of "NCIS: Los Angeles" (3.605 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T7), "48 Hours" (3.325 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T7) and a new "48 Hours" (4.677 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T3).

And finally, encores of "The Four: Battle for Stardom" (1.226 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.3, #11) and a second "The Four: Battle for Stardom" (1.441 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T7) on FOX (1.333 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #4) rounded out the night.

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

· The Jan. 20 telecast, hosted by Jessica Chastain and featuring musical guest Troye Sivan, has averaged a 4.3 rating, 10 share in "live plus same day" household results from the 56 local markets metered by Nielsen Media Research and a 1.8/8 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

· "Saturday Night Live" is the #1 telecast of the night on the Big 4 networks in metered-market households, ahead of all primetime programming on the broadcast networks, including ABC's Warriors-Rockets NBA coverage. In 18-49 in the local people meters, "SNL" is tied with the basketball telecast as the #1 show of the night.


Here are the highlights of the eight ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (1/21/17):

ABC (2.952 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.9, #1) was the demo champ on Saturday with its presentation of "NBA Countdown" (2.405 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T3) and "NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC" (3.061 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.0, #1).

CBS (4.013 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #2) then was the silver draw with a new "Ransom" (3.619 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5) alongside a repeat "48 Hours" (3.886 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T3) and a second "48 Hours" (4.535 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.8, #2).

Next up was NBC (2.810 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #3) and its coverage of the "U.S. Figure Skating Championships" (2.810 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5).

And finally, encores of "Lethal Weapon" (1.847 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T5) and "Star" (1.195 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.3, #8) on FOX (1.521 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #4) closed out the night.

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

· "Saturday Night Live" has scored the show's highest metered-market ratings since Nov. 12.

· The Jan. 21 telecast, with host Aziz Ansari and musical guest Big Sean, scored a 5.1 rating, 13 share in "live plus same day" household results from the 56 local markets metered by Nielsen Media Research and a 2.5/12 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

· These are the strongest "Saturday Night Live" local-market ratings since the Nov. 12 telecast, which was the first "SNL" to follow the Presidential election. Featuring host Dave Chappelle and musical guest A Tribe Called Quest, the Nov. 12 edition averaged a 6.2 household rating and a 3.9 in 18-49 in the local people meters.

· The 5.1 rating in households beat results for the final 10 "Saturday Night Live" originals from last season, while the 2.5 in 18-49 in the local people meters topped last season's final 11 first-runs.

· Last night's "Saturday Night Live" was the #1 telecast of the night on the broadcast networks in both metered-market households and in 18-49 in the local people meters, outrating every Saturday primetime telecast on those nets in both categories.

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [january 2018]  
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.