or


[10/17/20 - 08:30 AM]
Friday's Broadcast Ratings: FOX, "SmackDown" Hold Off Demo Competition
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 12 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (10/16/20):

FOX (1.986 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #1) held off the demo competition on Friday with its weekly installment of "WWE SmackDown" (1.986 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.5, #2).

ABC (3.287 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) was the most-watched network thanks to the season premiere of "Shark Tank" (3.814 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #1) and a new "20/20" (3.024 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3).

Next up was CBS (2.862 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) with originals from "The Greatest #AtHome Videos" (3.126 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3) and "Undercover Boss" (2.654 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3) plus a repeat "Blue Bloods" (2.805 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T7).

Meanwhile, NBC (2.120 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) offered up an encore of "American Ninja Warrior" (1.863 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T7) alongside "Dateline NBC" (2.634 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3).

And finally, The CW (0.669 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) rounded out the night with "Masters of Illusion" (0.718 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T9), a repeat "Masters of Illusion" (0.638 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T9), "World's Funniest Animals" (0.682 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T9) and a repeat "World's Funniest Animals" (0.637 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T9).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+33.33% - Undercover Boss
0.00% - The Greatest #AtHome Videos
0.00% - Masters of Illusion
0.00% - World's Funniest Animals
-16.67% - WWE SmackDown
-20.00% - 20/20 (vs. 9/25/20)
-20.00% - Dateline NBC

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+9.09% - Shark Tank (vs. American Housewife/Fresh Off the Boat)
0.00% - World's Funniest Animals (vs. Dynasty)
0.00% - 20/20
-20.00% - Undercover Boss (vs. Magnum P.I.)
-20.00% - Dateline NBC
-28.57% - WWE SmackDown
-33.33% - The Greatest #AtHome Videos (vs. Hawaii Five-0)
-50.00% - Masters of Illusion (vs. Charmed)


Here are the highlights of the 11 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (10/18/19):

FOX (2.441 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #1) held onto the demo crown on Friday with another installment of "WWE SmackDown" (2.441 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.7, #1).

CBS (6.441 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #2) then was a close second with its trio of "Hawaii Five-0" (6.214 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2), "Magnum P.I." (5.778 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T5) and "Blue Bloods" (7.331 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2).

Next up was NBC (3.281 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3) with new episodes of "The Blacklist" (3.509 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T8) and "Dateline NBC" (3.167 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T5).

Meanwhile, ABC (2.772 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3) offered up originals from "American Housewife" (3.323 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2), "Fresh Off the Boat" (2.474 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T5) and "20/20" (2.709 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T8).

And finally, The CW (0.622 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) offered up new episodes of "Charmed" (0.764 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.2, #10) and "Dynasty" (0.480 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.1, #11).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+66.67% - Fresh Off the Boat
+20.00% - American Housewife
0.00% - 20/20
0.00% - Charmed
0.00% - Dynasty
-14.29% - Hawaii Five-0
-14.29% - Blue Bloods
-16.67% - Magnum P.I.
-16.67% - Dateline NBC
-20.00% - The Blacklist
-30.00% - WWE SmackDown

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - Fresh Off the Boat (vs. Speechless)
0.00% - American Housewife (vs. Fresh Off the Boat)
0.00% - Charmed (vs. Dynasty)
0.00% - Dynasty (vs. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)
0.00% - The Blacklist (vs. Blindspot)
-11.11% - 20/20 (vs. Child Support/20/20)
-14.29% - Hawaii Five-0 (vs. MacGyver)
-16.67% - Dateline NBC
-22.22% - WWE SmackDown (vs. Various)
-25.00% - Blue Bloods
-37.50% - Magnum P.I. (vs. Hawaii Five-0)

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

TBA

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [october 2020]  
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
[11/11/26 - 09:30 AM]
The 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series on The CW Network Delivers Strongest Viewership in Five Years
Coverage averaged 1,044,000 total viewers for all 33 races, per Nielsen Panel + Big Data.

[11/11/26 - 08:27 AM]
"Saturday Night Live" Reaches Two-Year High with Host Druski and Musical Guest The Strokes
The 5.6 million topped the previous week's telecast of 5.2 million viewers, which at that point was the best of the season.

[11/10/26 - 03:19 PM]
Madrid Finale Culminates NFL Network's Most-Watched International Series Slate
Sunday's Cincinnati Bengals-Atlanta Falcons game from Bernabéu Stadium averaged 6.2 million viewers on NFL Network and NFL+.

[11/10/26 - 03:10 PM]
"College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" Records Fifth-Most-Watched Episode of All Time
ESPN networks delivered three of the weekend's top five games, including the top game of the week for the eighth time this season.

[11/10/26 - 03:01 PM]
"America's Game of the Week" Delivers 25.7 Million Viewers for Packers' Dominant Win Over Patriots
Said coverage was the most-watched telecast of the week on any network.

[11/10/26 - 02:51 PM]
Notre Dame Victory Over No. 1 Miami Is Third Most-Watched Primetime Game in 35 Years of Fighting Irish Football on NBC
The audience for the Fighting Irish's 31-24 victory over No. 1 Miami peaked at 12 million viewers in the fourth quarter (11 p.m.-11:10 p.m. ET) as Notre Dame held off the Hurricanes' last-minute touchdown attempt to seal the win.

[11/10/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of November 2 - "A Dog's Perfect Christmas" Unwraps the No. 1 Spot in This Week's Top 10
"Taken: Natalee Holloway" premiered in the No. 1 spot of the English TV list, gathering 12.9 million views.

[11/09/26 - 10:58 AM]
76ers-Pistons November 4 Matchup Delivered 2M Viewers on ESPN, Up 47 Percent from Last Year
The audience peaked with 2.6M viewers during the 9:45 p.m. ET quarter hour.

[11/06/26 - 11:40 AM]
Romantic Epic "The Remarried Empress" Becomes The Most Viewed Local Original Premiere of All Time on Disney+ Globally
It currently ranks as the number one Korean title premiere in over 50 global markets including the US, the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Mexico, Chile, ANZ and Canada.

[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).