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[11/13/20 - 08:14 AM]
Thursday's Broadcast Ratings: FOX Holds Off Competition with "Thursday Night Football"
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 16 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (11/12/20):

[Note: Fast affiliate ratings are inaccurate for live sports.]

FOX (7.968 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.1, #1) held off the competition on Thursday with its coverage of the "Thursday Night Football Pre-Game" (6.803 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.8, #2) and "Thursday Night Football" (8.201 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.2, #1).

ABC (5.916 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.2, #2) was the silver draw thanks to the return of "Station 19" (6.289 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.1, #5) and "Grey's Anatomy" (6.074 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.4, #3) plus a second "Grey's Anatomy" (5.384 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.2, #4).

Next up was CBS (4.119 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #3) with originals from "Young Sheldon" (7.081 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #6), "B Positive" (4.728 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T9) and "Mom" (5.063 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T7) followed by the season premiere of "The Unicorn" (3.958 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.4, #11) and "Star Trek: Discovery" (1.942 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T12).

Meanwhile, NBC (2.225 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #4) served up a new "Superstore" (2.321 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T9), a repeat "Superstore" (1.498 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T12), the season premiere of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (2.919 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T7) plus "The Paley Center Presents Law & Order: Before They Were Stars" (1.847 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T12).

And finally, the penultimate "Supernatural" (1.007 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T12) and the Sunday-bound "The Outpost" (0.436 million viewers, #16; adults 18-49: 0.1, #16) rounded out the night on The CW (0.722 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.2, #5).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+50.00% - Star Trek: Discovery (vs. 10/29/20)
+14.29% - Young Sheldon
0.00% - Mom
0.00% - Superstore
0.00% - Supernatural
0.00% - The Outpost
-12.00% - Thursday Night Football
-16.67% - B Positive
-18.18% - Thursday Night Football Pre-Game

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+140.00% - Grey's Anatomy - 10:00 (vs. How to Get Away with Murder)
+75.00% - Grey's Anatomy - 9:00 (vs. A Million Little Things)
+20.00% - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (vs. The Good Place/Will & Grace)
0.00% - Supernatural
-15.38% - Station 19 (vs. Grey's Anatomy)
-28.00% - Thursday Night Football Pre-Game
-28.57% - Superstore
-28.57% - B Positive (vs. The Unicorn)
-33.33% - Young Sheldon
-33.33% - The Unicorn (vs. Carol's Second Act)
-33.33% - Mom
-35.29% - Thursday Night Football
-40.00% - Star Trek: Discovery (vs. Evil)
-57.14% - The Paley Center Presents Law & Order: Before They Were Stars (vs. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
-66.67% - The Outpost (vs. Legacies)


Here are the highlights of the 17 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (11/14/19):

[Note: Fast affiliate ratings are inaccurate for live sports.]

FOX (11.650 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.3, #1) was still the top draw on Thursday with its presentations of "Thursday Night Football Pre-Game" (9.788 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 2.5, #2) and "Thursday Night Football" (12.022 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.4, #1).

The silver then went to ABC (4.413 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.9, #2) and its trio of "Grey's Anatomy" (6.302 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.3, #3), "A Million Little Things" (4.606 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.8, #6) and "How to Get Away with Murder" (2.330 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T12).

Next up was CBS (5.369 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.7, #3) and its lineup of "Young Sheldon" (8.979 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.2, #4), "The Unicorn" (5.666 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T7), "Mom" (6.255 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.9, #5), "Carol's Second Act" (4.754 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T10) and "Evil" (3.280 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T12).

Meanwhile, NBC (2.721 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #4) offered up fresh installments of "Superstore" (2.737 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T7), "Perfect Harmony" (1.859 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T14), "The Good Place" (2.060 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T10), "Will & Grace" (2.144 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T14) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (3.764 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T7).

And finally, The CW (1.103 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.3, #5) closed out the evening with originals from "Supernatural" (1.324 million viewers, #16; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T16) and "Legacies" (0.882 million viewers, #17; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T16).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+50.00% - Legacies
+25.93% - Thursday Night Football
+25.00% - How to Get Away with Murder
+16.67% - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
+12.50% - Mom
+9.09% - Young Sheldon
0.00% - Thursday Night Football Pre-Game
0.00% - Grey's Anatomy
0.00% - A Million Little Things
0.00% - Superstore
0.00% - The Good Place
0.00% - Evil
0.00% - Supernatural
-12.50% - The Unicorn
-14.29% - Carol's Second Act
-20.00% - Will & Grace
-20.00% - Perfect Harmony

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - Legacies
-2.86% - Thursday Night Football
-10.71% - Thursday Night Football Pre-Game
-12.50% - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
-14.29% - The Good Place (vs. Will & Grace)
-20.00% - Will & Grace (vs. I Feel Bad)
-22.22% - Superstore
-23.53% - Grey's Anatomy
-25.00% - Supernatural
-30.77% - Mom
-33.33% - A Million Little Things (vs. Station 19)
-33.33% - Carol's Second Act (vs. Murphy Brown)
-37.50% - How to Get Away with Murder
-37.50% - Evil (vs. SWAT)
-47.83% - Young Sheldon (vs. The Big Bang Theory)
-50.00% - Perfect Harmony (vs. The Good Place)
-61.11% - The Unicorn (vs. Young Sheldon)

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

TBA

Source: Nielsen Media Research





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