or


[11/15/20 - 10:37 AM]
Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: ABC Reclaims Top Spot with College 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 seven ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (11/14/20):

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

ABC (4.152 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.0, #1) reclaimed the top spot on Saturday with its coverage of "Saturday Night Football" (4.152 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.0, #1).

FOX (1.736 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #2) took home the silver with its own "CFB on FOX" (1.736 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.4, #2).

Next up was NBC (1.572 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #3) with rebroadcasts of "American Ninja Warrior" (1.323 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T5) and "SNL Vintage" (2.070 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T3).

And finally, CBS (2.352 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.2, #4) wrapped the night with repeats of "NCIS: Los Angeles" (1.992 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T5) and "Bull" (2.157 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T5) plus a new "48 Hours" (2.906 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T3).

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

· A Nov. 14 encore edition of "Saturday Night Live," with host Chris Rock and musical guest Megan Thee Stallion, has averaged a 3.1 rating in "live plus same day" household results from 44 local markets metered by Nielsen Media Research and a 1.0 rating in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

· The 3.1 in metered-market households is the highest for an "SNL" rebroadcast since Jan. 11 (3.1 with host and musical guest Harry Styles) and equals the "SNL" high among the show's 36 encores in this timeslot since Nielsen changed its methodology on Oct. 5, 2019.

· In adults 18-49, the 1.0 is the best for a "Saturday Night Live" rebroadcast since March 14 (1.0 with host Kristen Stewart and musical guest Coldplay) and equals the high since Jan. 11 (1.2). Among all 36 "SNL" encores since the change in methodology, the 1.0 ties for #2.

· Versus "SNL's" 2.7 average for encore telecasts last season, the 3.1 in metered-market households is up +15%. In 18-49, the local-market 1.0 is up +11% versus the 0.9 average for 2019-20 "SNL" rebroadcasts.

· Versus primetime programming on the Big 4 networks Saturday night, the "SNL" rebroadcast is the #1 show of the night in metered-market households.


Here are the highlights of the eight ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (11/16/19):

ABC (6.425 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.7, #1) pulled back in front on Saturday with its presentation of "Saturday Night College Football" (6.425 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.7, #1).

CBS (3.003 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) then was the silver draw with repeats of "Bull" (2.699 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) and "48 Hours" (2.736 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) followed by a new "48 Hours" (3.573 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2).

Next up was NBC (2.247 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) and its mix of "The Voice" (1.869 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T7), "Dateline Saturday Night Mystery" (2.541 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) and "SNL Vintage" (2.332 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2).

And finally, FOX (1.301 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #4) closed out the night with its "CFB on FOX" (1.301 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T7) coverage.

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

· The Nov. 16 edition of "Saturday Night Live," with host and musical guest Harry Styles, has averaged a 3.9 rating in "live plus same day" household results from 44 local markets metered by Nielsen Media Research and a 1.6 rating in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

· Note that current metered-market results are not compatible with data issued before Oct. 5 due to changes in Nielsen methodology.

· "Saturday Night Live" outrated two of the four prior originals in metered-market households, making this the third highest "SNL" household rating since Nielsen changed its methodology starting with Oct. 12 results.

· Versus primetime programming on the Big 4 networks Saturday night, "SNL" is the #2 show of the night in metered-market households and in 18-49 in the local people meters, behind only ABC's Oklahoma-Baylor college football.

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [november 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
[10/23/26 - 03:54 PM]
ESPN's NBA Opening Wednesday Delivered Its Second-Largest Audience Ever
The Minnesota Timberwolves' victory over the Miami Heat averaged 2.52 million viewers, up 16% from last year's comparable game.

[10/23/26 - 03:25 PM]
USA Sports Delivers Most-Watched WNBA Finals Game 3 Since 1999, Best Ever on Cable
1.71 million viewers on average tuned into Wednesday night's Game 3 coverage across USA Sports' linear platforms (USA Network and CNBC) and streaming on Peacock.

[10/23/26 - 08:30 AM]
Record College Football Viewership Propels ESPN to Second Best Start Since 2011 with "College GameDay" on Track for Most-Watched Season Ever
ESPN networks are averaging 2.2 million viewers across 120 games on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU - the second-best start for ESPN since 2011.

[10/22/26 - 04:01 PM]
ABC News Wins Across Friday Night, Sunday Morning and Late-Night
"20/20: The Suitcase Murders" ranked as Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, and Adults 18-49.

[10/22/26 - 04:00 PM]
CBS Dominates Its Premiere Week in Seven-Day Multiplatform Viewership, Up +14% from Last Year, with Six Series Topping 10 Million Viewers
Among its broadcast competition, CBS claimed eight of the top 10 series.

[10/22/26 - 02:50 PM]
NBC Sports Delivers Most-Watched NBA Tip-Off Primetime Game Ever with 76ers-Knicks
Viewership peaked at 9.1 million - an NBA Tip-Off record - from 9:45-10:00 pm ET as the 76ers clinched the victory.

[10/22/26 - 02:00 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Waltzes to Season High During Heartfelt "Dedication Night" with 7.36 Million Total Viewers
The October 20 episode hit a season high with the show's best non-finale episode in six years.

[10/21/26 - 04:01 PM]
USA Sports' Coverage of Dream-Valkyries Game 2 Is Most-Watched WNBA Finals Game 2 Ever on Cable
Monday night's coverage averaged 1.33 million viewers across USA Sports' linear platforms (USA Network, CNBC and E!).

[10/21/26 - 03:15 PM]
It's Back to School at "Abbott Elementary" as Show Returns with Over 6 Million Total Viewers
The premiere episode scored the show's best streaming performance since Season 4, based on views over seven days on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

[10/21/26 - 02:31 PM]
Commanders-49ers on "Monday Night Football" Delivers 17.9 Million Viewers
Six weeks into ESPN's Super Bowl LXI season, "Monday Night Football" is up 23% compared to the same point in 2025, averaging 19 million viewers.

[10/21/26 - 11:01 AM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of October 12
"Carrie," "Neagley," "Reacher," "Off Campus," and "Sterling Point" led all original series worldwide.

[10/21/26 - 06:39 AM]
NFL Network's London Slate Culminates with 6.4M Viewers for Jaguars-Texans
Season to date, through three games in London, NFL Network is averaging 6.9M viewers, up 15% vs. the network's six-game International Series average last season.

[10/21/26 - 06:30 AM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver Most-Watched WNBA Finals Game 1 Ever
Led by Gabby Williams' 26 points, Golden State's 68-64 win over Atlanta peaked at 3.0 million viewers for the game's exciting conclusion from 5:45 - 5:55 p.m. ET.

[10/20/26 - 03:19 PM]
"College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" Delivers Its Third Most-Watched Regular-Season Episode Ever from BYU
ESPN networks had 3 of the top 4 games this week, the second most-watched regular season Saturday on record (based on minutes).

[10/20/26 - 03:08 PM]
Ohio State's Win Over Indiana Scores Most-Watched College Football Game of the Week
Viewership peaked at 14,269,000 viewers from 3:30-3:45 PM ET on FOX.