or


[12/17/20 - 09:35 AM]
Wednesday's Broadcast Ratings: "The Masked Singer" Closes Season 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 12 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (12/16/20):

FOX (6.202 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.5, #1) scored top honors on Wednesday thanks to a new "The Masked Singer" (5.261 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.2, #2) followed by the season finale of "The Masked Singer" (7.143 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.7, #1).

CBS (4.210 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #2) was the silver draw with the season finale of "The Amazing Race 32" (4.307 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.8, #3) alongside the fall finales of "SEAL Team" (4.351 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T5) and "S.W.A.T." (3.972 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T5).

Next up was ABC (3.112 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3) with fresh installments of "The Great Christmas Light Fight" (4.080 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.7, #4), another "The Great Christmas Light Fight" (3.087 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T5) and the fall finale of "For Life" (2.168 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T9).

Meanwhile, NBC (2.835 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3) opted for encores of "Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes - At Home Holiday Special" (3.021 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T9) and "A Saturday Night Live Christmas Special" (2.742 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T5).

And finally, the season finale of "Devils" (0.374 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T11) and a rebroadcast of "Penn & Teller: Merry Fool Us" (0.418 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T11) on The CW (0.396 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) rounded out the night.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+20.00% - The Masked Singer - 8:00
+14.29% - The Amazing Race 32
+6.25% - The Masked Singer - 9:00 (vs. 12/2/20)
0.00% - The Great Christmas Light Fight - 8:00
0.00% - S.W.A.T.
0.00% - For Life
0.00% - Devils
-16.67% - SEAL Team
-16.67% - The Great Christmas Light Fight - 9:00

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - For Life (vs. Various (Repeats))
-22.73% - The Masked Singer - 9:00
-29.41% - The Masked Singer - 8:00
-33.33% - The Amazing Race 32 (vs. Survivor: Island of the Idols)
-36.36% - The Great Christmas Light Fight - 8:00 (vs. Various)
-37.50% - S.W.A.T. (vs. Survivor: Island of the Idols Reunion)
-44.44% - The Great Christmas Light Fight - 9:00 (vs. Various)
-50.00% - Devils (vs. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (Repeat))
-58.33% - SEAL Team (vs. Survivor: Island of the Idols)


Here are the highlights of the 13 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (12/18/19):

FOX (7.377 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.0, #1) was the top draw on Wednesday thanks to the penultimate "The Masked Singer" (6.426 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.7, #2) and the season finale of "The Masked Singer" (8.327 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.2, #1).

CBS (6.102 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.1, #2) then claimed the silver with the finale to "Survivor: Island of the Idols" (6.425 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.2, #3) followed by its "Survivor: Island of the Idols Reunion" (4.488 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T5).

Next up was ABC (4.069 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.8, #3) and its special "Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'All in the Family' and 'Good Times'" (5.786 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.1, #4) alongside repeats of "Black-ish" (3.272 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.7, #7), "Mixed-ish" (2.018 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T10) and another "Mixed-ish" (1.765 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T10).

Meanwhile, NBC (3.330 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #4) opted for encores of "Ellen's Greatest Night of Giveaways" (4.442 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T5), another "Ellen's Greatest Night of Giveaways" (2.737 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T8) and the concluding "Ellen's Greatest Night of Giveaways" (2.810 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T8).

And finally, The CW (0.700 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.2, #5) closed out the evening with a rebroadcast of "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" (0.781 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.2, #12) and the special "Masters of Illusion: Christmas Magic 2019" (0.618 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.1, #13).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+10.00% - The Masked Singer - 9:00 (vs. 11/6/19)
0.00% - Survivor: Island of the Idols
-10.53% - The Masked Singer - 8:00

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+450.00% - The Masked Singer - 9:00 (vs. Star (Repeat))
+240.00% - The Masked Singer - 8:00 (vs. Empire (Repeat))
+64.18% - Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'All in the Family' and 'Good Times' (vs. Various (Repeats))
-20.00% - Survivor: Island of the Idols Reunion
-20.00% - Survivor: Island of the Idols
-50.00% - Masters of Illusion: Christmas Magic 2019 (vs. Penn & Teller: Fool Us (Repeat))

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [december 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
[10/31/25 - 02:22 PM]
FOX Sports Hits 14.6 Million Viewers for Game 5 of the World Series
The telecast reached a peak viewership of 16,034,000 viewers on FOX between 10:00-10:15 PM ET.

[10/31/25 - 10:42 AM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Scares Up More Wins - Rising for Historic Sixth Week in a Row
"Dancing with the Stars" is the only fall show to increase its overall audience for six consecutive weeks following its season premiere.

[10/31/25 - 06:31 AM]
ESPN Networks Deliver Record College Football Viewership at the Midway Point of the Season, "College GameDay" Continues on Historic Run
Through nine weeks, ESPN networks are averaging 2.3 million viewers per game, their largest audience since 2009 and an increase of 20 percent year-over-year.

[10/30/25 - 03:05 PM]
14.8 Million Viewers Tuned in for World Series Game 4 Across FOX, FOX Deportes & FOX Sports Streaming Services
Viewership peaked at 16,695,000 viewers on FOX between 10:00-10:15 PM ET.

[10/30/25 - 03:01 PM]
Debut of NBC Sports' "Coast 2 Coast Tuesday" Delivers NBA's Largest Pre-Christmas Tuesday Audience Since 1996
"Coast 2 Coast Tuesday" - featuring the New York Knicks at Milwaukee Bucks (8 p.m. ET) and LA Clippers at Golden State Warriors (11 p.m. ET) - averaged 3.0 million viewers in primetime across NBC and Peacock.

[10/28/25 - 02:07 PM]
"Sunday Night Football" on Record Pace Through Week 8, Averaging 24.7 Million Viewers on NBC and Peacock
Packers-Steelers audience peaked at 28.2 million viewers on NBC and Peacock in the second quarter (9:15-9:30 p.m. ET).

[10/28/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of October 20 - "A House of Dynamite" Hits the Target at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
Plus: "Nobody Wants This," "The Elixir," and "The Monster of Florence" rise to the top in their opening weekends.

[10/27/25 - 12:03 PM]
Second-Most Viewed NBA Opening Week on ESPN Since 2014; "Inside the NBA" Averaged 1M Viewers in Its Opening Week Debut on ESPN
Last week's NBA coverage averaged 2.2 million viewers.

[10/24/25 - 02:54 PM]
ESPN's Third-Most Watched NBA Season-Opening Wednesday Ever
The two-game slate averaged 2.33 million viewers, up 44 percent from last year.

[10/24/25 - 02:02 PM]
"20/20" Is Friday's Most-Watched Newsmagazine Across the Board
In addition, "20/20" posted its best Adults 25-54 in more than four months.

[10/24/25 - 02:01 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 Across the Board, Leading NBC in All Key Demos for the 4th Straight Week
"Nightline" grew year to year across the board: Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, and Adults 18-49.

[10/24/25 - 01:05 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Makes Television History - Rising for Fifth Straight Week
The October 21 episode scored 6.63 million Total Viewers and a 1.38 rating among Adults 18-49, hitting new season highs in both demographics.

[10/23/25 - 02:33 PM]
Largest Audience for "NBA Tip-Off" Doubleheader Since 2010 as NBA Returned to NBC and Debuted on Peacock
Tuesday night's audience across NBC and Peacock peaked at 7.1 million viewers from 10:45-11 p.m. ET as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder to a one-point win over the Houston Rockets in double overtime.

[10/23/25 - 11:28 AM]
"High Potential" Rises to Season High as Show Nears Fall Finale
ABC's popular drama rose to a multiplatform season high in Total Viewers (12.50 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.31 rating) after seven days of viewing on ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and digital platforms.

[10/22/25 - 03:06 PM]
FOX Sports Delivers Most-Watched ALCS Game Since 2017
9,028,000 viewers tuned in across FOX, FS1, FOX Deportes & FOX Sports streaming services for the Toronto Blue Jays' ALCS Game 7 victory over the Seattle Mariners.