or


[05/01/21 - 10:08 AM]
Friday's Broadcast Ratings: CBS Tops Viewers; FOX Leads Demos
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 nine ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (4/30/21):

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

CBS (5.201 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) was the most-watched network on Friday thanks to the series finale of "MacGyver" (4.340 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) followed by new episodes of "Magnum P.I." (5.109 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) and "Blue Bloods" (6.154 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2).

FOX (1.923 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #1) was the demo champ with its latest edition of "WWE SmackDown" (1.923 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.5, #1).

Next up was NBC (3.247 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) with new episodes of "The Blacklist" (3.301 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.3, #7) and "Dateline NBC" (3.221 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2).

Meanwhile, ABC (1.833 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) offered up its coverage of the "2021 NFL Draft - Rounds 2-3" (1.833 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2).

And finally, the special "World's Funniest Animals: Spring Fling" (1.018 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.2, #8) and a repeat "Penn & Teller: Fool Us" (0.943 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.1, #9) on The CW (0.981 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.2, #5) rounded out the night.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - WWE SmackDown
0.00% - MacGyver (vs. 4/16/20)
-20.00% - Magnum P.I. (vs. 4/16/20)
-20.00% - Dateline NBC
-25.00% - The Blacklist
-33.33% - Blue Bloods (vs. 4/16/20)

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - WWE SmackDown
0.00% - World's Funniest Animals: Spring Fling (vs. Charmed)
-33.33% - MacGyver
-40.00% - The Blacklist
-42.86% - Magnum P.I.
-42.86% - Dateline NBC
-42.86% - Blue Bloods
-42.86% - 2021 NFL Draft - Rounds 2-3 (vs. 4/24/20)


Here are the highlights of the 10 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (5/1/20):

CBS (7.153 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.7, #1) was the top draw on Friday with its mix of "MacGyver" (5.891 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #5), "Magnum P.I." (7.101 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T2) and the season finale of "Blue Bloods" (8.468 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T2).

NBC (4.570 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #2) was a close second with its duo of "The Blacklist" (4.545 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T6) and "Dateline NBC" (4.583 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T2).

Next up was ABC (3.480 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3) with a new "Shark Tank" (4.848 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.8, #1) and a repeat "20/20" (2.795 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #8).

Meanwhile, FOX (1.919 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T3) offered up another edition of "WWE SmackDown" (1.919 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T6).

And finally, The CW (0.488 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) closed out the night with the season finale of "Charmed" (0.639 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.2, #9) and a new "Dynasty" (0.336 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.1, #10).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+16.67% - Dateline NBC
0.00% - Shark Tank (vs. 4/10/20)
0.00% - Magnum P.I.
0.00% - WWE SmackDown
0.00% - Charmed (vs. 4/17/20)
0.00% - Dynasty (vs. 4/17/20)
-12.50% - Blue Bloods
-14.29% - MacGyver
-16.67% - The Blacklist

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+100.00% - Charmed (vs. Dynasty)
+60.00% - Shark Tank (vs. ScreenTime: Diane Sawyer Reporting)
+16.67% - Dateline NBC
0.00% - Magnum P.I. (vs. Hawaii Five-0)
0.00% - WWE SmackDown (vs. Various)
0.00% - Dynasty (vs. Whose Line Is It Anyway? (Repeats))
0.00% - MacGyver
-12.50% - Blue Bloods
-16.67% - The Blacklist

Source: Nielsen Media Research, ShowBuzzDaily.com





  [may 2021]  
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.