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
[09/15/25 - 03:25 PM]
Over 41 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watch Terence Crawford Defeat Canelo Alvarez to Claim Super Middleweight Championship
The main event scored an estimated average minute audience (AMA) of 36.6 million live+SD viewers from opening to closing bell, per VideoAmp and Netflix.

[09/15/25 - 11:45 AM]
The "77th Emmy Awards" Delivers Its Largest Television Audience Since 2021, Up +8% from Last Year
Hosted by Nate Bargatze, the telecast was seen by more than 7.42 million viewers on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+.

[09/12/25 - 02:43 PM]
"The Groomsmen: First Look" Launches Hallmark Channel's "Fall Into Love" Seasonal Stunt with Chart-Topping Ratings
The film was the #1 most-watched entertainment cable program on Saturday among Households, Women 18+, Persons 18+, and Total Viewers.

[09/12/25 - 05:31 AM]
ESPN Networks Deliver Most-Watched WNBA Regular Season Ever
ESPN networks aired eight of the top 10 most-watched WNBA games during the 2025 season, highlighted by its most-watched WNBA game ever - 2.7 million viewers for Chicago Sky at Indiana Fever on May 17 (ABC).

[09/10/25 - 02:09 PM]
ESPN Delivers Most Viewed Tennis Telecast of the Year and Most Viewed US Open Since 2022
The Men's Championship averaged 3 million viewers on ABC, up 82% vs. 2024 while the Women's Championship averaged 2.4 million on ESPN, up 50% vs. 2024.

[09/09/25 - 03:43 PM]
On Pace for Record Year, ESPN Formula 1 Viewership Earns 10th Event High of '25 Season
F1 races are averaging 1.4M viewers this season across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, ahead of the all-time series record average of 1.21M that was set in 2022.

[09/09/25 - 03:29 PM]
ABC Scores Three of the Top Four Best Audiences of College Football's Week 2; "College GameDay" Delivers Second Most-Watched Regular Season Show on Record
Michigan/Oklahoma (9.7 million viewers) was ABC's most-viewed Week 2 game since 2006.

[09/09/25 - 03:17 PM]
FOX's "Big Noon Saturday" & "Big Noon Kickoff" Up Big Through Week 2
Iowa-Iowa State scored 4,278,000 viewers on FOX, most-watched game in the noon window.

[09/09/25 - 02:26 PM]
NBC Sports Posts Largest Two-Game NFL Kickoff Weekend Audience in a Decade & Second Best All-Time, Averaging 26.5 Million Viewers Across NBC & Peacock
NBC's 2025 NFL Kickoff Weekend average viewership trailed only 2015, as Steelers-Patriots in NFL Kickoff '15 and Cowboys-Giants in the Sunday night opener averaged 27.2 million viewers.

[09/09/25 - 02:01 PM]
FOX NFL Delivers Most-Watched Week 1 NFL Singleheader on Any Network Since 2015
17.9 million viewers tuned in to watch Sunday's FOX NFL singleheader - the most-watched Week 1 NFL singleheader on any network since 2015.

[09/09/25 - 01:43 PM]
"20/20" Ranks No. 1 Across the Board for Friday, Sept. 5
Airing against NFL competition on YouTube and U.S. Open Tennis on ESPN, "20/20" turned in its strongest Adults 25-54 performance since June and best Total Viewer and Adults 18-49 numbers since July.

[09/09/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of September 1: "Wednesday" Season 2 Does the Dead Dance to No. 1 in Top 10
"My Life with the Walter Boys" collectively brought in another 10.9 million views, putting the series at No. 2 on the English TV list.

[09/09/25 - 07:00 AM]
TLC's "90 Day: Hunt for Love" Draws Over 11.6M Viewers Across Platforms
The series emerged as one of the network's most-watched new titles of the year and currently ranks as the #2 freshman series on cable in 2025 to date among P/W25-54.

[09/08/25 - 02:45 PM]
The "2025 MTV Video Music Awards" Delivers Its Largest Television Audience Since 2019, Up +42% from Last Year
The telecast was seen by more than 5.5 million viewers on the CBS Television Network, simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+.

[09/08/25 - 09:40 AM]
Cowboys-Eagles on NBC & Peacock Is 2nd Most-Watched NFL Kickoff Game
The exciting back-and-forth put the Eagles ahead 21-20 at halftime and averaged 34.3 million viewers on NBC and Peacock from 9:30-9:45 p.m. ET (late second quarter) - marking the largest peak audience ever for an NFL Kickoff Game.