Fast National ratings for Tuesday, December 30, 2014.
CBS' broadcast of the 2014 Kennedy Center Honors was solidly up from last year's showing and, against entirely repeat competition the annual old-skewing celebration managed to win Tuesday in all measures.
It was the biggest audience for the Kennedy Center Honors since 2010 and the biggest key demo audience since 2012.
In other Tuesday ratings news, audiences were nearly identically interested in repeat mini-marathons of “Forever” and “Chicago Fire.” I didn't say it was interesting news.
On to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, CBS averaged a 1.2 rating for Tuesday night, comfortably tops in the key demographic. NBC's 0.8 key demo rating followed, with ABC's 0.7, FOX's 0.6 and The CW's 0.5 key demo rating close behind.
Overall, CBS averaged 9.53 million viewers and a 6.1 rating/10 share, with nobody else even close for Tuesday primetime. NBC's 3.545 million viewers and 2.3/4 finished second, followed by ABC's 2.2/4 and 3.44 million viewers. FOX was a distant fourth with 1.62 million viewers and a 1.0/2, edging out The CW's 0.9/2 and 1.555 million viewers.
8 p.m. – The night's most watched show was CBS' 8 p.m. “NCIS” repeat, which averaged 10.2 million viewers and also won the hour with a 1.2 rating among adults 18-49. The first of three “Forever” repeats averaged 3.45 million viewers and a 0.6 key demo rating on ABC, while the first of three “Chicago Fire” repeats averaged 3.23 million viewers and a 0.6 key demo rating on NBC. The CW's “The Flash” repeat was fourth with 1.84 million viewers and fifth with a 0.6 key demo rating, compared to the 1.76 million viewers and 0.7 key demo rating for repeats of “New Girl” and “The Mindy Project” on FOX.
9 p.m. – The first hour of the Kennedy Center Honors averaged 8.76 million viewers and a 1.1 rating among adults 18-49 to win the 9 p.m. frame for CBS. NBC's “Chicago Fire” repeat averaged 3.685 million viewers and a 0.8 key demo rating, moving ahead of the 3.46 million viewers and 0.6 key demo rating for ABC's “Forever.” FOX's “New Girl” and “Mindy Project” repeats averaged 1.48 million viewers and a 0.6 key demo rating, topping the 1.27 million viewers and 0.4 key demo rating for The CW's “Supernatural” repeat.
10 p.m. – Kennedy Center Honors rose to 9.63 million viewers and a 1.2 rating among adults 18-49 for CBS in the 10 p.m. hour. NBC's “Chicago Fire” repeat averaged 3.72 million viewers and a 0.9 key demo rating, again topping the 3.415 million viewers and 0.7 key demo rating for ABC's “Forever” repeat.
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.