Fast National ratings for Sunday, May 18, 2014.
CBS' season finales for “The Amazing Race: All-Stars,” “The Good Wife” and “The Mentalist” proved to be no competition for ABC's Billboard Music Awards telecast on Sunday night.
Each of CBS' finales got small audience bumps, but “Good Wife” and “Amazing Race” were both flat in the key demo, with only “The Mentalist” rising. Meanwhile, it was the most watched Billboard Music Awards telecast in 13 years.
The CBS finales weren't the only programming unable to compete with ABC's awards telecast. While FOX's “Family Guy” was Sunday's top scripted show among young viewers, that finale dipped week-to-week as did “Cosmos.” And nothing NBC programmed was able to draw even a minimal audience, with “American Dream Builders” and a “Coldplay: Ghost Stories” special coming in impressively low.
On to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, ABC averaged a 3.0 rating for Sunday night, easily willing the key demographic. CBS was a distant second with a 1.4 key demo rating, followed closely by FOX's 1.3 key demo rating. NBC averaged only a 0.6 key demo rating for Sunday.
Overall, things were a bit closer with ABC averaging an estimated 9.495 million viewers and a 5.6 rating/10 share for Sunday primetime, compared to the 9.175 million viewers and a 5.8/10. There was a huge drop to FOX's 2.99 million viewers and 1.8/3 and to NBC's 1.5/3 and 2.14 million viewers.
7 p.m. – CBS started primetime in first overall with 9.82 million viewers for “60 Minutes,” which was second with a 1.3 rating among adults 18-49. ABC's “America's Funnest Home Videos” finale drew 6.63 million viewers and won the hour with a 1.6 key demo rating. FOX's finales for “Bob's Burgers” (1.955 million and a 0.9 key demo) and “American Dad” (2.36 million and a 1.2 key demo) topped NBC's “Coldplay: Ghost Stories” (1.71 million and a 0.4 key demo rating.
8 p.m. – ABC charged into the lead in the 8 p.m. hour with 10.02 million viewers and a 3.1 rating among adults 18-49 for the Billboard Music Awards. CBS' “The Amazing Race: All-Stars” finale averaged 8.16 million viewers for second and a 1.7 key demo rating for third. FOX was a distant third overall, but finished second in the key demo with “The Simpsons” (3.28 million and a 1.6 key demo) and “Family Guy” (3.85 million and a 2.0 key demo). NBC's “American Dream Builders” averaged only 1.76 million viewers and 0.4 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – ABC's Billboard Music Awards telecast rose to 11.22 million viewers and a 3.7 rating among adults 18-49 for the 9 p.m. hour. CBS was second with 9.04 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating for the “Good Wife” finale. There was a big drop to the 3.25 million viewers and 1.1 key demo rating for FOX's “Cosmos” and to the 2.42 million viewers and 0.7 key demo rating for NBC's “Women of SNL” special.
10 p.m. – The Billboard Music Awards closed primetime in first with 10.115 million viewers and a 3.6 rating among adults 18-49 for ABC. CBS' “The Mentalist” finale was second with 9.68 million viewers and a 1.5 key demo rating. On NBC, “Women of SNL” averaged 2.67 million viewers and a 0.8 key demo rating.
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.