Fast National ratings for Wednesday, April 9, 2014.
Wednesday night held true to recent form with “Survivor” and “Criminal Minds” holding off “American Idol” and leading CBS to slim wins both overall and in the key demographic.
There were a few notables outside of the top positions on Wednesday. “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” got a big bump for a heavily promoted episode and gave “Chicago PD” a smaller audience bump. Over on ABC, leaving “Mixology” alone in a sea of repeats resulted in predictable series lows for the freshman comedy. And while “The 100” also hit series lows on The CW, the drama held up reasonably well in its first airing without a new “Arrow” as a lead-in.
On to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, CBS averaged a 2.1 rating for Wednesday night, edging out the 2.0 rating for FOX in the key demographic. NBC's 1.5 key demo rating was third, followed by ABC's 1.0 key demo rating. The CW averaged a 0.5 key demo rating for Wednesday.
Overall, CBS averaged an estimated 9.48 million viewers and a 5.9 rating/10 share, again just topping the 5.5/9 and 8.79 million viewers for FOX. NBC was third with 6.04 million viewers and a 4.1/7, far ahead of the 3.51 million viewers and 2.4/4 for ABC. The CW averaged 1.52 million viewers and a 1.0/2 for the night.
8 p.m. – “Survivor: Cagayan” started primetime in first with 9.56 million viewers and delivered the night's best 18-49 number with a 2.4 rating. “American Idol” averaged 8.53 million viewers and a 1.9 key demo rating in second. NBC was third overall with 4.31 million viewers for a “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” which finished fourth with a 1.0 key demo rating. ABC was fourth overall and third in the key demo with repeats of “The Middle” (4.63 million and a 1.3 key demo) and “Suburgatory” (3.585 million and a 1.1 key demo). On The CW, a repeat of “Arrow” averaged 1.29 million viewers and a 0.4 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – “Criminal Minds” led the 9 p.m. hour for CBS with 9.81 million viewers and a 2.3 rating among adults 18-49. “American Idol” rose to 9.04 million viewers and a 2.1 key demo rating on FOX. NBC's “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” averaged 7.28 million viewers and a 2.0 key demo rating and we can watch for Finals to see if “SVU” tied or beat “Idol” for the first time. ABC was fourth with a “Modern Family” repeat (4.795 million and a 1.5 key demo) and a new “Mixology” (3.34 million and a 1.1 key demo). On The CW, “The 100” averaged 1.75 million viewers and a 0.5 key demo rating, one of those rare instances in which a series low isn't necessarily so bad.
10 p.m. – “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” closed primetime in first with 9.08 million viewers and a 1.7 rating among adults 18-49. NBC's “Chicago PD” was a distant second with 6.52 million viewers and a close second with a 1.6 key demo rating. ABC's “Nashville” repeat was third with 2.35 million viewers and a 0.6 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.