Fast National ratings for Thursday, October 9, 2014.
The Colts and Texans offered CBS' first competitive Thursday Night Football game in weeks (assuming viewers stuck in past the first quarter) and helped the network dominate primetime in all measures.
While all three ABC dramas were down, Shonda Rhimes Thursday still topped all of the night's scripted programming and was good for second across the board.
The night's best news, relatively speaking, was for NBC's “Bad Judge,” which retained all of its premiere audience. While that audience still wasn't big, week-to-week flatness this early is a good sign. Also basically flat week-to-week were The CW's “Reign,” NBC's “Parenthood” and FOX's “Bones.”
The news wasn't as positive for NBC's “A to Z” or for FOX's “Gracepoint,” which dipped below The Mulaney Line in its second airing.
On to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, CBS averaged a 3.6 rating for Thursday night, tops in the key demographic. ABC was second with a 2.8 key demo rating, followed by the 1.2 key demo ratings for FOX and NBC. The CW averaged a 0.6 key demo rating for the night.
Overall, CBS averaged an estimated 11.41 million viewers and a 7.2 rating/12 share for Thursday night, comfortably ahead of the 9.54 million viewers and 6.5/11 for ABC. There was a big drop to FOX's 5.09 million viewers and 3.2/5, which topped the 4.43 million viewers and 3.0/5 for NBC. The CW averaged 1.385 million viewers and a 0.9/1 for the night.
8 p.m. – Pregame and the start of Thursday Night Football averaged 10.49 million viewers and a 3.0 rating among adults 18-49 to lead the 8 p.m. hour for CBS. ABC's “Grey's Anatomy” averaged 8.41 million viewers and a 2.4 key demo rating in second. FOX's reliable “Bones” did its “Bones” thing with 6.275 million viewers and a 1.5 key demo rating, easily topping the 4.61 million viewers and 1.2 key demo rating for NBC's “The Biggest Loser.” The CW's “The Vampire Diaries” dropped to 1.65 million viewers and a 0.7 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – Indianapolis and Houston averaged 12.85 million viewers and a 4.1 rating among adults 18-49 for CBS in the 9 p.m. hour. ABC's “Scandal” was a solid second with 9.5 million viewers and a 3.0 key demo rating. There was a big drop to NBC in second with “Bad Judge” (5.2 million and a 1.3 key demo rating) and “A to Z” (slipping to 3.64 million viewers and a Mulaney Line 1.0 key demo rating). FOX's “Gracepoint” averaged 3.905 million viewers and a 0.9 key demo rating, though it did top “A to Z” overall. The CW's “Reign” averaged 1.12 million viewers and a 0.4 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – CBS' football coverage closed primetime in first with 10.9 million viewers and a 3.7 rating among adults 18-49. ABC's “How To Get Away With Murder” averaged 10.71 million viewers and a 3.1 key demo rating in second. NBC's “Parenthood” averaged 4.26 million viewers and a 1.3 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.