Fast National ratings for Wednesday, April 16, 2014.
With “Criminal Minds” and “CSI” both in repeats, “American Idol” was able to post week-to-week declines and lose the 8 p.m. hour to “Survivor: Cagayan,” but still win Wednesday primetime in all measures.
Because the 8 p.m. hour remained competitive, a new “Arrow” posted no real gains for The CW, but against mostly repeats in the 9 p.m. hour, “The 100” was up over last week's “Arrow”-free airing and also returned to 2 million viewers for the first time since its second episode.
On to Wednesday's numbers…
Among adults 18-49, FOX averaged a 1.9 rating for Wednesday night, topping CBS' 1.6 rating in the key demographic. NBC was third with a 1.2 key demo rating, followed by ABC's 1.1 key demo rating, while The CW's 0.7 key demo rating was fifth.
Overall, FOX averaged an estimated 8.38 million viewers and a 5.2 rating/8 share for Wednesday, beating CBS' 4.9/8 and 7.67 million viewers. There was a big drop to NBC's 4.69 million viewers and 3.2/5 and to ABC's 2.5/4 and 3.81 million viewers. The CW averaged 2.19 million viewers and a 1.5/2 for the night.
8 p.m. – “Survivor: Cagayan” led the 8 p.m. hour for CBS with 9.28 million viewers and a 2.2 rating among adults 18-49, both numbers down from last week. “American Idol” was second with 8.185 million viewers and a 1.9 key demo rating for FOX. NBC's repeat of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” averaged 4.7 million viewers and a 1.1 key demo rating, compared to the 4.23 million viewers and 1.1 key demo rating for repeats of “The Middle” and “Suburgatory” on ABC. The CW's “Arrow” averaged 2.36 million viewers and a 0.7 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – “American Idol” moved into first for the 9 p.m. hour, averaging 8.58 million viewers and 2.0 key demo rating for FOX. CBS' repeat of “Criminal Minds” was second with 6.92 million viewers and a 1.4 key demo rating, beating the 5.18 million viewers and 1.3 key demo rating for NBC's “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” repeat. ABC was fourth overall and tied for third in the key demo with a “Modern Family” repeat (5.07 million and a 1.5 key demo) and a new “Mixology” (3.7 million and a 1.2 key demo rating). The CW's “The 100” averaged 2.02 million viewers and a 0.6 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – It was all repeats in the 10 p.m. hour. CBS' “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” led the way with 6.8 million viewers and a 1.2 rating among adults 18-49, which bettered the 4.19 million viewers and 1.0 key demo rating for “Chicago PD” on NBC. ABC's “Nashville” averaged 2.8 million viewers and a 0.7 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.