Fast National ratings for Thursday, October 4, 2012.
The second week of ratings on Thursday delivered a mixed bag of news, with the constant being that “The Big Bang Theory” and “Person of Interest” carried CBS to wins in most measures, even if freshman drama “Elementary” took a dip.
“Elementary” wasn’t the only show going down on Thursday, with “Last Resort” and “Grey’s Anatomy” also falling, while “30 Rock” delivered a low premiere for NBC.
However, “Glee” and “Parks and Recreation” posted small gains, as did the early portion of CBS’ night, while the drop for “The X Factor” was barely noticeable.
See? Mixed news.
[Note that at least a touch of CBS’ solid night may be a product of a Thursday NFL game airing on the CBS affiliate in Phoenix.]
On to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, CBS averaged a 3.3 rating for Thursday night, tops in the key demographic. FOX was second with a 2.9 rating, followed by ABC’s 2.5 key demo rating. NBC was far back in fourth with a 1.5 rating, while The CW averaged a 0.3 key demo rating.
Overall, CBS averaged an estimated 13.29 million viewers and an 8.3 rating/13 share for Thursday primetime, far ahead of the 5.5/9 and 8.42 million viewers for ABC. FOX’s 4.8/8 and 7.67 million viewers followed in third, way ahead of the 2.4/4 and 3.48 million viewers for NBC. The CW averaged 902,000 viewers and a 0.6/1.
8 p.m. – “The Big Bang Theory” (15.38 million and 4.9 key demo) and “Two and a Half Men” (12.67 million and a 3.7 key demo) dominated the 8 p.m. hour for CBS. FOX’s “The X Factor” was second with 9.14 million viewers and a 3.1 rating among adults 18-49. ABC’s “The Last Resort” slipped to 7.87 million viewers and a 1.8 key demo rating, but an optimist would observe that the drops were less severe than for “Charlie’s Angels” or “Missing” last season. NBC was fourth with “30 Rock” (3.4 million and a 1.3 key demo) and “Up All Night” (3.085 million and a 1.4 key demo). The CW’s “The Next” finale averaged 803,000 viewers and a 0.2 key demo rating in its first hour.
9 p.m. – “Person of Interest” averaged 14.62 million viewers to win the 9 p.m. hour for CBS and finished second with a 3.1 rating among adults 18-49. ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” averaged 10.56 million viewers and an hour-winning 3.7 key demo rating. FOX’s “Glee” averaged 6.21 million viewers and a 2.6 key demo rating in third. NBC was fourth with “The Office” (4.11 million and a 2.1 key demo) and “Parks and Recreation” (3.53 million and a 1.9 key demo). The CW’s “The Next” finale averaged just over a million viewers and a 0.3 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – Despite losing roughly two million viewers and half a demo ratings point, CBS’ “Elementary” won the 10 p.m. hour easily with 11.22 million viewers and a 2.6 rating among adults 18-49. ABC’s “Scandal” averaged 6.82 million viewers and a 2.1 key demo rating, dropping, but not as much as its lead-in. NBC’s “Rock Center” averaged 3.39 million viewers and a 1.1 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, particularly in the case of live events.