Fast National ratings for Friday, May 11, 2012.
With three finales, CBS still won Friday night easily overall, but “Undercover Boss” and “CSI: NY” hit such low numbers among young viewers that ABC cruised for the night, led by “Shark Tank.”
Meanwhile, both the cancelled “The Finder” and the renewed “Fringe” had “up” nights for their finales, while The CW’s renewed “Nikita” and “Supernatural” were flat.
For the night, ABC averaged a 1.5 rating among adults 18-49, tops in the key demographic. CBS was second with a 1.2 rating, while NBC and FOX both posted a 1.1 key demo rating. The CW averaged a 0.5 key demo rating for Friday.
Overall, though, CBS averaged an estimated 8.45 million viewers and a 5.5 rating/10 share for Friday primetime. ABC was a distant second overall with 4.99 million viewers and a 3.3/6, beating NBC’s 3.16 and 4.62 million viewers. FOX’s 2.3/4 and 3.66 million viewers finished fourth, beating the 1.53 million viewers and 1.0/2 for The CW.
8 p.m. – CBS’ suddenly struggling “Undercover Boss” averaged 5.75 million viewers to win the 8 p.m. hour overall, but only could muster a 1.1 rating among adults 18-49. ABC’s “Shark Tank” was a close second with 5.545 million viewers and an hour-winning 1.6 key demo rating. NBC’s “Who Do You Think You Are?” was third overall with 4.76 million viewers and fourth with a 0.8 key demo rating. The series finale of “The Finder” averaged 4.16 million viewers and a 1.1 key demo rating for FOX. On The CW, “Nikita” was up with 1.38 million viewers and steady with a 0.4 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – “CSI: NY” limped to the end of its season with 9.03 million viewers, but only a 1.1 rating among adults 18-49, not the kind of number you want to post when CBS is still making bubble decisions. ABC’s “Primetime: What Would You Do?” was a distant second overall with 4.79 million viewers, but won the hour with a 1.6 key demo rating. NBC’s “Grimm” was third overall with 4.46 million viewers and second with a 1.2 key demo rating. FOX’s “Fringe” closed its penultimate season with 3.16 million viewers and a 1.0 key demo rating. The CW’s “Supernatural” averaged 1.68 million viewers and a 0.7 key demo rating, like “Nikita” up in viewers and steady in the demo.
10 p.m. – “Blue Bloods” won the 10 p.m. hour for CBS with 10.56 million viewers, but finished second with a 1.3 rating among adults 18-49. ABC’s “20/20” averaged just over 4.64 million viewers and won the hour with a 1.4 key demo rating, edging out NBC’s “Dateline,” which had just under 4.64 million viewers and a 1.2 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.