Fast National ratings for Friday, January 18, 2013.
The series finale of FOX’s “Fringe” got a small bump from last week’s dismal numbers, but failed to get a big sampling as “Undercover Boss” led CBS to easy Friday wins in all measures.
Among adults 18-49, CBS averaged a 1.7 rating for Friday night, easily beating ABC’s 1.3 rating and the 1.1 rating for NBC in the key demographic. FOX averaged a 1.0 key demo rating, topping the 0.4 key demo rating for The CW.
Overall, CBS averaged an estimated 10.52 million viewers and a 6.7 rating/11 share for Friday primetime. ABC’s 5.39 million viewers and 3.4/6 was ahead of NBC’s 4.62 million viewers and 3.1/5, while FOX averaged 3.21 million viewers and a 1.9/3 in fourth. The CW averaged a 0.7/1 and 1.09 million viewers for the night.
8 p.m. – “Undercover Boss” drew season high ratings for CBS, drawing 9.45 million viewers and a 1.9 rating among adults 18-49 for the 8 p.m. hour. ABC’s “Last Man Standing” (6.66 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo) and “Malibu Country” (5.84 million viewers and a 1.1 key demo) finished second. NB C’s repeats of “Betty White’s Off Their Rockers” averaged 3.67 million viewers in third and a 0.9 key demo rating in fourth. The first hour of the “Fringe” finale on FOX drew 3.33 million viewers and a 1.1 key demo rating. The CW’s return of “Nikita” did an OK 1.28 million viewers and a 0.4 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – “CSI: NY” drew 10.635 million viewers and a 1.6 rating among adults 18-49 to keep CBS in the lead for the 9 p.m. hour. ABC’s repeat of “Shark Tank” was second with 5.54 million viewers and a 1.5 key demo rating, beating the 4.8 million viewers and 1.1 key demo rating for NBC’s “Dateline.” On FOX, the final hour of “Fringe” actually slipped slightly to 3.08 million viewers and a 1.0 key demo rating in fourth. The CW’s repeat of “Beauty and the Beast” averaged 895,000 viewers and a 0.3 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – “Blue Bloods” completed CBS’ primetime sweep with 11.5 million viewers and a 1.5 rating among adults 18-49. NBC’s “Dateline” improved to 5.39 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo rating in second, beating the 4.38 million viewers and 1.2 key demo rating for ABC.
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.