TV Ratings: ‘Happy Endings’ Friday run starts weak, while NCAA Tournament leads CBS

Fast National ratings for Friday, March 29, 2013.
Upstaged by basketball coverage on TBS, CBS’ NCAA Tournament games still helped the network win Friday night in most key measures, with college hoops siphoning off viewers all around, including ABC, which saw a weak Friday premiere for “Happy Endings.”
It was also a sluggish night for NBC’s “Grimm,” FOX’s “Touch” and The CW’s “Cult,” with the latter two shows drawing impressively low numbers.
Among adults 18-49, CBS averaged a 1.9 rating for Friday night, easily beating ABC’s 1.3 rating in the key demographic. NBC was third with a 1.0 key demo rating, with FOX’s 0.7 and the 0.3 key demo rating for The CW trailing.
Overall, CBS averaged an estimated 6.4 million viewers and a 4.1 rating/7 share for Friday primetime, well in front of the 4.885 million viewers and 3.3/6 for ABC. NBC was third with a 2.6/5 and 3.99 million viewers, with FOX’s 1.6/3 and 2.49 million viewers taking fourth. The CW averaged 947,000 viewers and a 0.6/1 for the night.

8 p.m. – CBS’ basketball coverage won the 8 p.m. hour with 6.375 million viewers and a 1.9 rating among adults 18-49. NBC’s “Fashion Star” was a distant second with 3.025 million viewers and tied for third with a 0.8 key demo rating. ABC’s “Happy Endings” aired two episodes and averaged 2.74 million viewers and a 0.8 key demo rating, with the second episode falling from the first. [ Your “Happy Ending” points-of-comparison: The cult comedy last aired in a two-episode block on January 29 and averaged nearly 2.9 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo rating. “Last Man Standing” and “Malibu Country” averaged 7.4 million viewers and a 1.5 key demo rating in this slot last week.] FOX’s repeat of “Kitchen Nightmares” averaged 2.575 million viewers in fourth and finished second with a 0.9 key demo rating. The CW’s “Nikita” averaged 1.29 million viewers and a 0.4 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – ABC’s “Shark Tank” was down from its last original, but still won the 9 p.m. hour with 5.98 million viewers and a 1.7 rating among adults 18-49. CBS’ basketball coverage averaged 5.45 million viewers and a 1.6 key demo rating in second. On NBC, “Grimm” averaged 4.78 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo rating, down from last week but still better than the 2.41 million viewers and 0.5 key demo rating for FOX’s “Touch.” The CW’s “Cult” averaged 605,000 viewers and a 0.2 key demo rating for a new episode.
10 p.m. – CBS’ basketball coverage shifted games and improved to 7.37 million viewers and a 2.4 rating among adults 18-49. ABC was second with 5.93 million viewers and a 1.4 key demo rating, beating the 4.16 million viewers and 0.8 key demo rating for “Rock Center” on NBC.
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.
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