Fast National ratings for Thursday, August 11, 2011.
NFL Preseason coverage in several markets gave CBS’ primetime schedule a artificial bump on Thursday night, so while early returns suggest a big boost for “Big Brother,” it’s a safe bet that figures will shift when final numbers come in.
CBS’ inflated figures somewhat obscured the finale numbers for “So You Think You Can Dance,” which was up from recent Thursday airings, but down from last summer’s finale.
Among adults 18-49, CBS averaged a 2.3 rating for the night, edging out FOX’s 2.1 rating in the key demographic. ABC’s 1.6 rating and the 1.0 rating for NBC followed. The CW averaged a 0.4 rating.
Overall, CBS averaged an estimated 7.69 million viewers and a 4.7 rating/8 share for the night. FOX was second with 6.28 million viewers and a 3.9/7. ABC’s 3.4/6 and 5.55 finished third, beating the 2.1/4 and 3.12 million viewers for NBC. The CW averaged nearly 1.1 million viewers and a 0.7/1.
For now, these ratings for CBS reflect only time period data, but not program data, so adjust your excitement accordingly. And CBS wasn’t the only network with NFL preemptions, just the only network dramatically impacted by them.
8 p.m. – CBS won the 8 p.m. hour with 7.48 million viewers and a 2.1 rating among adults 18-49 for NFL-inflated “The Big Bang Theory” and “Rules of Engagement” (as a point of comparison, last week’s 8 p.m. comedy repeats averaged 5.8 million viewers and a 1.5 demo rating). ABC’s “Wipeout” was second with 6.35 million viewers and a 1.9 key demo rating. FOX’s “So You Think You Can Dance” finale averaged 5.79 million viewers and a 1.9 key demo rating for its first hour. NBC’s “Community” and “Parks and Recreation” averaged 2.69 million viewers, while The CW’s “The Vampire Diaries” averaged 1.09 million.
9 p.m. – “Big Brother” and NFL preseason averaged 8.64 million viewers and a 3.2 rating among adults 18-49 for CBS in the 9 p.m. hour. FOX’s “So You Think You Can Dance” finale went up to 6.77 million viewers and a 2.3 key demo rating. ABC was third with 5.23 million viewers and a 1.6 key demo rating for “Expedition Impossible.” On NBC, “The Office” and “30 Rock” averaged 2.94 million viewers. The CW’s “Plain Jane” was presumably NFL boosted with 1.11 million viewers.
10 p.m. – CBS closed primetime with “The Mentalist” averaging an NFL-skewed 6.94 million viewers and a 1.6 key demo rating. ABC’s “Rookie Blue” averaged 5.08 million viewers and a 1.4 key demo rating in second. On NBC, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” drew 3.74 million viewers.
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.