Fast National ratings for Wednesday, January 12, 2011.
With a presidential address from Barack Obama interrupting primetime on Wednesday night, it was an evening of pre-emptions and time slot postponements. ABC ruled the night, but trying to figure out why or how or how much the ratings will change when final figures come out is a different issue.
As a result of the tumult, we can report that “Off the Map” had a soft debut, while “Live to Dance” slipped again in its third airing, but things could change dramatically.
For the night, ABC averaged a 2.9 rating among adults 18-49, easily topping NBC’s 1.8 rating and CBS’ 1.4 rating in the key demographic. FOX’s 0.8 rating and the 0.6 rating for The CW trailed.
Overall, ABC averaged an estimated 9.03 million viewers and a 5.5 rating/9 share. NBC’s 6.31 million viewers took second, beating the 6.17 million for CBS. FOX’s 2.43 million viewers and The CW’s 2.1 million viewers trailed.
8 p.m. – ABC won the 8 p.m. hour with a new episode of “The Middle,” a repeat of “The Middle” and the start of the Obama speech, which averaged 9.38 million viewers and a 2.8 demo rating between them. CBS’ repeats of “Big Bang Theory” and “Rules of Engagement,” plus the Obama speech averaged 5.85 million viewers for second, beating the 5.46 million viewers for NBC’s “Minute to Win It” and the Obama speech. FOX’s Obama coverage was fifth with 2.67 million viewers, beating the 2.42 million viewers for The CW’s repeat of “Nikita.”
9 p.m. – The Obama speech, a new “Modern Family” and a repeat of “Modern Family” averaged 10.21 million viewers and a 2.6 demo rating for ABC. The Obama speech and “Live to Dance” gave CBS 6.145 million viewers in second, beating NBC’s Obama and “Minute to Win It,” which averaged 5.07 million. FOX’s Obama coverage and a “Kitchen Nightmares” repeat average 2.19 million viewers, while The CW’s “Hellcats” repeat averaged 1.795 million viewers in fifth.
10 p.m. – NBC won the 10 p.m. hour with 8.39 million viewers and a 2.5 demo rating for “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” ABC’s premiere of “Off the Map” averaged 7.51 million viewers and a 2.2 rating, which was better than the network’s season average in the slot, though the show fell at the half-hour. CBS’s “Live to Dance” and “the Defenders” averaged 6.52 million viewers in third.
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.