Fast National ratings for Friday, May 16, 2014.
With CBS done with Friday originals for the season, ABC dominated the night in all measures with the “Shark Tank” finale and a two-hour special dedicated to the retiring Barbara Walters.
Among other Friday notables, NBC's “Grimm” added a few viewers for its finale, while “Hannibal” was up a hair in both viewers and the key demo. The CW had good nights for both the “Hart of Dixie” finale and “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” but those numbers may be high enough to suggest preemptions.
On to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, ABC averaged a 1.6 rating for Friday night, comfortably ahead of the 1.2 rating for NBC in the key demographic. CBS' 0.7 key demo rating was third, followed by FOX's 0.6 rating and The CW's 0.5 key demo rating.
Overall, ABC averaged an estimated 8.38 million viewers and a 5.6 rating/10 share for Friday primetime, far ahead of the 6.07 million viewer and 4.0/7 for CBS. NBC was third for the night with 4.91 million viewers and a 3.2/6, followed by FOX's 2.01 million viewers and 1.3/2 and then the 1.335 million and 0.8/2 for The CW.
8 p.m. – NBC started primetime in first overall with 6.86 million viewers for “Dateline,” which was second with a 1.3 rating among adults 18-49. ABC's “Shark Tank” finale was second overall with 6.49 million viewers and won the hour with a 1.6 key demo rating, down from recent 9 p.m. airings. CBS' repeat of “Hawaii Five-0” averaged 5.32 million viewers and a 0.7 key demo rating. The CW's “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” new episode and repeat averaged 1.66 million viewers and a 0.6 key demo rating, ahead of the 1.62 million viewers and 0.4 key demo rating for FOX's “24: Live Another Day” encore.
9 p.m. – The first hour of ABC's “Barbara Walters: Her Story” won the 9 p.m. hour with 8.74 million viewers and also came out on top with a 1.5 rating among adults 18-49. A “Blue Bloods” repeat put CBS in second with 6.02 million viewers and fourth with a 0.7 key demo rating. NBC's “Grimm” finale averaged 5.39 million viewers for third and a 1.3 key demo rating for second. [Lest you want to mock the age of “Her Story” viewers, ABC beat NBC among viewers 12-34 for the hour as well.] FOX's “Kitchen Nightmares” finale averaged 2.4 million viewers and a 0.9 key demo rating, topping the 1.01 million viewers and 0.4 key demo rating for The CW's “Hart of Dixie.”
10 p.m. – “Barbara Walters: Her Story” closed primetime with 9.91 million viewers and a 1.6 rating among adults 18-49 for ABC. CBS' “Blue Bloods” repeat was second with 6.88 million viewers and third with a 0.8 key demo rating. On NBC, “Hannibal” averaged 2.475 million viewers and a 0.9 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.