Fast National ratings for Wednesday, May 7, 2014.
CBS' “Survivor: Cagayan,” “Criminal Minds” and “CSI” all saw tiny gains on Wednesday night and, given the drops for most of the rest of the competition, that was enough to score comfortable wins both overall and among young viewers.
Among the shows in decline on Wednesday were FOX's “American Idol,” NBC's full slate of dramas (particularly “Chicago PD”) and ABC's “The Middle” and “Suburgatory.” The CW's “Arrow” was down a hair in the demo, but flat in total viewers, while “The 100” was flat in the demo, but down in total viewers. And most of those numbers set or tied series lows.
On to the frequently ugly numbers…
Among adults 18-49, CBS averaged a 2.2 rating for Wednesday night, beating FOX's 1.7 rating in the key demographic. ABC was third with a 1.5 key demo rating, followed by NBC's 1.3 key demo rating. The CW averaged a 0.7 key demo rating for the night.
Overall, CBS averaged an estimated 10.06 million viewers and a 6.5/11 for Wednesday primetime, comfortably ahead of the 4.9/8 and 7.84 million viewers for FOX. ABC was third with 5.31 million viewers and a 3.5/6, edging out NBC's 4.83 million viewers and 3.3/6. The CW averaged a 1.3/2 and 1.97 million viewers for the night.
8 p.m. – “Survivor: Cagayan” started primetime in first with 9.82 million viewers and a 2.4 rating among adults 18-49. FOX's “American Idol” was second for the hour with 7.64 million viewers and a 1.7 key demo rating. ABC was third with sluggish episodes of “The Middle” (6.315 million and a 1.5 key demo) and “Suburgatory” (4.68 million and a 1.2 key demo). NBC's “Revolution” slumped to 3.82 million viewers and a 1.1 key demo rating, while The CW's “Arrow” averaged 2.245 million viewers and a 0.7 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – “Criminal Minds” delivered the night's biggest audience with 10.43 million viewers and also won the 9 p.m. hour with a 2.3 rating among adults 18-49. FOX's “American Idol” was second with 8.05 million viewers, but third with a 1.8 key demo rating. ABC was third overall and second in the key demo with “Modern Family” (8.1 million and a Wednesday-best 2.8 key demo) and “Suburgatory” (3.74 million and a 1.3 key demo). NBC's freshly renewed “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” dropped to 5.29 million viewers and a 1.4 key demo rating in fourth. The CW's “The 100” averaged 1.69 million viewers and a 0.6 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – The “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” season finale won the 10 p.m. hour for CBS with 9.92 million viewers and a 1.9 rating among adults 18-49. NBC's “Chicago PD” dropped to 5.38 million viewers and a 1.4 key demo rating, a steep fall from last week's “Chicago Fire” crossover episode. ABC's “Nashville” averaged 4.53 million viewers and a 1.2 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.