Fast National ratings for Wednesday, December 25, 2013.
People don’t really watch network TV on Christmas night.
With audiences occupied either by family togetherness or else tuning in to a “Doctor Who” special on BBC America or NBA basketball on ESPN (cable ratings to come), the most watched show on Christmas Wednesday was, oddly, a repeat of the Friday drama “Blue Bloods,” while the top shows among young viewers were repeats of “The Middle” and “Modern Family.”
A slew of holiday season repeats also drew middling audiences to NBC, FOX and The CW.
On to the unimpressive numbers…
Among adults 18-49, ABC averaged a 0.9 rating for Wednesday primetime, which was enough to top the night in the key demographic. NBC was second with a 0.7 key demo rating, followed by CBS’ 0.6, FOX’s 0.4 and The CW’s 0.3 key demo rating.
Overall, though, CBS won fairly comfortably with an estimated 4.57 million viewers and a 2.8 rating/5 share for Wednesday night. NBC was second with 3.005 million viewers and a 1.9/4, topping ABC’s 0.7/2 and 2.7 million viewers. FOX was third with 1.43 million viewers and a 0.9/2, holding off the 903,000 viewers and 0.5/1 for The CW.
8 p.m. – CBS’ encore of the “I Love Lucy Christmas Special” won the 8 p.m. hour with 3.62 million viewers, finishing third with a 0.6 rating among adults 18-49. NBC’s encore of “Kelly Clarkson’s Cautionary Christmas Music Tale” averaged 3.54 million viewers and a 0.7 key demo rating for second. ABC was third overall but easily won the hour in the key demo with repeats of “The Middle” (3.835 million and a 1.3 key demo) and “Trophy Wife” (2.615 million and a 0.9 key demo). FOX’s “Ice Age” and “How To Train Your Dragon” Christmas encores averaged 1.77 million viewers and a 0.4 key demo rating, beating the 1.03 million views and 0.3 key demo rating for “Kung Fu Panda” and “Madagascar” Christmas encores on The CW.
9 p.m. – A repeat of “Hawaii Five-0” won the 9 p.m. hour with 4.68 million viewers for CBS, coming in tied for second with a 0.7 rating among adults 18-49. NBC’s “Michael Buble’s 3rd Annual Christmas Special” was second with 3.36 million viewers and a 0.7 key demo rating. ABC stayed third overall and first in the key demo with repeats of “Modern Family” (3.82 million and a 1.3 key demo) and “Super Fun Night” (2.37 million and a 0.8 key demo). FOX’s two “Raising Hope” repeats averaged 1.1 million viewers and a 0.3 key demo rating, edging out the 773,000 viewers and 0.3 key demo rating for The CW’s IHeart Radio One Direction special.
10 p.m. – CBS wrapped up primetime with 5.41 million viewers and a 0.6 rating among adults 18-49 for its “Blue Bloods” repeat. NBC’s “Hollywood Game Night” averaged 2.11 million viewers and a 0.6 key demo rating, nipping the 1.78 million viewers and 0.5 key demo rating for ABC’s “Nashville” repeat.
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.