Fast National ratings for Wednesday, April 24, 2013.
The slow weeks before the start of the May Sweeps period concluded on Wednesday night with a typical FOX triumph for “American Idol.”
Against reduced competition, “Survivor: Caramoan,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Arrow” and “Supernatural” all had strong nights, while ABC’s “How To Live With Your Parents (For The Rest Of Your Life)” continued to slip. “American Idol” was also down a hair, for whatever that’s worth.
Among adults 18-49, FOX averaged a 3.2 rating for Wednesday night, well ahead of the 1.9 rating for CBS in the key demographic. NBC’s 1.4 key demo rating was just ahead of the 1.3 key demo rating for ABC and The CW’s 1.0 key demo rating.
Overall, FOX averaged an estimated 12.18 million viewers and a 7.5 rating/12 share for Wednesday primetime, beating CBS’ 7.79 million viewers and 4.9/8 with ease. NBC was third with a 3.8/6 and 5.61 million viewers. ABC finished fourth with a 2.8/4 and 4.21 million viewers, while The CW averaged 2.74 million viewers and a 1.6/3.
[Univision averaged 3.49 million viewers and a 1.5 rating among adults 18-49 for Wednesday night.]
8 p.m. – “American Idol” averaged 11.32 million viewers and a 3.0 rating among adults 18-49 for the 8 p.m. hour. “Survivor: Caramoan” continues to close the gap with “Idol,” averaging 9.83 million viewers and a 2.7 key demo rating, tying season highs. NBC’s “Dateline” averaged 5.53 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo rating compared to the 4.55 million viewers and 1.3 key demo rating for repeats of “The Middle” and “Modern Family” on ABC. A new “Arrow” averaged 3.05 million viewers and a 1.0 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – The second hour of “American Idol” rose to 13.05 million viewers and a 3.4 rating among adults 18-49 for FOX. NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” had its best showing since January with 7.22 million viewers and a 1.8 key demo rating. CBS’ repeat of “Criminal Minds” was third with 5.95 million viewers and fourth with a 1.5 key demo rating. ABC was third in the demo and fourth overall with a “Modern Family” repeat (5.3 million and a 1.8 key demo rating) and a new “How To Live With Your Parents (For The Rest Of Your Life)” (4.805 million and a 1.5 key demo rating). The CW’s “Supernatural” drew its second biggest audience of the season with 2.42 million viewers and did a 1.0 rating in the key demo.
10 p.m. – A repeat of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” won the 10 p.m. hour for CBS with 7.595 million viewers and a 1.5 rating among adults 18-49. NBC’s “Chicago Fire” repeat averaged 4.07 million viewers and a 1.0 key demo rating, topping the 3.03 million viewers and 0.8 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.