Fast National ratings for Wednesday, October 19, 2011.
As was widely expected, numbers for Game 1 of the World Series between the Rangers and Cardinals was down from last October’s Fall Classic, but FOX still pulled out a victory on Wednesday night.
Despite the presence of baseball, it was actually an “up” week for CBS’ “Survivor” and “Criminal Minds,” while ABC’s “Modern Family” was only barely impacted and dealt the World Series its only half-hour loss among young viewers.
On the the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, FOX averaged a 3.8 rating, beating ABC and CBS’ matching 3.3 ratings in the key demographic. As usual, there was a big drop to NBC in fourth with a 1.7 rating, while The CW posted a 0.6 rating for the night.
Overall, FOX averaged an estimated 12.92 million viewers and a 7.9 rating/12 share. CBS was second with a 7.2/11 and 11.63 million viewers, far ahead of ABC’s 5.6/9 and 8.9 million viewers. NBC was fourth with a 4.5/7 and 6.88 million viewers. The CW drew 1.555 million viewers and a 1.0/2 for the night.
8 p.m. – FOX started primetime in first with 12.42 million viewers and a 3.6 rating among adults 18-49 for Game 1 of the World Series. CBS’ “Survivor: South Pacific” was second with 11.13 million viewers and a 3.3 rating in the key demo. ABC finished a respectable third with “The Middle” (9.03 million and a 2.9 key demo) and “Suburgatory” (8.75 million viewers and a 3.1 key demo, up from last week in the demo). NBC’s “Up All Night” (5.64 million viewers and a 2.1 key demo) and a comedy repeat (4.1 million and a 1.2 key demo) followed. The CW’s “Ringer” encore averaged 1.22 million viewers and a 0.4 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – World Series coverage rose to 13.425 million viewers and a 4.1 rating among adults 18-49 for FOX in the 9 p.m. hour. CBS’ “Criminal Minds” was second overall and third in the key demo with 13.11 million viewers and a 3.9 demo rating. ABC was third overall but won the hour in the key demo thanks to “Modern Family” (12.845 million and a 5.6 key demo) and to a lesser degree “Happy Endings” (6.89 million viewers and a 3.0 key demo, down from last week). NBC’s “Harry’s Law” rose to 8.18 million viewers and was steady (low) with a 1.2 key demo rating. The CW’s “America’s Next Top Model” averaged 1.89 million viewers and a 0.8 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – CBS took over first for the 10 p.m. hour with 10.46 million viewers and a 2.6 key demo rating for “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” ABC’s “Revenge” averaged 7.94 million viewers and a 2.5 key demo rating in second. NBC was third with 7.58 million viewers and a 2.1 key demo rating for “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” which actually beat “Revenge” in total viewers for its second half-hour.
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.