Fast National ratings for Wednesday, March 12, 2014.
Things are way closer than they used to be on Wednesday nights. CBS' “Survivor: Cagayan” spent a rare week ahead of “American Idol” in all measures and helped CBS claim overall victory for the night, while “Idol” still edged out “Criminal Minds” among young viewers, leaving FOX with a slim key demo win.
There's a catch for CBS' numbers, though. The network had ACC and SEC basketball preemptions and delays in that 8 p.m. hour. Given the closeness of both the overall and key demo ratings, it's entirely possible that FOX and “Idol” could come out on top when Nationals come in.
[UPDATE: In Final figures, “Survivor” dropped a hair and fell below “Idol” overall. “Survivor” still had the advantage in the 18-49, but that tiny overall drop for CBS let FOX win the night overall as well.]
Among other notables, “Modern Family” continued to be Wednesday's top show among young viewers, while “Mixology” continued to lose more than half of its lead-in, even if it isn't taking big week-to-week drops.
On to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, FOX averaged a 2.4 rating for Wednesday night, edging out the 2.3 rating for CBS in the key demographic. [The two networks were tied for their common hours.] ABC was third with a 1.8 key demo rating, followed by NBC's 1.5 key demo rating. The CW averaged a 0.3 key demo rating for an evening of repeats.
Overall, though, CBS averaged an estimated 10.19 million viewers and a 6.4 rating/11 share, nipping FOX's 6.2/10 and 10.11 million viewers for Wednesday primetime. There was a big drop to ABC's 3.7/6 and 5.92 million viewers and to NBC's 3.7/6 and 5.6 million viewers. The CW averaged 945,000 viewers and a 0.7/1.
8 p.m. – “Survivor: Cagayan” started primetime in first for CBS with 9.86 million viewers and a 2.5 rating among adults 18-49, though remember the possibility that these numbers may shift. FOX's “American Idol” was second with 9.57 million viewers and with a 2.3 key demo rating. ABC was third with “The Middle” (7.17 million viewers and a 1.9 key demo rating) and a big drop to “Suburgatory” (5.175 million viewers and a 1.4 key demo rating). NBC's “Revolution” averaged 4.69 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo rating, in line with last week and far ahead of the 1.2 million viewers and 0.4 key demo rating for The CW's “Arrow” repeat.
9 p.m. – CBS maintained first overall in the 9 p.m. hour with 10.72 million viewers for “Criminal Minds,” which finished third with a 2.3 rating among adults 18-49. FOX's “American Idol” rose to 10.65 million viewers and an hour-winning 2.5 key demo rating. ABC was third overall for the hour and second in the key demo with “Modern Family” (9.08 million and a 3.3 key demo rating) and “Mixology” (4.22 million and a 1.5 key demo rating). NBC's “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” averaged 6.25 million viewers and a 1.6 key demo rating in fourth (obviously moving up to third in the 9:30 half-hour). The CW's “Tomorrow People” repeat averaged 694,000 viewers and a 0.2 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” won the 10 p.m. hour for CBS with 10 million viewers and a 2.0 rating among adults 18-49. NBC was second with 5.85 million viewers and a 1.6 key demo rating, in front of the 4.93 million viewers and 1.4 key demo rating for ABC's “Nashville.”
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.