Fast National ratings for Friday, May 15, 2016.
“Shark Tank” has reliably been able to help ABC win Friday nights this season among young viewers, but with CBS' two dramas off this week in favor of a low-rated “AMC Presents: Superstar Duets” special, ABC also won Friday overall.
The only regular part of CBS' Friday lineup to air this week was “The Amazing Race” and even the season finale for the long-running favorite failed to give it a bump.
With reduced competition, “Beyond the Tank” was able to retain all of its lead-in in the key demo and also win its hour overall.
[NOTE: This is the last Friday of the 2014-15 season. I'll return to regular Friday Fast National reporting come September. Sunday-Thursday reporting will remain unchanged.]
Let's get to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, ABC averaged a 1.4 rating for Friday night, tops in the key demographic. NBC was second for the night with a 1.0 key demo rating, followed by CBS' 0.8 key demo rating. FOX's 0.5 and The CW's 0.3 rating followed in the key demo.
Overall, ABC averaged an estimated 6.225 million viewers and a 3.9 rating/7 share for Friday night. CBS was second with 5.2 million viewers and a 3.2/6, followed by NBC's 5.18 million viewers and 3.4/7. FOX averaged a 0.9/2 and 1.48 million viewers and a 0.9/2, holding off the 1.23 million viewers and 0.8/2 for The CW.
8 p.m. – ABC's “Shark Tank” finale averaged 6.93 million viewers and a 1.5 rating among adults 18-49 to dominate the 8 p.m. hour. CBS' “The Amazing Race” finale was second with 5.665 million viewers and third with a 1.1 key demo rating, compared to the 4.74 million viewers and 1.1 key demo rating for NBC's “Grimm” finale. FOX's airing of “Scream 2” averaged 1.5 million viewers and a 0.5 key demo rating, topping the 1.43 million viewers and 0.3 key demo rating for a new “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and a repeat.
9 p.m. – ABC's “Beyond the Tank” averaged 6.25 million viewers and a 1.5 key demo rating to lead the 8 p.m. hour. NBC's “Dateline” averaged 5.115 million viewers and a 0.8 key demo rating, topping the 4.7 million viewers and 0.6 key demo rating for the first hour of CBS' “Superstar Duets” special. FOX's movie averaged 1.45 million viewers and a 0.5 key demo rating, topping the 1.03 million viewers and 0.3 key demo rating for “The Messengers.” [I haven't gotten confirmation, but those CW numbers feel a hair inflated.]
10 p.m. – NBC took first overall in the 10 p.m. hour with 5.69 million viewers for “Dateline,” which finished second with a 0.9 rating among adults 18-49. ABC's “20/20” was second with 5.5 million viewers and won the hour with a 1.1 key demo rating. CBS' “Superstar Duets” finished third with 5.24 million viewers and a 0.7 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, particularly in the case of live events.