Fast National ratings for Thursday, April 22, 2011.
On yet another night of sluggish across-the-board ratings, FOX’s “American Idol” and “Bones” both posted big declines from last week, but still led the network to a pair of comfortable Thursday ratings wins.
Among adults 18-49, FOX averaged a 4.4 rating for the night, easily topping NBC’s 2.1 rating in the key demographic. CBS was third with a 1.8 rating, beating the 1.1 rating for ABC, with The CW’s 0.9 rating close behind in fifth.
Overall, FOX averaged an estimated 15.36 million viewers and an 8.9 rating/15 share. CBS was second with 8.55 million viewers and a 5.4/9, beating the combined totals for NBC’s 2.8/5 and 4.49 million and ABC’s 2.4/4 and 3.77 million. The CW was fifth with a 1.5/2 and 2.3 million viewers.
8 p.m. – The latest “American Idol” results show averaged 19.62 million viewers and a 5.6 rating among adults 18-49 to win the 8 p.m. hour, though it was down by over a million viewers and half a demo ratings point from last Thursday. CBS was second with 6.27 million viewers and a 1.3 demo rating for repeats of “The Big Bang Theory” and “Rules of Engagement.” ABC’s “Wipeout” repeat was third with 4.74 million viewers. NBC got low numbers for “Community” (3.295 million viewers and a 1.5 demo rating) and “The Paul Reiser Show” (2.54 million viewers and a 0.9 demo rating). The CW’s “Vampire Diaries” averaged 2.65 million viewers and a 1.1 demo rating, topping NBC in both measures for the 8:30 half-hour.
9 p.m. – An embedded spinoff episode of “Bones” averaged nearly 11.1 million viewers and a 3.2 demo rating to win the 9 p.m. hour for FOX. CBS’ repeat of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” was second overall with 8.4 million viewers, but finished third in the demo. NBC’s “The Office” (6.8 million and a 3.3 demo) and “Parks and Recreation” (5.09 million and a 2.5 demo) were third overall and second in the demo. ABC was fourth with 3.86 million viewers for a “Grey’s Anatomy” repeat. On The CW, a new “Nikita” averaged 1.94 million viewers and a 0.8 demo rating.
10 p.m. – CBS’ repeat of “The Mentalist” averaged 10.96 million viewers to win the 10 p.m. hour overall. NBC’s hour-long “30 Rock” averaged 4.62 million viewers in second, but won the hour with a 2.2 rating in the key demo. ABC’s “Private Practice” repeat averaged 2.73 million viewers.
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.