Fast National ratings for Wednesday, May 13, 2015.
Once guaranteed to be one of the top entertainment broadcasts of the entire season, Wednesday's “American Idol” Season 14 finale gave FOX a slim overall win, but finished behind five other shows for the night in the key demographic.
“Idol” used to be an unstoppable juggernaut among young women in particular, but Wednesday's finale finished eighth for the night among women 18-49 and ninth among women 18-34.
The week-to-week finale bump for “American Idol” was a 0.1 in the key demo.
Keep in mind, though, that the “Idol” finale extended six minutes into the 10 p.m. hour, which isn't counted here.
There was better news for NBC's “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Chicago PD,” which both rose week-to-week, and for ABC's “The Goldbergs” finale, which was also up. Penultimate episodes for “Modern Family” and “Black-ish,” however, were down.
Let's get to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, ABC averaged a 1.8 rating for Wednesday night, tops in the key demographic. FOX finished second with a 1.6 key demo rating, followed closely by CBS' 1.5 rating and the 1.4 key demo rating for NBC. The CW averaged a 0.9 key demo rating for the night.
Overall, FOX averaged an estimated 7.74 million viewers and a 4.9 rating/8 share for Wednesday primetime, edging out the 7.67 million viewers and 4.8/8 for CBS. NBC's 6.58 million viewers and 4.4/8 and the 4.0/7 and 6.23 million viewers weren't far behind. The CW's 2.47 million viewers and 1.5/3 finished fifth for the night.
8 p.m. – “Survivor: Worlds Apart” led the 8 p.m. hour for CBS with 9.43 million viewers and a 2.2 rating among adults 18-49. FOX's “American Idol” was second with 6.94 million viewers and third with a 1.4 key demo rating for the hour. ABC was third overall and second in the key demo with finales for “The Middle” (6.99 million and a 1.7 key demo) and “The Goldbergs” (6.71 million and a 2.0 key demo). NBC wasn't far back with 6.14 million viewers for “The Mysteries of Laura,” which tied for fourth with a 1.0 key demo rating. The CW's “Arrow” finale averaged 2.8 million viewers for fifth and also did a 1.0 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – “American Idol” won the 9 p.m. hour with 8.54 million viewers and finished second with a 1.8 rating among adults 18-49. ABC was second overall and topped the hour in the key demo with “Modern Family” (8.1 million and a 2.7 key demo) and “Black-ish” (6.17 million and a 2.1 key demo). CBS' “CSI: Cyber” averaged 6.88 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating, compared to the 6.76 million viewers and 1.5 key demo rating for NBC's “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” The CW's “Supernatural” averaged 2.14 million viewers and a 0.8 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – “Chicago PD” pushed NBC into first in the 10 p.m. hour with 6.84 million viewers and a 1.6 rating among adults 18-49. CBS' “CSI: Cyber” averaged 6.69 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating, compared to the 4.695 million viewers and 1.3 key demo rating for ABC's “Nashville” finale.
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.