Fast National ratings for Thursday, January 16, 2014.
FOX won Thursday night in all measures thanks to the second night of “American Idol,” but it was really an evening characterized by ugly drops.
“American Idol” dipped night-to-night in all measures in its Thursday premiere — 13 percent in viewers and 19 percent in young viewers — and, in fact, lost to a “Big Bang Theory” repeat overall (it topped the “Big Bang Theory” repeat among young viewers, but not by much).
Those numbers are ugly, but they may not be as ugly as what NBC is facing with “The Michael J. Fox Show,” which slipped to only 2 million viewers and an astonishingly low 0.6 key demo rating. But, hey, “Parks and Recreation” was NBC’s top comedy in the key demo, while “Community” was its top comedy overall, even if both were down from last week.”
Finally, a “Shark Tank” repeat easily improved on “The Assets” among young viewers.
On to the numbers.
Among adults 18-49, FOX averaged a 3.8 rating for Thursday night, tops in the key demographic. That beat the combined totals for CBS (1.5 rating), plus ABC and NBC (1.0 rating apiece), but not the combined total if you include The CW’s 0.4 key demo rating.
Overall, FOX averaged an estimated 13.18 million viewers and a 7.5 rating/12 share for Thursday. CBS was second with 7.22 million viewers and a 4.5/7. There was a huge drop to ABC’s 3.35 million and 2.3/4 and NBC’s 3.14 million and 2.1/3. The CW averaged a 1.4/2 and 1,955 million viewers.
[Last year’s second night of “American Idol” averaged 16.28 million viewers and a 5.6 rating among adults 18-49.]
8 p.m. – “American Idol” won the 8 p.m. hour for FOX with 12.58 million viewers and a 3.6 rating among adults 18-49. CBS was second with repeats of “The Big Bang Theory” (11.89 million and a 2.9 key demo) and “The Millers” (7.94 million and a 1.9 key demo). [“Idol” averaged 11.79 million and a 3.3 key demo in the 8 p.m. half-hour and took a big bump at 8:30.] ABC’s “The Taste” was third with 3.255 million viewers and fourth with a 0.9 key demo rating. NBC was fourth overall and third in the key demo with “Community” (3.165 million and a 1.1 key demo) and “Parks and Recreation” (3.08 million and a 1.2 key demo). The first hour of the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards averaged 1.88 million viewers and a 0.5 key demo rating for The CW.
9 p.m. – “American Idol” rose to 13.78 million viewers and a 4.1 rating among adults 18-49 for a clear 9 p.m. hour win. CBS’ repeats of “The Crazy Ones” and “Two and a Half Men” averaged 5.28 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating for second. ABC’s “The Taste” was third with 3.22 million viewers and a 1.0 key demo rating. NBC’s “Sean Saves The World” (2.665 million viewers and 0.8 key demo) and “The Michael J. Fox Show” (2.01 million and 0.6 key demo rating) struggled. The CW’s awards telecast averaged 2.03 million viewers and a 0.4 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – A CBS repeat of “Elementary” won the 10 p.m. hour overall with 6.465 million viewers and finished third with a 1.0 rating among adults 18-49. NBC’s “Parenthood” was second with 3.97 million viewers and tied for first with a 1.2 key demo rating, compared to the 3.57 million viewers and 1.2 key demo rating for ABC’s “Shark Tank” repeat.
[UPDATE: “American Idol” ticked up very slightly to 13.4 million viewers and a 3.9 rating among adults 18-49 in Finals.]
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.