Fast National ratings for Wednesday, September 10, 2014.
“America's Got Talent” delivered Wednesday's biggest audience and led NBC to an overall win, while also helping the network tie with FOX and the “Hell's Kitchen” premiere in the key demographic.
The “Hell's Kitchen” premiere was down significantly from the competition's most recent installment, though that launched in March, so it's not a particularly strong comparison.
Also down on Wednesday was CBS' “Extant,” which is likely to hit a series low in all measures, while the returns were better for CBS' “Big Brother,” which posted small gains.
Note that all numbers for Wednesday are approximate due to the 16 minute 9 p.m. ET preemption for President Obama's live address to the nation.
On to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, NBC and FOX both averaged a 1.4 rating for Wednesday night, tops in the key demographic. CBS was third with a 1.2 key demo rating, followed closely by ABC's 1.1 key demo rating. The CW averaged a 0.4 key demo rating for the night.
Overall, NBC won easily with an estimated 7.99 million viewers and a 5.0 rating/9 share for Wednesday primetime. CBS was a distant second with a 2.8/5 and 4.565 million viewers. ABC and FOX both averaged a 2.5/4 for the night, but FOX averaged 4.08 million viewers to the 3.84 million viewers for ABC. The CW averaged 1.2 million viewers and a 0.8 key demo rating.
8 p.m. – “Big Brother” drew a Wednesday season high with 6.94 million viewers and a 2.4 rating among adults 18-49 to win the 8 p.m. hour for CBS. NBC's “America's Got Talent” encore was a close second with 6.85 million viewers and a distant third with a 1.2 key demo rating. FOX's “Hell's Kitchen” premiere averaged 4.21 million viewers and a 1.5 key demo rating, compared to the 4.1 million viewers and 1.0 key demo rating for repeats of “The Middle” and “The Goldbergs” on ABC. The CW's “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” averaged 1.76 million viewers and a 0.5 key demo rating, dropping from last week's series high.
9 p.m. – Remembering that this hour was preempted by over 16 minutes for a live presidential address, “America's Got Talent” took over first in the 9 p.m. hour, averaging 10.56 million viewers and a 1.9 rating among adults 18-49. ABC's pair of “Modern Family” repeats finished second with 4.13 million viewers and third with a 1.2 key demo rating, compared to the 3.945 million viewers and 1.4 key demo rating for FOX's “Hell's Kitchen.” CBS' “Under the Lights” averaged 2.91 million viewers and a 0.7 key demo rating, followed by the 642,000 viewers and 0.2 key demo rating for The CW's repeat of “The 100.”
10 p.m. – The season finale for NBC's “Taxi Brooklyn” dominated the 10 p.m. hour with 6.55 million viewers and a 1.1 rating among adults 18-49, though those numbers are boosted by 16 minutes of “America's Got Talent.” CBS' “Extant” delivered a weak 3.84 million viewers for second and a 0.7 key demo rating for third, compared to the 3.29 million viewers and 1.0 key demo rating for ABC's “Shark Tank” repeat.
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.