Fast National ratings for Sunday, May 17, 2015.
ABC's coverage of the Billboard Music Awards dominated Sunday night in all measures, crushing an impressive amount of original competition on the other networks.
With the Billboard Music Awards, “Game of Thrones” and the series finale for AMC's “Mad Men,” it isn't surprising that late evening dramas “Battle Creek,” “A.D. the Bible Continues” and particularly “American Odyssey” hit rather impressive lows.
Let's get straight to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, ABC averaged a 3.1 rating for Sunday night, tops in the key demographic. FOX was a distant second with a 1.0 key demo rating, followed by CBS and NBC's 0.8 key demo rating for the night.
Overall, ABC averaged an estimated 9.94 million viewers and a 5.7 rating/10 share for Sunday primetime. CBS was well back in second with 6.38 million viewers and a 4.0/7 for the night, topping NBC's 3.1/6 and 4.75 million viewers. FOX's 1.4/2 and 2.3 million viewers trailed.
7 p.m. – CBS started primetime in first overall with 8.7 million viewers for “60 Minutes,” which finished second with a 1.0 rating among adults 18-49. ABC's “America's Funniest Home Videos” was second with 6.395 million viewers and won the hour with a 1.4 key demo rating. NBC's “Dateline” was third with 4.785 million viewers and a 0.9 key demo rating. FOX trailed with a “Simpsons” repeat (1.54 million viewers and a 0.6 key demo) and a new “Bob's Burgers” (1.93 million and a 0.9 key demo).
8 p.m. – The first hour of the Billboard Music Awards averaged 10.2 million viewers and a 3.2 rating among adults 18-49 to lead ABC in the 8 p.m. frame. NBC's “Dateline” was second with 6.695 million viewers and tied for second with a 1.2 key demo rating. CBS' “I Love Lucy Superstar Special” was third with 6.41 million viewers and fourth with a 0.9 key demo rating. FOX trailed overall and was tied for second in the key demo with season finales for “The Simpsons” (2.79 million and a 1.2 key demo) and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (2.295 million and a 1.1 key demo).
9 p.m. – ABC's Billboard Music Awards coverage rose to 11.92 million viewers and a 4.0 rating among adults 18-49 in the 9 p.m. hour. CBS was a distant second overall with 5.1 million viewers for a new “Battle Creek,” which finished fourth with a 0.6 key demo rating. NBC's “A.D.” was third with 4.85 million viewers and a 0.8 key demo rating. FOX was fourth overall and second in the key demo with finales for “Family Guy” (2.82 million and a 1.3 key demo) and “Bob's Burgers” (2.42 million and a 1.1 key demo).
10 p.m. – The 10 p.m. hour for the Billboard Music Awards averaged 11.24 million viewers and a 3.9 rating among adults 18-49 for ABC. CBS' “Battle Creek” averaged 5.29 million viewers and a 0.6 key demo rating, beating the 2.665 million viewers and 0.4 key demo rating for NBC's “American Odyssey.”
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.