Fast National ratings for Friday, December 2, 2011.
CBS got sluggish performances from all of its Friday procedurals, but “A Gifted Man,” “CSI: NY” and “Blue Bloods” all still dominated their hours overall and helped to eke out a win among young viewers.
Meanwhile, NBC got dismal returns for the telefilm “Game of Your Life,” which delivered CW-style ratings, while a dismally uncompetitive match-up doomed FOX’s Pac-12 Championship to low numbers (though obviously the West Coast nature of the game meant that it largely aired outside of primetime in its target markets).
For the night, CBS averaged a 1.4 rating among adults 18-49, edging out FOX’s 1.3 rating and the 1.2 rating for ABC. NBC could muster only a 0.7 rating, only topping The CW’s 0.6 rating because of the 10 p.m. hour.
Overall, CBS averaged an estimated 9.57 million viewers for Friday primetime along with a 6.1 rating/10 share. ABC was far back in second with a 3.1/5 and 4.67 million viewers. FOX’s 4.31 million viewers and 2.8/5 followed, easily beating the 2.82 million viewers and a 1.9/3 for NBC. The CW averaged a 1.1/2 and 1.77 million viewers.
8 p.m. – “A Gifted Man” started primetime off in first for CBS with 8 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating, though like all of the network’s procedurals, it was down slightly from its last original airing. ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” averaged 4.62 million viewers for second and a 1.1 rating among adults 18-49 for third. FOX’s Oregon-UCLA football showdown averaged 4.51 million viewers and a 1.2 rating among adults 18-49. If NBC had been wondering if it were possible to draw sub-“Chuck” ratings on Fridays, the answer is “Yes,” as “Game of Your Life” pulled in only 2.58 million viewers and a 0.6 key demo rating for its first hour. The CW’s “Nikita” averaged 1.69 million viewers and a 0.5 key demo rating (both down from its late airing) for its fall finale.
9 p.m. – CBS stayed in first for the 9 p.m. hour with 9.73 million viewers and a 1.4 rating among adults 18-49 for “CSI: NY.” ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” improved to 4.85 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo rating in second, just ahead of the 4.12 million and 1.3 key demo rating for FOX’s football. The CW moved up to fourth with the 1.855 million viewers and 0.7 key demo rating for the “Supernatural” fall finale. NBC’s “Game of Your Life” actually lost viewers in its second hour, averaging 1.82 million viewers and a 0.5 key demo rating and suffering the ignominy of a fifth place hour.
10 p.m. – “Blue Bloods” delivered Friday’s best numbers with 10.97 million viewers and a 1.6 rating among adults 18-49 for CBS in the 10 p.m. hour. ABC’s “20/20” averaged 4.535 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo, beating NBC’s “Dateline” and its 4.06 million viewers and 1.0 key demo.
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.