Fast National ratings for Friday, December 20, 2013.
One of the most popular TV shows of all-time proved that it still has some juice in 2013, as CBS’ colorized “I Love Lucy Christmas Special” was Friday’s top show in the key demographic and combined with “Hawaii Five-0” and “Blue Bloods” to lead the network to its normal overall Friday rout.
CBS only tied for first among young viewers, as a pair of “Shark Tank” repeats kept ABC in the mix.
Meanwhile, NBC wasn’t far behind with its annual airing of “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
On to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, ABC and CBS both did a 1.2 rating for Friday night, tops in the key demographic. [ABC had a big advantage among adults 18-34, while CBS had a big lead among adults 25-54.] NBC was a close second with a 1.1 key demo rating, followed by FOX’s 0.7 key demo rating and The CW’s 03 key demo rating.
Overall, though, CBS won in a rout with an estimated 9.4 million viewers and a 5.9 rating/10 share, far ahead of the 5.37 million viewers and 3.4/6 for NBC on Friday night. ABC was a close third with a 3.5/6 and 5.31 million viewers, followed by the 2.64 million viewers and 1.6/3 for FOX. The CW averaged a 0.5/1 and 808,000 viewers.
8 p.m. – CBS started the night in first with 8.65 million viewers and a 1.4 rating among adults 18-49 for the “I Love Lucy Christmas Special.” ABC’s “Shark Tank” repeat averaged 5.01 million viewers and a 1.1 key demo rating for second, edging out the 4.95 million viewers and 1.0 key demo rating for the first hour of “It’s a Wonderful Life” on NBC. FOX’s “Bones” repeat averaged 3.93 million viewers and a 0.8 key demo rating. On The CW, “The Carrie Diaries” averaged 874,000 viewers and a 0.3 key demo rating. [Note that The CW was, at the very least, preempted in the Los Angeles market on Friday.]
9 p.m. – “Hawaii Five-0” averaged 9.38 million viewers to rule the 9 p.m. hour for CBS, coming in second with a 1.2 rating among adults 18-49. ABC’s “Shark Tank” repeat averaged 5.44 million viewers and an hour-winning 1.3 key demo rating. NBC’s movie improved to 5.5 million viewers and a 1.1 key demo rating in its second hour, well ahead of the 1.895 million viewers and 0.6 key demo rating for “Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown” on FOX. The CW’s “Nikita” averaged 741,000 viewers and a 0.2 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – “Blue Bloods” had a weak night but still led the 10 p.m. hour for CBS with 10.18 million viewers, coming in third with a 1.1 rating among adults 18-49. NBC’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” closed with 5.67 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating, compared to the 5.49 million viewers and 1.2 key demo rating for ABC’s “20/20.”
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.