Fast National ratings for Wednesday, April 30, 2014.
Even with “Chicago PD” topping CBS' backdoor “CSI” pilot among young viewers, CBS was still able to ride “Survivor” and “Criminal Minds” victory both overall and in the key demographic on Wednesday night.
[NBC had an NBA preemption in Portland, which will probably make the 10 p.m. race closer.]
With CBS' full lineup returning for originals (and perhaps with NHL and NBA playoff competition on cable), there were big drops for ABC's “Modern Family” (a whopping 0.6 key demo rating from last week's Fast Nationals), “Suburgatory” and “Nashville,” as well as FOX's “American Idol” and NBC's “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
Over on The CW, “Arrow” was up a hair, while “The 100” continued to hold onto its lead-in well, making its case for renewal.
On to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, CBS averaged a 2.1 rating for Wednesday night, beating FOX's 1.8 rating in the key demographic. NBC's 1.7 key demo rating and the 1.6 key demo rating for ABC followed closely, while The CW averaged a 0.7 key demo rating for the night.
Overall, CBS averaged an estimated 9.92 million viewers and a 6.4 rating/10 share for Wednesday, again beating the 8.65 million viewers and 5.2/8 for FOX. NBC was third for the night with 6.03 million viewers and a 4.0/6, followed closely by the 3.6/6 and 5.52 million viewers for ABC. The CW averaged 2.08 million viewers and a 1.4/2.
8 p.m. – “Survivor: Cagayan” won the 8 p.m. hour with 8.33 million viewers and a 2.2 rating among adults 18-49 for CBS. FOX's “American Idol” was second with 8.33 million viewers and a 1.7 key demo rating. ABC was third with “The Middle” (7.08 million and a 1.8 key demo) and “Suburgatory” (5.13 million and a 1.4 key demo rating). [“The Middle” and “American Idol” both did a 1.8 key demo rating for the 8:00 half-hour, if you were curious.] NBC's “Revolution” was steady with 4.72 million viewers and a 1.4 key demo rating. On The CW, “Arrow” averaged 2.25 million viewers and a 0.8 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – “Criminal Minds” won the 9 p.m. hour for CBS with 10.25 million viewers and a 2.2 rating among adults 18-49. FOX's “American Idol” was second overall with 8.96 million viewers and third with a 1.9 key demo rating. NBC's “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” averaged 6.14 million viewers for third and a 1.8 key demo rating for fourth on the hour. ABC was second for the hour in the key demo and fourth overall with “Modern Family” (8.27 million and a night-topping 2.8 key demo) and a steep drop to “Mixology” (3.65 million and a 1.3 key demo). The CW's “The 100” continued to hold its ground with 1.9 million viewers and a 0.6 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” won the 10 p.m. hour overall with 9.945 million viewers for its “Cyber” backdoor pilot and finished second with a 1.8 rating among adults 18-49. NBC's “Chicago PD” averaged 7.24 million viewers and a 1.9 key demo rating, which topped the hour. ABC's “Nashville” was low with 4.49 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating.
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.