Fast National ratings for Thursday, May 24, 2012.
The ninth season premiere of “So You Think You Can Dance” was way lower than last May’s launch, but it still carried FOX to a Thursday win among young viewers, while CBS’ repeats ruled the night overall.
Among other ratings notables, ABC’s “Duets” got off to a so-so (under-“Wipeout” averages) start and “Rookie Blue” returned in the vicinity of its normal numbers. Meanwhile, NBC’s “Awake” rose a little in its series finale.
For the night, FOX averaged a 2.4 rating among adults 18-49, beating ABC and CBS’ 1.6 ratings in the key demographic. NBC averaged a 0.9 rating and The CW averaged a 0.3 key demo rating for Thursday.
Overall, though, CBS averaged an estimated 7.64 million viewers and a 5.0 rating/9 share to win Thursday night. ABC’s 4.3/7 and 6.46 million viewers came in second, just ahead of FOX’s 3.7/6 and 6.23 million viewers. NBC’s 2.94 million viewers and 2.0/3 beat the 0.5/1 and 713,000 viewers for The CW.
8 p.m. – Repeats of “The Big Bang Theory” and “Rules of Engagement” averaged 7.27 million viewers to win the 8 p.m. hour for CBS, finishing second with a 2.0 rating among adults 18-49. ABC’s “Duets” premiere averaged 6.77 million viewers in second and a 1.6 key demo rating in third. The first hour of FOX’s “So You Think You Can Dance” premiere was third overall with 5.77 million viewers and won the hour with a 2.2 key demo rating. NBC’s repeats of “The Office” averaged 2.205 million viewers and a 0.7 key demo rating in fourth. On The CW, a Perez Hilton “All-Access” special 870,000 viewers and a 0.3 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – CBS’ repeat of “Person of Interest” averaged 7.83 million viewers to win the 9 p.m. hour, coming in third with a 1.4 rating among adults 18-49. FOX’s “So You Think You Can Dance” improved to 6.695 million viewers and an hour-winning 2.7 key demo rating. ABC’s “Duets” slipped a tiny bit to 6.61 million viewers, but rose to a 1.8 key demo rating. On NBC, a repeat of “America’s Got Talent” averaged 3.77 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating. The CW’s “Vampire Diaries” repeat averaged 556,000 viewers and a 0.2 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – “The Mentalist” closed CBS’ repeat-driven sweep with 7.83 million viewers in the 10 p.m. hour, also winning among adults 18-49 with a 1.5 rating. ABC’s “Rookie Blue” was second with 5.99 million viewers and a 1.4 key demo rating. In its series finale, NBC’s “Awake” averaged 2.85 million viewers and a 0.9 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.