Fast National ratings for Thursday, December 1, 2011.
The season’s second double-elimination episode of “The X Factor” and another new episode of “Bones” gave FOX an easy Thursday night win among young viewers and helped the network hold off CBS’ repeats for an overall win as well.
In other ratings news, facing diminished competition from CBS and ABC, “Community” was nearly able to soar all the way to 4 million viewers in its second-to-last episode before going on the shelf. But not quite.
On to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, FOX averaged a 3.0 rating, far ahead of the 2.1 rating for ABC in the coveted demographic. CBS’ 1.9 rating and the 1.8 rating for NBC followed closely, while The CW posted a 0.4 key demo rating for the night.
Overall, FOX averaged an estimated 9.51 million viewers in Thursday primetime along with a 5.7 rating/9 share. In the race for second, ABC averaged an estimated 8.415 million viewers, just ahead of the 8.41 million viewers for CBS. NBC’s 4.44 million viewers and a 2.9/5 finished a distant fourth, far ahead of the 0.7/1 and 982,000 viewers for The CW.
[Univision averaged 3.76 million viewers and a 1.5 rating among adults 18-49 for Thursday night.]
8 p.m. – FOX’s “The X Factor” started primetime in first with 10.2 million viewers and a 3.1 rating among adults 18-49, up from the show’s last Thursday results show. CBS was second with repeats of “The Big Bang Theory” (10.45 million viewers and a 2.9 key demo rating) and “Rules of Engagement” (8.08 million viewers and a 2.2 key demo rating). ABC’s “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” averaged 7.235 million viewers and a 2.2 key demo rating for third. NBC’s “Community” was up from its last new airing with 3.92 million viewers and a 1.7 key demo rating, but “Parks and Recreation” (3.72 million and a 1.8 key demo) was steady in viewers and down with young viewers. The CW was far back with 1.11 million viewers and a 0.4 key demo rating for a “Vampire Diaries” repeat.
9 p.m. – ABC won the 9 p.m. hour overall with 9.26 million viewers for the “CMA Country Christmas” special, which finished third with a 2.2 rating among adults 18-49. FOX’s “Bones” was second overall with 8.82 million viewers and won the hour with a 2.8 key demo rating. CBS’ “Person of Interest” repeat was third overall with 8.08 million viewers and fourth with a 1.6 key demo rating. On NBC, “The Office” (5.74 million and a 2.9 key demo rating) and “Whitney” (4.015 million viewers and a 1.9 key demo rating) were both steady from their last airings. The CW’s “Secret Circle” averaged 855,000 viewers and a 0.4 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – “CMA Country Christmas” won the 10 p.m. hour overall for ABC with 8.75 million viewers and also among adults 18-49 with a 2.0 rating. CBS’ repeat of “The Mentalist” was second with 7.89 million viewers and a 1.6 key demo rating. With no new drama competition, NBC’s “Prime Suspect” was up to 4.63 million viewers and a 1.3 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.