Fast National ratings for Wednesday, February 2, 2011.
“American Idol” did its “American Idol” thing on Wednesday night, crushing the competition and carrying FOX to another nightly win, though “Human Target” got an unimpressive bump, despite its powerhouse lead-in.
Meanwhile, although “Blue Bloods” mostly held its overall audience against two new dramas, the show’s demo ratings plummeted to an embarrassing third place finish in its latest Wednesday airing.
Among adults 18-49, FOX averaged a 5.7 rating, more than doubling the 2.6 rating for second place NBC in the key demographic. ABC’s 2.2 rating was third, beating the 1.6 rating for CBS in fourth. The CW’s 0.4 rating finished fifth.
Overall, FOX averaged an estimated 17.135 million viewers to go with a 9.3 rating/14 share. CBS moved up to second with a 5.4/9 and 8.58 million viewers. NBC’s 4.7/7 and 8.06 million viewers followed closely, with ABC taking fourth with a 4.1/7 and 6.645 million viewers. The CW was fifth with 0.7/1 and 1.1 million viewers.
8 p.m. – FOX started primetime in first with 24.93 million viewers and an 8.9 rating among adults 18-49 for “American Idol.” Depending on how you look at it, those “Idol” numbers were either below last Wednesday’s two-hour average, or above the 8 p.m. hourly segment of last week’s two-hour episode. ABC was a distant second with 6.72 million viewers for two repeats of “The Middle.” NBC’s “Minute To Win It” was third with 5.87 million viewers, topping the 4.8 million for CBS’ new “Live to Dance.” The CW’s “Smallville” repeat finished fifth with 1.18 million viewers.
9 p.m. – CBS moved into first overall in the 9 p.m. hour with 9.72 million viewers for a repeat of “Criminal Minds.” NBC’s “Minute To Win It” averaged 9.52 million viewers for second. FOX’s “Idol”-boosted “Human Target” averaged 9.34 million viewers and a 2.6 demo rating, both good for third, though the action series was down to 8.4 million viewers and a 2.3 demo rating in in its second half-hour. ABC’s “Modern Family” repeat (9.2 million viewers and a 3.5 demo rating) and a new “Cougar Town” (6.6 million viewers and a 2.7 demo rating) were fourth overall, but won the hour in the key demo, as “Cougar Town” was significantly up over last week. The CW’s “Supernatural” repeat was fifth with 1.02 million viewers.
10 p.m. – A new “Blue Bloods” averaged 11.21 million viewers for CBS in the 10 p.m. hour, but only averaged a 1.6 demo rating for third. NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” was second overall with 8.795 million viewers and dominated the demo with a 2.9 rating. ABC’s “Off the Map” averaged only 5.31 million viewers, but still beat “Blue Bloods” in the 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.