Fast National ratings for Friday, March 22, 2013.
With the first round of the NCAA Tournament drawing unimpressive returns on CBS — cumulative numbers across all game platforms will likely be more impressive — ABC dominated Friday night, led by season finales for “Last Man Standing” and “Malibu County.”
Meanwhile, The CW’s “Cult” was down on Friday, while FOX’s “Touch” was up and NBC’s “Grimm” was flat.
Among adults 18-49, ABC averaged a 1.5 rating for Friday night, far ahead of CBS and NBC’s 1.0 rating in the key demographic. FOX’s 0.8 key demo rating and the 0.3 key demo rating for The CW trailed.
Overall, ABC averaged an estimated 6.48 million viewers and a 4.2 rating/7 share for Friday, well in front of NBC’s 3.9 million viewers and 2.6/5. CBS was third with 3.57 million viewers and a 2.3/4, beating FOX’s 1.8/3 and 2.77 million viewers. The CW averaged a 0.7/1 and 935,000 viewers for Friday.
8 p.m. – Posting big week-to-week gains, ABC won the 8 p.m. hour with finales for “Last Man Standing” (7.85 million viewers and a 1.6 key demo) and “Malibu Country” (7 million viewers and 1.4 key demo). CBS’ NCAA hoops coverage averaged 3.44 million viewers and a 0.9 key demo rating. NBC’s “Fashion Star” averaged 2.89 million and 0.9 key demo rating, compared to the 2.75 million viewers and 0.9 key demo rating for FOX’s “Kitchen Nightmares.” The CW’s encore of its Justin Timberlake special averaged 1.16 million viewers and a 0.4 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – A repeat of “Shark Tank” averaged 5.75 million viewers and a 1.4 rating among adults 18-49 for ABC. NBC’s “Grimm” averaged 4.95 million viewers and a 1.4 key demo rating in second. CBS’ NCAA Basketball coverage averaged 3.42 million viewers and a 1.0 key demo rating, beating the 2.8 million viewers and 0.7 key demo rating for FOX’s “Touch.” The CW’s “Cult” averaged 715,000 viewers and a 0.2 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – ABC’s “20/20” averaged 6.27 million viewers and a 1.6 rating among adults 18-49 to continue the primetime sweep. NBC’s “Rock Center” averaged 3.865 million viewers and a 0.9 key demo rating, compared to the 3.85 million viewers and 1.2 key demo rating for CBS’ basketball coverage.
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change, particularly in the case of live events.