Fast National ratings for Tuesday, February 25, 2014.
CBS had its least-watched Tuesday of originals this season, but still captured the night overall with ease. Meanwhile, “The Voice” and solid encore performances for the pilots of “About a Boy” and “Growing Up Fisher” led NBC to victory among young viewers.
CBS' overall win broke a long streak for NBC, which had dominated primetime since the Olympics.
It was a weak Tuesday premiere for “Glee,” which couldn't even approach the “Dads”/”Brooklyn” demo numbers from the fall.
Early returns also weren't great for ABC's “Mind Games.” Some people will eagerly report that “Mind Games” did, at least, top last month's premiere for “Killer Women,” but given that that drama launched with a sluggish “Trophy Wife” lead-in, “Mind Games” had a fairly robust two-hour “Bachelor” priming the pump.
Finally, it was another big week for “Supernatural” and an OK week for “The Originals,” though after spending the fall as near-equals, “Supernatural” has opened up a big lead. Most of that “Supernatural” advantage appears to be in male demos, so The CW probably isn't worried (especially with “The Originals” already renewed). [“Supernatural” also beat “Glee” in all young male demos.]
On to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, NBC averaged a 2.6 rating for Tuesday night, topping CBS' 2.2 rating and the 2.0 rating for ABC in the key demographic. FOX was a distant fourth with a 1.2 key demo rating, with The CW's 0.9 key demo rating close behind.
Overall, though, CBS dominated with an estimated 13.59 million viewers and an 8.7 rating/14 share for Tuesday primetime. NBC was a distant second with 9.25 million viewers and a 5.6/9 for the night, comfortably topping the 6.61 million viewers and 4.5/7 for ABC. FOX's 2.83 million and 1.8/3, wasn't that far ahead of the 2.16 million and 1.3/2 for The CW.
8 p.m. – “NCIS” started the night in first overall with 16.89 million viewers and in second with a 2.6 rating among adults 18-49. NBC's “The Voice” was down from the comparable night last year, but still won the hour with a 3.7 key demo rating and finished second with 12.965 million viewers. ABC's “The Bachelor” was third with 7.79 million viewers and a 2.3 key demo rating. On FOX, “Glee” averaged 2.92 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating, at least staying ahead of the 1.88 million and 0.8 key demo rating for The CW's “The Originals,” which suffered a bit from the enhanced competition in the hour.
9 p.m. – “NCIS: Los Angeles” won the 9 p.m. hour overall with 13.1 million viewers and tied for second with a 2.2 rating among adults 18-49. ABC's “The Bachelor” was second with 8.45 million viewers and won the hour with a 2.6 key demo rating. Having teased both comedies after Olympics programming, NBC reaired the pilots for “About a Boy” (8.34 million and a 2.4 key demo) and “Growing Up Fisher” (7.04 million and a 2.0 key demo) to good audiences. FOX was far back in fourth with “New Girl” (2.85 million and a 1.4 key demo) and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (2.63 million and a 1.3 key demo). The CW's “Supernatural” was close behind with 2.44 million viewers and a 1.1 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – “Person of Interest” won the 10 p.m. hour overall for CBS with 10.78 million viewers, but finished second with a 1.7 rating among adults 18-49. NBC's “Chicago Fire” was second with 7.09 million viewers and posted a slim win with a 1.8 key demo rating. ABC's “Mind Games” averaged 3.6 million viewers and a 1.1 key demo rating, which included a drop to 3.17 million viewers and a 0.9 key demo rating in the 10:30 half-hour. [That half-hour drop-off, while bad, came almost entirely from female viewership carried over from “The Bachelor.” Among the very few men who tuned in, attrition was smaller.]
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.