Fast National ratings for Thursday, July 4, 2013.
NBC’s annual “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular” coverage drew the biggest audience on Thursday night as viewers who skipped actual pyrotechnics stuck around at home to watch performances by the likes of Mariah Carey and Taylor Swift.
The special peaked in the 9:30 half-hour with nearly 10.8 million viewers and then was promptly replayed in the 10 p.m. hour, winning that slot as well.
For the night, NBC averaged a 1.4 rating among adults 18-49, tops in the key demographic. CBS was a distant second with a 0.8 key demo rating, followed by FOX’s 0.6 rating, ABC’s 0.4 rating and the 0.2 key demo rating for The CW.
Overall, NBC averaged an estimated 6.56 million viewers for Thursday night along with a 4.0 rating/9 share. CBS was second with a 2.9/6 and 4.33 million viewers, well ahead of the 1.5/3 and 2.2 million viewers for ABC. FOX’s 1.2/3 and 1.83 million and the 04/1 and 547,000 viewers for The CW trailed.
8 p.m. – The first hour of NBC’s “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular” won the 8 p.m. hour overall with 5.36 million viewers and finished second with a 1.0 rating among adults 18-49. CBS’ repeats of “The Big Bang Theory” and “Two and a Half Men” won the hour with a 1.1 key demo rating and finished second with 4.815 million viewers. ABC’s “Wipeout” repeat averaged 2.04 million viewers and a 0.4 key demo rating, compared to the 1.87 million viewers and 0.6 key demo rating for FOX’s repeat of “Hell’s Kitchen.” On The CW, a repeat of “The Vampire Diaries” averaged 630,000 viewers and a 0.2 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – NBC’s “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular” was up to 8.835 million viewers and a 1.9 rating among adults 18-49 to cruise to 9 p.m. victory. CBS’ repeat of “Person of Interest” was second with 4.2 million viewers and a 0.6 key demo rating. ABC’s “Motive” repeat averaged 2.03 million viewers and a 0.4 key demo rating, compared to the 1.79 million viewers and 0.6 key demo rating for FOX’s “Hell’s Kitchen” repeat.
10 p.m. – In the 10 p.m. hour, an encore of “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular” kept NBC in first with 5.49 million viewers and a 1.3 rating among adults 18-49. CBS’ “Elementary” repeat averaged 4.1 million viewers and a 0.6 key demo rating, followed by the 2.53 million viewers and 0.5 key demo rating for ABC’s “Rookie Blue” repeat.
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.