Fast National ratings for Wednesday, February 5, 2014.
Viewers stuck around for the start of the Hollywood Round on “American Idol,” as the FOX singing competition posted a little week-to-week growth among young viewers and slightly more growth overall. FOX won Wednesday in all measures.
“Criminal Minds’ got a big bump for its 200th episode, drawing its biggest audience since May of 2012, but still couldn’t push ahead of “Idol” overall.
Predictably, with their lead-ins returning, both “Suburgatory” and “Super Fun Night” posted big gains, while “Nashville,” “The Tomorrow People” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” were among the shows dipping.
With “CSI” back, NBC’s “Chicago PD” dropped in viewers, but didn’t slip at all in the key demo.
On to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, FOX averaged a 3.9 rating for Wednesday night, far ahead of CBS’ 2.1 rating in the key demographic. ABC was a close third with a 1.9 key demo rating, followed by NBC’s 1.5 key demo rating. The CW averaged a 0.7 key demo rating for Wednesday.
Overall, FOX averaged an estimated 13.29 million viewers and an 8.0 rating/12 share for Wednesday primetime, comfortably ahead of the 6.7/10 and 10.7 million viewers for CBS. There was a big drop to ABC’s 4.3/7 and 6.68 million viewers and to NBC’s 5.64 million viewers and 3.7/6. The CW averaged a 1.3/2 and 2.06 million viewers for Wednesday.
8 p.m. – “American Idol” started the night in first for FOX with 13.38 million viewers and a 3.9 rating among adults 18-49, far above last week’s comparable hour. A repeat of “Criminal Minds” was second overall for CBS with 8.27 million viewers and third with a 1.5 key demo rating. ABC was third overall and second in the key demo with “The Middle” (8.67 million and a 2.2 key demo) and “Suburgatory” (6.22 million and a 1.7 key demo). NBC’s hour-long “How To Raise An Olympian” sponsored special averaged 4.43 million viewers and a 1.1 key demo rating in fourth, holding off the 2.75 million viewers and 1.0 key demo rating for The CW’s “Arrow.”
9 p.m. – In its second hour, “American Idol” dipped to 13.2 million viewers, but stayed steady with a 3.9 rating among adults 18-49. CBS’ “Criminal Minds” was second with 12.81 million viewers and a 2.8 key demo rating. The only real threat to the “American Idol” demo dominance for the night was ABC’s “Modern Family,” which did a 3.5 key demo rating and averaged 10.01 million viewers, but with “Super Fun Night” plummeting to 4.98 million viewers and a 1.6 key demo rating, ABC was no competition for the hour. NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” averaged 6.355 million viewers and a 1.8 key demo rating in fourth. On The CW, “Tomorrow People” drew a low 1.37 million viewers and a 0.5 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” closed primetime in first for CBS with 11.02 million viewers and a 2.0 rating among adults 18-49. NBC’s “Chicago PD” averaged 6.13 million viewers and a 1.7 key demo rating for second, easily beating the 5.11 million viewers and 1.3 key demo rating for ABC’s “Nashville.”
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.