Fast National ratings for Thursday, September 12, 2013.
While it doesn’t erase a weak first night performance, “The X Factor” avoided declines on the season’s second night, lifting FOX to a Thursday win among young viewers and a slim overall triumph.
The talent show got a five percent night-to-night boost in the key demo and a 10 percent boost overall, while remaining comfortably below last year’s Thursday premiere, which was only an hour.
Meanwhile, NBC’s “Million Second Quiz” posted a third straight night of declines.
Among adults 18-49, FOX averaged a 2.2 rating for Thursday night, topping the 1.9 rating for CBS in the key demographic. ABC’s 1.4 key demo rating and the 1.0 key demo rating for NBC followed, while The CW did a 0.2 key demo rating.
Overall, FOX averaged an estimated 6.785 million viewers and a 4.2 rating/7 share, edging out the 6.69 million viewers and 4.4/7 for CBS for Thursday primetime. ABC was third with a 3.3/5 and 5.06 million viewers, followed by NBC’s 2.2/4 and 3.4 million viewers. The CW averaged 656,000 viewers and a 0.5/1 for the night.
[Note that CBS had Jets-Patriots NFL coverage in New York, while ABC had the game in the Boston area, so expect changes in the numbers for those networks. And also note that CBS beat FOX both overall and in the key demographic in the two primetime hours in which the networks went head-to-head.]
8 p.m. – CBS started primetime in first with 7.64 million viewers for a repeat of “The Big Bang Theory” and the CBS Fall Preview, coming in second with a 1.9 rating among adults 18-49. FOX’s “The X Factor” averaged 6.38 million viewers and a 2.0 key demo rating, up from Wednesday’s 8 p.m. hour in viewers, but down a hair in the key demo. ABC’s repeat of “Shark Tank” averaged 5.12 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo rating in third, easily topping the 4.22 million viewers and 1.1 key demo rating for NBC’s “Million Second Quiz.” On The CW, a repeat of “The Vampire Diaries” averaged 722,000 viewers and a 0.2 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – “Big Brother” averaged 7.455 million viewers and a 2.6 rating among adults 18-49 for CBS in the 9 p.m. hour, up a hair from last week, though very plausibly within the range of NFL inflation. FOX’s “The X Factor” rose to 7.19 million viewers and a 2.3 key demo rating in its second hour. ABC was third with 4.32 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo rating for “Wipeout,” while NBC’s “Hollywood Game Night” encore averaged 3.11 million viewers and a 1.0 key demo rating. The CW’s “America’s Next Top Model” encore averaged 589,000 viewers and a 0.2 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – ABC’s “Rookie Blue” was up week-to-week (and year-to-year) for its finale with 5.73 million viewers and a 1.4 rating among adults 18-49. CBS’ repeat of “Elementary” averaged 4.97 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating, topping the 2.86 million viewers and 1.0 key demo rating for a “Hollywood Game Night” encore.
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.