Fast National ratings for Friday, May 17, 2013.
“Shark Tank” has been leading ABC to victories among young viewers all season, but facing CBS repeats this week, the entrepreneurial favorite pushed ABC to the top of the overall Friday heap as well.
The last Friday of the 2012-2013 TV season — and the last time HitFix will do Friday ratings again until the fall — also saw a bump for the “Nikita” season finale and yet another week of improving numbers for “Rock Center,” which may be making NBC reconsider its cancellation.
For the night, ABC averaged a 1.5 rating among adults 18-49, easily beating NBC’s 1.2 rating in the key demographic. CBS was third with a 1.0 key demo rating, beating FOX’s 0.6 rating and The CW’s 0.3 key demo rating.
Overall, ABC averaged an estimated 5.72 million viewers and a 3.7 rating/7 share for Friday, edging out NBC’ 3.6/7 and 5.21 million viewers. CBS was a close third with 4.92 million viewers, with FOX’s 1.5/3 and 2.18 million viewers taking fourth. The CW averaged 936,000 viewers and a 0.6/1 for the night.
8 p.m. – “Undercover Boss” led the 8 p.m. hour overall with 5.38 million viewers, finishing third with a 1.0 rating among adults 18-49. “Shark Tank” was second with just under 5 million viewers and won the hour with a 1.2 key demo rating. NBC’s “Dateline” averaged 4.75 million viewers and a 1.1 key demo rating for the hour. FOX’s “Kitchen Nightmares” repeat averaged 1.91 million viewers and a 0.7 key demo rating, compared to the 1.08 million viewers and 0.4 key demo rating for the “Nikita” finale on The CW.
9 p.m. – “Shark Tank” rose to 6.57 million viewers and a 1.9 rating among adults 18-49, leading ABC in the 9 p.m. hour. NBC’s “Dateline” averaged 5.8 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating for second, topping the 5 million viewers and 1.1 key demo rating for CBS’ “Undercover Boss” repeat. FOX’s “Bones” repeat averaged 2.46 million viewers and a 0.6 key demo rating, while The CW’s repeat of “Supernatural” averaged 788,000 viewers and a 0.3 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – ABC closed the night in first with 5.59 million viewers and a 1.5 rating among adults 18-49 for “20/20.” NBC’s “Rock Center” averaged 5.07 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo rating for second. CBS was third with 4.37 million viewers and a 0.9 key demo rating for “48 Hours.”
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.