Fast National ratings for Wednesday, May 21, 2015.
CBS cruised to victory on the last night of the 2014-15 season with three hours of “Survivor: Worlds Apart” finale coverage, which swept primetime in most measures.
NBC finished second overall thanks to strong performances from finales for “The Mysteries of Laura,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Chicago PD,” while a series low finale for “Modern Family” still put ABC in second in the key demo.
There were a couple summer premieres on Wednesday, with ABC's “500 Questions” having an OK series launch and FOX's “MasterChef” premiere coming in a bit soft, though both shows did the same 18-49 rating.
Let's get to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, CBS averaged a 2.1 rating for Wednesday night, tops in the key demographic. ABC was second with a 1.4 key demo rating, followed closely by NBC's 1.3 key demo rating and the 1.2 key demo rating for FOX. The CW averaged a 0.5 key demo rating for Wednesday night.
Overall, CBS averaged an estimated 8.99 million viewers and a 5.3 rating/9 share for Wednesday night. NBC was second with 7.23 million viewers and a 4.8/8, far ahead of ABC's 4.87 million viewers and 3.2/6. FOX's 3.335 million viewers and 2.1/4 finished fourth, followed by The CW's 0.9/2 and 1.43 million viewers for Wednesday night.
8 p.m. – The first hour of the 'Survivor: Worlds Apart” finale averaged 9.45 million viewers and a 2.1 rating among adults 18-49 for CBS. NBC's “The Mysteries of Laura” was second with 7.26 million viewers and fourth with a 1.1 key demo rating. ABC's “500 Questions” averaged 5.03 million viewers to top the 3.305 million viewers for FOX's “MasterChef,” which both hours averaged a 1.2 key demo rating for second. A “Supernatural” encore averaged 1.07 million viewers and a 0.3 key demo rating for The CW.
9 p.m. – “Survivor” rose to 10.04 million viewers and a 2.3 rating among adults 18-49 to lead CBS in the 9 p.m. hour. “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” was second with 7.235 million viewers and third with a 1.4 key demo rating for NBC. ABC was third overall and second in the key demo with “Modern Family” (7.11 million and a 2.2 key demo) and “Black-ish” (5.39 million and a 1.6 key demo). FOX's “MasterChef” averaged 3.365 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating for fourth. The season finale for “Supernatural” averaged 1.78 million viewers and a 0.7 key demo rating for The CW.
10 p.m. – The conclusion of “Survivor: Worlds Apart” and the subsequent live post-show averaged 7.48 million viewers and a 1.8 rating among adults 18-49 for CBS. NBC's “Chicago PD” finale was second with 7.19 million viewers and a 1.4 key demo rating. ABC's “Celebrity Wife Swap” finale averaged 3.33 million viewers and a 1.0 key demo rating in the 10 p.m. hour.
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.