Fast National ratings for Wednesday, December 4, 2013.
A heavily promoted episode of “Survivor: Blood vs. Water” drew a season-high audience for CBS and led the network to an overall win on Wednesday, but a pair of holiday-themed specials, including “Saturday Night Live Christmas” gave NBC a win among young viewers.
Like “Survivor,” “The X Factor” aired last week to pre-Thanksgiving lows and bounced back a tiny bit, albeit not to the same level.
The CW drew a large audience and good demos for the introduction of the proto-Flash on “Arrow” and also got a little bump for “The Tomorrow People.”
Finally, it was a low night for ABC’s comedies, but “Nashville” was steady.
On to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, NBC averaged a 2.5 rating for Wednesday night, tops in the key demographic. ABC and CBS both averaged a 1.9 key demo rating for the night, followed by FOX’s 1.4 key demo rating. The CW averaged a 0.9 key demo rating for Wednesday.
Overall, though, CBS averaged an estimated 8.9 million viewers and a 5.6 rating/9 share for Wednesday primetime, edging out the 8.225 million viewers and 5.0/8 for NBC. ABC was third with 6.41 million viewers and a 4.1/7, followed by FOX’s 5.34 million viewers. The CW averaged 2.48 million viewers and a 1.6/2 for the night.
8 p.m. – “Survivor” won the 8 p.m. hour for CBS with 10.59 million viewers and a 2.6 rating among adults 18-49. NBC’s “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” was second with 9.865 million viewers and a 2.3 key demo rating. ABC followed with “The Middle” (7.51 million and a 1.9 key demo) and “Back in the Game” (5.21 million and a 1.4 key demo). The first hour of “The X Factor” on FOX averaged 5 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo rating, edging out the season-high 3.165 million viewers and near-high 1.1 key demo rating for The CW’s “Arrow.”
9 p.m. – NBC’s “Saturday Night Live Christmas” won the 9 p.m. hour with 8.54 million viewers and a 2.8 rating among adults 18-49. CBS was second overall with 8.12 million viewers for a “Criminal Minds” repeat, finishing third with a 1.7 key demo rating. ABC’s “Modern Family” (9.42 million and a 3.1 key demo) was low, but still won its half-hour, which cannot be said for “Super Fun Night” (4.92 million and a 1.7 key demo). The second hour of “The X Factor” rose to 5.67 million viewers and a 1.5 key demo rating. On The CW, “The Tomorrow People” averaged 1.8 million viewers and a 0.7 key demo rating, both up from the drama’s last airing.
10 p.m. – A “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” repeat averaged 7.995 million viewers to win the 10 p.m. hour for CBS, coming in third with a 1.4 rating among adults 18-49. NBC’s “SNL” special slipped to 6.27 million viewers in its second hour, but still won with a 2.4 key demo rating. ABC’s “Nashville” was third with 5.71 million viewers and second with a 1.6 key demo rating.
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.