Fast National ratings for Friday, March 27, 2015.
CBS got another decent night of NCAA Tournament coverage and dominated Friday primetime in all measures.
“Dateline”-driven NBC and “Shark Tank” repeat-led ABC finished second. [“Dateline” was apparently also a rebroadcast.]
FOX, meanwhile, aired the dreadful Adam Sandler movie “Grown Ups,” which comfortably outdrew last week's “Glee” finale.
And speaking of finales, the “Hart of Dixie” finale may have given The CW a small uptick, though CW Friday numbers have a tendency to adjust down overall.
Let's get to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, CBS averaged a 1.9 rating for Friday night, tops in the key demographic. ABC and NBC both averaged a 1.0 key demo rating, followed closely by the 0.9 key demo rating for FOX. The CW averaged a 0.3 key demo rating for the night.
Overall, CBS averaged an estimated 6.4 million viewers and 3.9 rating/7 share to win Friday primetime. NBC was second with 5.47 million viewers and a 3.6/7, topping the 3.2/6 and 4.77 million viewers for ABC. FOX averaged a 1.8/3 and 2.985 million viewers, followed by The CW's 1.06 million viewers and 0.7/1 for the night.
8 p.m. – NCAA Tournament coverage put CBS in first to start the night with 6.29 million viewers and a 1.8 rating among adults 18-49 in the 8 p.m. hour. NBC's “Grimm” was second with 4.935 million viewers and a 1.0 key demo rating. ABC's two “Cristela” repeats averaged 4.32 million viewers to beat the 2.61 million viewers for FOX's “Grown Ups,” while both networks did a 0.8 key demo rating. The CW's “Hart of Dixie” finale averaged 1.37 million viewers and a 0.4 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – In a tight overall race for the 9 p.m. hour, CBS' basketball reigned with 5.66 million viewers and a 1.6 rating among adults 18-49. NBC's “Dateline” averaged 5.36 million viewers and a 1.0 key demo rating, compared to the 5.08 million viewers and 1.1 key demo rating for ABC's “Shark Tank” repeat. FOX's “Grown Ups” averaged 3.36 million viewers and a 1.0 key demo rating. On The CW, an encore of “iZombie” averaged 753,000 viewers and a 0.3 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – CBS closed primetime in first with 7.26 million viewers and a 2.4 rating among adults 18-49 for hoops coverage. NBC's “Dateline” was second with 6.1 million viewers, topping the 4.89 million viewers for ABC's “20/20,” while both newsmagazines averaged a 1.1 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.