Fast National ratings for Friday, March 2, 2012.
On a fairly positive Friday night for the networks that bothered with original programming, ABC, CBS and NBC all experienced week-to-week growth for most of their shows. That still meant that it was CBS easily dominating overall thanks to “Undercover Boss,” “A Gifted Man” and “Blue Bloods,” while ABC grabbed a share of the lead with young viewers.
Among adults 18-49, CBS and ABC both averaged a 1.7 rating, beating out NBC’s 1.5 rating in the key demographic. FOX was fourth with a 1.1 rating, while The CW averaged a 0.3 key demo rating.
Overall, CBS averaged an estimated 10.215 million viewers for Friday night, along with a 6.5 rating/11 share. ABC averaged 5.87 million viewers for second, nipping the 5.8 million viewers for NBC. There was a drop to FOX’s 1.7/3 and 2.77 million viewers and then to The CW’s 0.7/1 and 960,000 viewers.
8 p.m. – CBS started primetime in first with the 9.55 million viewers and 2.0 rating among adults 18-49 for “Undercover Boss,” up from last night in both measures. NBC’s “Who Do You Think You Are?” took a huge jump from last with with 7.6 million viewers for second and a 1.5 key demo rating for third, which either means a Nielsen typo or that America was very interested in learning about Reba McEntire’s family history. ABC’s “Shark Tank” averaged 6.1 million viewers and a 1.7 key demo rating, up from last week in viewers, but down in the demo. FOX’s “Kitchen Nightmares” repeat averaged 2.6 million viewers and a 1.0 key demo rating, beating the 920,000 viewers and 0.3 key demo rating for The CW’s “Nikita” repeat.
9 p.m. – “A Gifted Man” rose to 9.7 million viewers and a 1.4 rating among adults 18-49 for CBS in the 9 p.m. hour. ABC’s “Primetime: What Would You Do?” averaged 5.86 million viewers and tied for the hour lead with a 1.7 key demo rating. NBC’s “Grimm” was also up with 5.58 million viewers and a 1.7 key demo rating. On FOX, another “Kitchen Nightmares” repeat averaged a “Fringe”-esque 2.93 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating. The CW’s “Supernatural” repeat averaged 1 million viewers and a 0.3 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – CBS wrapped up its overall primetime sweep with the 11.4 million viewers for “Blue Bloods,” which also won with a 1.7 rating among adults 18-49. ABC’s “20/20” was second with 5.66 million viewers and a 1.6 key demo rating, beating the 4.23 million viewers and 1.3 key demo rating for NBC’s “Dateline.”
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.