Fast National ratings for Friday, April 18, 2014.
New episodes of “Shark Tank” and “20/20” helped ABC cruise to an easy Friday win among young viewers, while CBS rode a new “Unforgettable” and a “Blue Bloods” repeat to an overall win.
Beyond that, Friday featured only minor variations. FOX's “Kitchen Nightmares” was down in its second week, while “Hannibal” took advantage of a “Dateline” lead-in to get a small bump. The CW's “Hart of Dixie” and “Whose Line” both shed viewers as well.
[CBS notes that its scheduled was delayed a local telethon for 9 percent of the country. Take that as you will.]
On to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, ABC averaged a 1.5 rating for Friday primetime, comfortably ahead of the 1.0 rating for NBC and FOX in the key demographic. CBS was fourth with a 0.8 key demo rating, while The CW averaged a 0.3 key demo rating.
Overall, though, CBS averaged an estimated 7.33 million viewers and a 4.7 rating/9 share for Friday night, topping the 6.43 million viewers and 4.0/7 for ABC. NBC's 4.955 million viewers and 3.3/6 finished third, followed by FOX's 2.72 million viewers and 1.7/3. The CW trailed with a 0.7/1 and 1.07 million viewers.
8 p.m. – CBS' “Unforgettable” slipped from last week but still won the 8 p.m. hour with 7.17 million viewers, coming in fourth with a 0.9 rating among adults 18-49. NBC's “Dateline” was second with 5.48 million viewers and tied for the hour lead with a 1.0 key demo rating. ABC was third overall and tied for first in the key demo with a new “Last Man Standing” (5.21 million and a 1.1 key demo) and a “Last Man Standing” repeat (4.04 million and a 0.8 key demo rating). FOX's “Kitchen Nightmares” averaged 2.94 million viewers and was also part of that key demo tie with a 1.0 rating. The CW's new “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and a repeat averaged 1.33 million viewers and a 0.4 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – It was a tight battle for the 9 p.m. hour. ABC's “Shark Tank” won the hour with 6.47 million viewers and a 1.6 rating among adults 18-49. NBC's “Dateline” was a close second with 6.46 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating. CBS' “Hawaii Five-0” was also in the hunt with 6.44 million viewers and finished fourth with a 0.7 key demo rating. There was a drop to the 2.5 million viewers and 0.9 key demo rating for the second hour of “Kitchen Nightmares” on FOX. The CW's “Hart of Dixie” trailed with 805,000 viewers and a 0.3 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – A repeat of “Blue Bloods” led the 8 p.m. hour with 8.39 million viewers, but finished tied for second with a 0.9 key demo rating. ABC's “20/20” had a big episode with 8.2 million viewers and a night-leading 1.8 key demo rating. NBC's “Hannibal” averaged 2.93 million viewers and a 0.9 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.