The mostly-scripted summer Thursday scheme isn’t working out well for anyone.
DEMOGRAPHIC DETAIL: For each broadcast program (or hour segment), the chart below displays preliminary key advertiser demographics (adult 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 ratings), audience skews (women 18-49, men 18-49 and adults 50+ shares) and total viewership (thousands of people over the age of 2).
Ratings analysis and comparisons follow the chart.
ABC: The network’s scripted dramas aren’t gathering any momentum as we approach the tail end of summer. In fact, it was a night of series low 0.6s, as ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB fell 0.2, and both MISTRESSES and ROOKIE BLUE dropped 0.1.
CBS: BIG BROTHER remained the night’s one big hit, down 0.1 to 2.0, while UNDER THE DOME fell 0.2 to a series low 0.8. The 2d-highest rated show of the night was the rerun of THE BIG BANG THEORY at 1.5.
NBC: FOOD FIGHTERS and DATELINE were each up 0.1, respectively to 0.9 and 1.1.
CW: BEAUTY & THE BEAST stayed at its series low 0.2. After a 0.1 rerun of its first episode, DATES concluded its run with 0.2.
FOX: Reruns at 0.6/0.5.
None of the networks are making any effort tonight.
COMPARISONS TO SIMILAR NIGHTS: Preliminary adult 18-49 ratings versus the same night last year and same night last week.
Note: Included in the cable ratings of course will be the first 2016 Presidential Primary Debate. The debate in Cleveland on Fox News at 9 pm (with the 10 highest-polling Republican candidates) will be the biggest show on TV last night by far. In the metered-market overnight ratings, the debate is averaging around a 16.0 household rating, almost double the highest-rated debate in 2008 or 2012 (8.9 HH rating for the Democratic Primary Debate in Philadelphia on ABC on 4.16.2008) and well above the more typical 5.0 HH rating for most televised primary debates in the last few election cycles. The 5 pm debate on Fox News (featuring the seven less well-known candidates in an empty arena) scored a more typical 4.1 HH rating.
###
About the Author
