Should NBC be worried about SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL?
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.
NBC: The NFL is still the biggest thing on television. But last night’s 4.5 preliminary rating for SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL was down 0.7 from last week’s early number, and down a big 1.6 from 2 weeks ago. Again, the game will almost certainly be the #1 show of the week, especially when final numbers come in. Nevertheless, the networks pay such a premium for the rights to the games that ratings like this can be the difference between breaking even and facing big losses on the investment.
ABC: After an AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS that was down 0.1 from last week to 0.8, ONCE UPON A TIME fell 0.1 to 1.1. The 9-11PM comparisons on every network are to 2 weeks ago, because of last week’s Presidential Debate, and while SECRETS OF LIES held at 0.9, QUANTICO fell 0.2 to a new low 0.8 (slumping to 0.7 in the 2d half-hour).
CBS: 60 MINUTES didn’t have the benefit of the late afternoon NFL game, and dropped to 1.2. NCIS: LA was down 0.2 from 2 weeks ago to 1.3, MADAM SECRETARY was steady at 1.1, but ELEMENTARY lost 0.1 to tie its series low 0.7.
FOX: THE SIMPSONS didn’t just benefit from the late NFL game, it also ran its annual “Treehouse of Horror” episode, which in addition happened to be its heavily-hyped 600th episode. With all that, it more than doubled last week’s rating to 3.1. But the riches didn’t extend to the rest of the line-up: despite the big lead-in, SON OF ZORN was down 0.1 from 2 weeks ago to 1.5, and FAMILY GUY was also down 0.1 to 1.6, although THE LAST MAN ON EARTH picked up 0.1 to 1.1.
JANE THE VIRGIN rejoins the CW line-up tonight.
COMPARISONS TO SIMILAR NIGHTS: Preliminary adult 18-49 ratings versus the same night last year and same night last week.
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