NETWORK FINALS:  OLYMPICS ratings climbed 0.4 in final numbers to 5.9.  Elsewhere, the 9PM rerun of WAYWARD PINES fell 0.1 to 0.1.         Broadcast Official Nationals Program Ratings Chart     CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  Cable coverage of the RIO SUMMER OLYMPICS took 5 of Saturday’s top 11 slots (and all of […]

  Ratings in key demos for the Top 25 original cable telecasts (plus a few other lower-rated but noteworthy programs): NOTE:  Due to Nielsen’s sometimes arcane coding of special programming, the chart below will need to be revised, as several of TNT’s NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND shows, which were actually among the top-rated telecasts of the […]

        NETWORK FINALS:  WWE SMACKDOWN gained 0.1 in final numbers.         Broadcast Official Nationals Program Ratings Chart     CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  Discovery’s GOLD RUSH was at 0.51/0.35/0.20 compared to last week’s 0.52/0.35/0.15.  We’s LOVE AFTER LOCKUP ticked up to 0.28.  Cable news was led by Fox News’s TUCKER CARLSON […]

  BROADCAST FINALS ABC:  SHARK TANK rose 0.15 to 0.68, outdone by its lead-out 20/20, which had a tremendous performance for the night, jumping 0.55 to 1.02. CBS:  Following a rerun SWAT at 0.33, MAGNUM PI edged up 0.02 to 0.43, and BLUE BLOODS was up 0.05 to 0.46. NBC:  THE WALL dropped 0.06 to […]

        NETWORK FINALS:  After adjustment for its live coast-to-coast airing, AMERICAN IDOL ended up at 1.9.  Elsewhere, THE SIMPSONS gained 0.1 in final numbers.         Broadcast Official Nationals Program Ratings Chart     CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  AMC’s FEAR THE WALKING DEAD dipped 0.12 to 0.97, INTO THE BADLANDS was down […]

  NETWORK UPDATE:  RISING STAR and WIPEOUT swapped 0.1s, with RISING STAR on the low end–in fact, it was ABC’s lowest-rated original show of the night.  On CBS, BIG BROTHER went up even higher to 2.2, but RECKLESS was pathetic, down another 0.1 to 0.5.  SUNDAY CABLE:  THE STRAIN, FX’s first entry into the world […]

  Ratings in key demos for the Top 25 original cable telecasts (plus a few other lower-rated but noteworthy programs): 7 of the Top 10 shows on Saturday cable were sports, led by 0.43-1.09 ratings for ESPN’s COLLEGE FOOTBALL coverage, and 0.39/0.43 for HBO’s BOXING.  The highest rated non-sports show of the night was Lifetime’s […]

        NETWORK FINALS:  Game 5 of the WORLD SERIES adjusted to 2.7 (down 1.9 from 2018’s Game 5), and SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL adjusted to 5.7 (down 0.9 from last week).  The CBS football-related adjustments included a 0.6 drop for 60 MINUTES, and 0.1 declines for GOD FRIENDED ME and MADAM SECRETARY.  In […]