Primetime Ratings: ABC Enjoys Trump Bump

ABC and Fox split the ratings riches Wednesday, though riches may not quite be the right word to describe broadcast’s flaccid performance on the night. Both scored a 1.3 rating in adults 18-49 and a 5 share. ABC aired repeats before a news special with President Donald Trump that did a 1.7.

On Fox, Lethal Weapon averaged a 1.4, while Star did a 1.2. Both were flat with the previous Wednesday.

CBS had a 1.2/4 on the night. Two hours of Hunted bagged a 1.4, before Code Black did a 0.9. Enjoying a massive lead-in Sunday thanks to the AFC championship, Hunted had premiered at 4.0.

NBC was in repeats but was pleased to report that Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’s 5.1 million total viewers (1.0 in 18-49) was the show’s highest repeat total in four years. NBC had a 0.9/3 on the night.

The CW’s Arrow returned to a flat 0.6, while the Frequency season finale was up a tenth of a point at 0.3. CW had a 0.4/1 for the night.

Among Spanish-language entrants, Univision scored a 0.7/2, while Telemundo did a 0.6/2.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.