Primetime Ratings: ABC Wins With Noisy ‘Idol’

ABC won the Sunday ratings race easily, as a healthy American Idol paced the network to a 1.4 score in viewers 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, and a 6 share. In second was Fox at 0.8/3.

For ABC, America’s Funniest Home Videos grew 20% to 1.2 and two hours of American Idol, with a Disney theme, and a live show to boot, was also up 20% for a healthy 1.8. Drama Deception closed out prime up 33% for a 0.8.

Fox had Bob’s Burgers at 0.8 and The Simpsons at 0.9, both shows flat with the previous Sunday, then Brooklyn Nine-Nine at 0.9 and Family Guy at 1.0, both up a tenth of a point. The Last Man on Earth also grew a tenth to 0.7.

CBS and NBC both did a 0.7/3. For CBS, 60 Minutes increased 14% to 0.8 and Instinct was a flat 0.6. NCIS: Los Angeles slid 13% to 0.7 and Madam Secretary was a level 0.6.

For NBC, it was Dateline up 17% to 0.7 and Little Big Shots at a flat 0.8. Genius Jr. was a level 0.6 and Timeless grew 20% to 0.6.

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.