Primetime Ratings: CBS Repeats Rule Soft Night

CBS was top of the heap Thursday among broadcasters, but the heap was not all that high. CBS garnered a 0.9/4 in adults 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, with a 4 share. ABC was runner-up at 0.8/3, Fox at 0.7/3, NBC at 0.6/2 and The CW at 0.3/1.

CBS was in repeats throughout prime, including The Big Bang Theory and Life in Pieces.

ABC had two hours of 500 Questions at 0.9, down 25% from last year’s premiere, then comedy repeats.

Fox’s Bones rated a flat 0.8 and American Grit was down 17% to 0.5.

NBC’s Strong did a 0.7, up a strong 17%, then the celeb-driven charity event Red Nose Day Special a 0.6, with 2.155 million viewers. The event raised $31.5 million for children’s charities. The inaugural event last year did a 0.8 and raised around $21 million.

The CW was in repeats.

The broadcasters were up against NHL and NBA post-season action, among other things.

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.