Primetime Ratings: Debate Goes Up on NBC

NBC easily won the Thursday ratings contest, the second night of the Democratic debate, giving NBC a 1.5 in viewers 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, and an 8 share. In second was Fox at 0.7/3.

NBC led off with a repeat of The Wall, before the debate got a 1.9 from 9 to 11 p.m., ahead of the previous night’s 1.6.

Facing off for the Dems were Marianne Williamson, John Hickenlooper, Andrew Yang, Pete Buttigieg, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Michael Bennet, Kirsten Gillibrand and Eric Swalwell.

Fox had MasterChef at a flat 0.7 and Spin the Wheel down 25% for a 0.6.

ABC was at 0.6/3 and CBS at 0.5/3. Holey Moley lost 10% for a 0.9 on ABC and Family Food Fight was a flat 0.6, before beachy crime drama Reef Break slid 40% to 0.3.

On CBS, comedy reruns led into Life in Pieces at 0.6 and the finale at 0.5, same as last week’s double run. Elementary got a level 0.4.

Univision did a 0.4/2, with La Rosa de Guadalupe popping a 0.5.

Telemundo did a 0.3/1 as the debate rated a 0.3.

The CW got a 0.2/1, with iZombie and the finale of In the Dark both at 0.2. Both were flat with last week. 

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.