TV Ratings: Saturday August 29, 2020

There wasn't much happening on the broadcast nets Saturday and NBC's evening coverage of 'NASCAR Cup Series Racing' easily beating out all primetime competition in adults 18-49 (0.6/5), adults 18-34 (0.3/4), adults 25-54 (1.0/6), and total viewers (3.869 million). Looking at the full day, ABC's 'World News Tonight' had the win among viewers (6 million) due to its usual sizable 50+ crowd (13 share). Over at CBS, the premiere of 'Love Island: More to Love' completely bombed, mustering just a 0.1 demo rating and not even close to a million viewers (698,000 to be exact) - the lowest-viewed program on all of broadcast. Finally, FOX was new with 'PBC Fight Night' which delivered a slightly-better 0.2 rating with 832,000 viewers (823,000 stuck around for the post game).

TV Ratings: Saturday August 22, 2020

Saturday was a sports-heavy day featuring games across the NHL, MLB, NBA, and MLS - and it still feels very odd to be reporting these numbers in August rather than in April & May, but this ongoing coronavirus pandemic has made 2020 a very unusual year (to say the least). 

Leading the day was ABC's coverage of the 'NBA Playoffs' featuring the Lakers & Blazers which scored victories among adults 18-49 (1.3 rating), adults 18-34 (1.1), adults 25-54 (1.5), and total viewers (3.828 million). The top viewed broadcast program outside of prime-time was 'World News Tonight' (5.4 million) which also logged a sizable 12 share in people over 50. NBC was next with a Stars/Avalanche 'NHL Playoff' game (0.3, 1.229 million) and FOX had an 'MLS Soccer' match (Galaxy/LAFC) outside of primetime (0.1, 376,000) which led into a primetime 'PBC Fight Night' (0.2, 810,000). Of note: the soccer game received an additional 64,000 viewers on Fox Deportes.

TV Ratings: Saturday August 15, 2020

Coverage of 'MLB Baseball' and the 'NHL Playoffs' were the only two originals airing on the broadcast nets Saturday. FOX's Red Sox/Yankees baseball game (418,000 adults 18-49, 0.3/3) just narrowly edged out NBC's Golden Knights/Blackhawks hockey game (400,000, 0.3/2) in the demo, but took a wider lead in total viewers (1.802 million vs. 1.254 million) with help from the adults over 50 crowd (6 share vs. 2 share). The programs tied in men 18-34 (0.3), men 18-49 (0.4), and women 25-54 (0.3/2), but baseball s up a tenth out in men 25-54 (0.6/4) and hockey was up a tenth in both women 18-34 (0.2/2) and women 18-49 (0.3/2). Median age for baseball was 61.7, and was 55.4 for hockey.

TV Ratings: Saturday August 8, 2020

Nothing of serious note aired on the broadcast nets Saturday. CBS's 6-hour coverage of the 'PGA Championships' from 4pm-10pm tied ABC's 'World News Tonight' for the victory in the 18-49 demo (0.5 rating), but 'News' (6.2 million) had nearly twice the number of viewers (vs. 3.28 million). Elsewhere, FOX had 'PBC Figtht Night' (0.2, 885,000).

Coverage of 'NBA Basketball' led the cable ratings with TNT's Lakers/Pacers game leading among adults 18-49 (0.56 rating), men 18-49 (0.81), and males 12-34 (0.61). It tied ESPN's Brewers/Mavericks game for the lead in adults 18-34 (0.49) which itself was a close second among M18-49 (0.75) and M12-34 (0.58). Also scoring well in those respective demos was the Jazz/Nuggets game (0.57 & 0.41) and the Clippers/Trailblazers game (0.44 & 0.29).

TV Ratings: Saturday August 1, 2020

FOX's 'MLB Baseball' game between the Red Sox & Yankees led the primetime ratings on the broadcast nets, delivering a 0.5 rating in adults 18-49, a 0.4 in 18-34, and 2.07 million total viewers. Outside of primetime, ABC's 'World News Tonight' led among adults 25-54 (0.8) and total viewers (5.99 million) with a huge 12 share among people over 50.

The cable ratings were ruled by three 'NBA Basketball' games on ESPN. Lakers/Raptors led in the demo (0.76 rating) and easily led in men 18-49 & males 12-34 (1.07 & 0.73). Both Jazz/Thunder (0.83, 0.60) and Heat/Nuggets (0.74, 0.56) also scored well in those two male demos.

TV Ratings: Saturday July 25, 2020

FOX's 'Saturday Night Baseball' game between the Yankees and Nationals strolled to an easy victory on the broadcast nets with a 0.7 adults 18-49 rating and 2.79 million viewers. Ranking second and third in the demo were FOX's 1pm (0.5, 1.91 million) and 5pm games (0.5, 1.97 million). The only other original on the day was NBC's 'Dateline' (0.3, 2.73 million) not including nightly news telecasts on ABC (5.69 million), NBC (4.74 million), and CBS (2.58 million).

Things weren't terribly more interesting on the cable nets as FOX's 'UFC Fight Night' led the day in adults 18-49 (0.35), men of that demo (0.51), and adults 25-54 (0.43). Adult Swim's 'Rick and Morty Short' led in adults 18-34 (0.29), males 12-34 (0.28), and females 12-34 (0.22). A rerun of 'Mom,' on Nick-at-Nite, led in women 18-49 (0.25).

TV Ratings: Saturday July 18, 2020

NBC's 'Dateline' was the lone original airing on the broadcast nets Saturday night. The program delivered a 0.3 rating in adults 18-49 and 2.509 million total viewers. Outside of primetime, ABC's 'World News Tonight' tied NBC's 'Nightly News' for top demo rating on the day (0.4), but 'World News' edged out a victory in total viewership (5.68 million). 

It was another slow Saturday on the cable nets with Golf Channel's coverage of the 'PGA Tour' leading the day in adults 18-49 (0.20 rating) and men of that demo (0.27). It also tied Nickelodeon's 'Young Dylan' for the lead among adults 18-34 (0.19) though 'Dylan' was alone at the top of the F12-34 demo (0.24). Lead-out 'Nick Unfiltered' delivered a 0.19 in that demo.

TV Ratings: Saturday July 11, 2020

There were no primetime originals airing on the broadcast networks Saturday evening, but looking at total day, the top ratings came from ABC's 6:30pm 'World News Tonight' which notched a 0.5 in the demo, a 13 share in people over 50, and 6.22 million viewers.

Things weren't all that much more interesting on the cable nets. ESPN's 'UFC PPV Prelims' (809,000 viewers) led across the demos, scoring top numbers in adults 18-49 (0.31 rating), men of that demo (0.47), adults 18-34 (0.24), and males 12-34 (0.30).

TV Ratings: Saturday July 4, 2020

The ever-so-deadly combination of a Saturday holiday equates to both a lack of original programming and low overall ratings. This weekend's Fourth of July was no exception with the only original telecast on the broadcast nets coming from NBC's coverage of the 'Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks' in New York. The program actually did fairly OK, easily taking the top spot among all programming (cable included) in adults 18-49 (0.69 rating), 18-34 (0.4), 25-54 (0.9) and total viewers (4.76 million). The re-airing at 10pm also did quite well at 0.55 in the demo and 3.23 million viewers.

On the cable side, ESPN's airing of the 'Hot Dog Eating Contest' won among adults 18-49 (0.32 rating), men of that demo (0.42), and 18-34 (0.24). Its 966,000 viewers placed it below cable news programming, but above almost everything else.

TV Ratings: Saturday June 27, 2020

With no original programs airing on the broadcast nets, the Saturday TV ratings were a cable affair. The day was led by ESPN's 'UFC Fight Night' which found a 0.43 adults 18-49 rating and 1.07 million total viewers. It also led among men 18-49 (0.62), adults 18-34 (0.33), and males 12-34 (0.33). Interestingly, it also led in females 12-34 (0.20) though that was mostly due to the fact that there was no serious competition in that demo.

In scripted content, Adult Swim had a new episode of 'My Hero Academia' (0.22, 499,000) which scored strong numbers among males 12-34 (0.26) and adults 18-34 (0.21). Elsewhere, Nickelodeon had solid returns with 'Young Dylan' (0.11, 488,000) and 'Group Chat' (0.07, 313,000). The former show notched 0.17 in F12-34 - the closest competition to 'UFC' in that demo.

TV Ratings: Saturday June 20, 2020

'NBC Nightly News Saturday' (5.16 million) led the Saturday broadcast ratings in adults 18-49 (0.5 rating) while ABC's nightly news coverage (0.4 rating) led in total viewers (5.3 million). In late afternoon, NBC had coverage of the 'Belmont Stakes' (0.4, 3.33 million) and before that, a pre-game show (0.3, 1.77 million). A 'Dateline' (0.35, 2.76 million) in the evening concluded NBC's night while two episodes of 'The Last Dance' documentary aired on ABC at 8pm (0.17, 1.03 million) and 9pm (0.14, 853,000).

Fox News's primetime line-up took the top 3 spots on Saturday cable with 'Justice with Judge Jeanine' dominating among adults 18-49 (0.94 rating), adults 25-54 (1.39), and total viewers (8.2 million). Lead-in 'Watters World' (0.76 in 18-49/1.15 in 25-54, 7.11 million) and lead-out 'The Greg Gutfeld Show' (0.53/0.81, 4.64 million) both also had stellar numbers.

TV Ratings: Saturday June 13, 2020

NBC's 9pm 'Dateline' led a very slow Saturday night with a 0.35 adults 18-49 rating with 3.19 million viewers. Its 8pm 'Dateline Special' lead-in delivered 0.26 with 2.7 million viewers. The only other telecasts worth nothing were ABC's two airings of ESPN's 'The Last Dance' which were at 0.19/1.17 million at 8pm and 0.20/1.02 million at 9pm. Outside of primetime, ABC's 'World News Tonight' at 6:30pm was strong with a 0.5 in the demo and 5.67 million viewers (including the day's best 0.3 rating in 18-34).

TV Ratings: Saturday June 6, 2020

ABC's airing of the ESPN docuseries 'The Last Dance' was really the only thing of note on the broadcast networks Saturday. There were three episodes airing at 8pm (0.2 in 18-49, 1.28 million viewers), 9pm (0.2, 1.16 million) and 10pm (0.3, 1.21 million). The top performer on broadcast for the day was 'ABC World News Tonight' at 6:30pm which was at 0.5 in the demo and 5.77 million viewers. It edged out both NBC's 'Nightly News Saturday' (0.4, 4.69 million) and CBS's 'Weekend News Saturday' (0.2, 2.38 million). In primetime, NBC, CBS, and FOX were in reruns.

On the cable side, CNN's 'Sesame Street Town Hall' led the day in adults 18-49 (0.32 rating) and tied for second in 25-54s with 8pm's 'Situation Room.' Among total viewers the two programs were at 1.31 million and 1.68 million. The best airings of the day in 25-54 belonged to the 9pm and 10pm editions of 'Situation Room' (1.62 million and 1.42 million viewers) and Fox News' 'The Greg Gutfeld Show' (all three at 0.42).

TV Ratings: Saturday May 30, 2020

ABC's airing of the ESPN documentary 'The Last Dance' was the only original program airing broadcast Saturday night, delivering a 0.3 adults 18-49 rating with 1.27 million viewers.

Coverage of the Space Shuttle Launch dominated the Saturday cable ratings. Discovery Channel's coverage from 3:22-3:32pm was the top rated telecast of the day in all major demos including adults 18-49 (1.29 rating), adults 18-34 (0.76), adults 25-54 (1.56) and total viewers (4.63 million). The remaining 27-minutes of the 3:00 hour averaged the day's second-best numbers in each of those demos (1.05/0.65/1.24) and found 3.75 million viewers. The 82-minutes leading up to the launch (beginning at 2pm) also scored well in the ratings with 0.52/0.29/0.63 and 2.07 million viewers. 

Saturday January 12, 2019 Nielsen Finals

ESPN's coverage of 'College Basketball' between Duke and Florida State led a low-rated Saturday among both adults 18-49 (0.69 rating) and total viewers (2.28 million). A second game, between Louisville and North Carolina was slightly lower at 0.45 with 1.78 million viewers. Among men 18-49, the two games delivered 0.99/0.65 ratings, and among males 12-34, they were at 0.69/0.42 respectively. On Nickelodeon, an episode of Henry Danger' pulled solid numbers among males & females 12-34 at 0.27/0.30 and delivered 1.11 million total viewers. Other notable airings from the day include Food Network' line-up of 'Trisha's Southern Kitchen' (1.34 million), 'Pioneer Woman' (1.3 million) & more, MTV's 'Growing Up Lohan' (162,000), and HBO' 'Sesame Street' (109,000). Finally, Showtime aired the film 'I Feel Pretty' to an audience of 276,000. 

Saturday January 5, 2019 Nielsen Finals

ESPN's coverage of the Colts/Texans AFC Wildcard game dominated the Saturday cable ratings, leading in adults 18-49 (2.09 rating), men 18-49 (2.98), males 12-34 (2.3), people 18-34 (1.94), and total viewers (6.1 million). On Lifetime, the final 2 episodes of 'Surviving R. Kelly' found the best ratings yet: scoring 1.20/1.29 ratings among women 18-49, twin 0.76 ratings in females 12-34, and 2.26 million/2.29 million in total viewers. Over at Hallmark Channel, 'Winter Castle' was at 0.5 in W18-49, 2.16 in P50+, and averaged 2.97 million viewers. Other programs of note include: Nickelodeon's 'Henry Danger' (926,000) & 'Cousins for Life' (675,000), HBO's 'Sesame Street' (113,000), and Oxygen's 'Dateline: Secrets Uncovered' (319,000).

Saturday December 29, 2018 Nielsen Finals

ESPN's coverage of 'College Football' absolutely dominated the Saturday TV ratings. Leading the way was the 'Orange Bowl' between Oklahoma and Alabama, which scored a massive 5.34 A18-49 rating with 18.49 million viewers - up hugely from last year when it had only a 3.12 rating with 11.73 million viewers. This year's game also saw big numbers among men 18-49 (6.85), males 12-34 (4.88), people 18-34 (4.13), people 25-54 (6.21), and people over 50 (8.94). Coverage of the 'Cotton Bowl' between Notre Dame and Clemson saw the day's second best demo and viewership figures, averaging a 4.15 rating with 16.28 million viewers. That game also saw impressive numbers among M18-49 (5.65), M12-34 (3.76), P25-54 (5.11), and people over 50 (8.66). The day's other big game was the 'Peach Bowl' between Florida and Michigan which scored a 2.03 rating and 8.37 million viewers, including a 2.79 rating among M18-49 and a 1.75 among M12-34. Elsewhere, Hallmark's original movie 'A Midnight Kiss' was middle-of-the-road at 0.45 among W18-49, 1.65 in P50+, with 2.31 million viewers, while the first 5 fourth-season episodes of TBS's 'Angie Tribeca' ranged between 172,000 and 433,000 viewers.

Saturday December 22, 2018 Nielsen Finals

Below are the daily Nielsen ratings for Saturday December 22, 2018. In lieu of the daily text, an additional cable subdemos chart has been added below the normal cable ratings chart and includes information that would've otherwise been included in the text

Saturday December 15, 2018 Nielsen Finals

Two NFL games on NFL Network led a slow Saturday on cable. The 8:30pm game, Browns v. Broncos, took the top spot on the day with a 2.15 A18-49 rating, and scored big numbers in Men 18-49 (2.96), Males 12-34 (1.75), People 25-54 (2.64), and total viewers (7.29 million). The 4:30pm game, Texas v. Jets, was at 1.24/1.80/1.04/1.63 in those respective demos with 4.76 million viewers. Over on A&E, 'Live PD' was the highest-rated non-sports option weighing in at a 0.6 rating with 1.88 million viewers, and skewing just slightly female in the 18-49s (0.62 to 0.58), but oddly skewing male in the 12-34s (0.42 to 0.45). On the scripted side, Hallmark's original movie 'Entertaining Christmas' scored a 0.55 F18-49 rating (1.86 in P50+) with 2.71 million viewers, and Lifetime's movie 'Christmas Pen Pals' managed a 0.25 F18-49 rating with 1.11 million viewers. Elsewhere was Oxygen's 'Criminal Confessions' (277,000) and HBO's 'Sesame Street' (117,000). 

Saturday December 8, 2018 Nielsen Finals

Below are the daily Nielsen ratings for Saturday December 8, 2018. In lieu of the daily text, an additional cable subdemos chart has been added below the normal cable ratings chart and includes information that would've otherwise been included in the text