A flurry of season finales showcased just how bad things are getting for network TV.
DEMOGRAPHIC DETAIL: For each broadcast program (or hour segment), the chart below displays preliminary key advertiser demographics (adult 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 ratings), audience skews (women 18-49, men 18-49 and adults 50+ shares) and total viewership (thousands of people over the age of 2).
Ratings analysis and comparisons follow the chart.
CBS: The NCIS season finale was steady with last week at 1.4, but down a whopping 1.2 from the 2016 finale. BULL held at 1.2. As with the mothership, the NCIS: NEW ORLEANS season finale may have gained 0.1 from last week, but its 1.1 was down 0.7 from last year’s finale (which aired directly after NCIS).
ABC: The season finale of THE MIDDLE was up 0.1 from last week to 1.3, which was down 0.3 from the 2016 finale (on a Wednesday). AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE ended its season steady at 1.2. The FRESH OFF THE BOAT season finale remained at last week’s 1.0, down 0.1 from 2016. The series finale of IMAGINARY MARY dropped 0.1 to 0.8. The season finale of AGENTS OF SHIELD stayed at last week’s 0.7, but was down 0.3 from last year’s (2-hour) finale.
NBC: THE VOICE fell 0.2 to 1.5. Back-to-back episodes of GREAT NEWS (which hasn’t just been renewed, but given the marquee hammock slot between WILL & GRACE and THIS IS US) were down to 0.7/0.6 compared to last week’s 0.8/0.7. The season finale of CHICAGO FIRE rose 0.1 from last week to 1.3, down 0.3 from the 2016 finale.
FOX: Back-to-back episodes of BROOKLYN NINE-NINE held at last week’s 0.7/0.6. PRISON BREAK remained at 0.9.
CW: THE FLASH lost 0.1 to 0.9, and IZOMBIE was again at 0.3.
The finales keep coming tonight: BLINDSPOT and CHICAGO PD on NBC, CRIMINAL MINDS: BEYOND BORDERS (the series finale) on CBS, and the ABC line-up. In addition, ABC gets a jump on summer TV with the launch of DOWNWARD DOG, which will get two high-profile slots over the next week, tonight’s lead-out from the MODERN FAMILY season finale, and then as the lead-in to the DANCING WITH THE STARS finale.
COMPARISONS TO SIMILAR NIGHTS: Preliminary adult 18-49 ratings versus the same night last year and same night last week.
PREVIOUS TUESDAY NETWORK SCORECARDS (FAST NATIONALS)
PREVIOUS TUESDAY CABLE & BROADCAST NATIONALS
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