overnights

NBC kept its edge on Monday night, but CBS and Fox also had something to be happy about. NBC’s combination of The Voice and The Blacklist, which dominated Mondays last season, stayed strong, lifting the network to first on the opening night of the new TV season. NBC averaged a 3.7 adults 18-49 rating and 11 share in primetime, with CBS right behind with a 3.5/10. NBC’s season premiere of Voice averaged a 3.9 from 8 to 10 p.m., its best rating since March though down 24 percent from last fall’s premiere (5.1).

With a big lead-in from 60 Minutes, fueled by NFL overrun earlier in the evening, CBS’s Madam Secretary posted a decent debut last night. The new drama averaged a 1.9 adults 18-49 rating at 9 p.m., as well as a 2.9 among CBS’s target 25-54s. The 18-49 rating was just a tenth off of what The Amazing Race drew behind Minutes in its season premiere last year. Secretary also drew 14.3 million total viewers.

Opposite strong competition from CBS’s Thursday Night Football, NBC’s The Biggest Loser slid to a series low last night. The weight loss reality competition posted a 1.3 adults 18-49 rating, off 19% from last week’s season premiere, which averaged a 1.3. Loser was the No. 1 non-sports show on a night littered with repeats. ABC, Fox and the CW aired all reruns.

With a big lead-in from the season finale of America’s Got Talent, NBC’s new dramedy The Mysteries of Laura got off to a good start. Laura posted a 2.1 adults 18-49 rating at 10 p.m., marking the highest demo rating in the 10 p.m. Wednesday hour for any Big Three network show since Feb. 26, not including sports programs. Laura retained an impressive 91% of Talent’s lead-in 2.3 rating. The show did slide a bit from its first to its second half hour, from a 2.3 to a 1.9, always cause for concern. Talent was the night’s No. 1 show with a 2.3 from 8 to 10 p.m., down 8 percent from last year’s finale.

CBS aims to accelerate the industry’s move to Live Plus 7 as the standard metric for evaluating the performance of primetime series. The network said today that it will add projected Live Plus 7 numbers to its daily overnight ratings reports.

The NBC show posted a 2.5 adults 18-49 rating from 9 to 11 p.m., surging 32% over a 1.9 last week. Talent was also up 4% over last year’s 2.4 for its next-to-last episode, notable because very few programs have seen year-to-year gains this summer. Talent, which airs its season finale tonight, was the night’s top program among 18-49s, on an evening with a slew of original shows.

ABC’s long-running hit Dancing with the Stars was a little less jazzy in its 19th season premiere last night. The two-hour bow averaged a 2.0 adults 18-49 rating, down 8% from last spring and a new low for a debut episode. But the program still finished well ahead of Fox’s MasterChef as the No. 1 show on broadcast last night, and it lifted ABC to a tie for first place with Fox for the night.

NBC’s Sunday Night Football once again dominated the ratings last night. SNF averaged a 14.0 metered-market household rating, up 3% from the same night last year, when the game was hit by a long weather delay. The contest between the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers, which the Bears won 28-20, averaged a 27.0 in San Francisco for the first game in Levi’s Stadium, the best rating for any game in the market since Nov. 17, 2003. Against the NFL, ABC’s Miss America pageant took a hit. The show averaged a 1.5 adults 18-49 overnight rating from 9 to 11 p.m., down from a 2.0 last year.

CBS cruised to first place Thursday night with its debut Thursday Night Football telecast. The Pittsburgh Steelers-Baltimore Ravens contest propelled CBS to a 5.2 18-49 rating and 17 share. NBC, with the season debut of The Biggest Loser, followed with a 1.4/4.

With their reality programs leading the way, Fox and NBC tied for first place on Wednesday night. Both networks averaged a 1.4 adults 18-49 rating and 5 share. But ratings for the top six networks were thrown off by President Obama’s speech to the nation at 9 p.m., which lasted until 9:16 p.m. and pushed back the start times for the channels’ 9 and 10 p.m. programs.

Utopia is not living up to its name for Fox. The new reality show debuted in its regular timeslot last night, following a special sneak preview on Sunday night, and the program lost more than half its debut rating. Utopia averaged a 0.9 adults 18-49 rating at 8 p.m. In Sunday’s premiere, which aired right after an NFL game and postgame show, Utopia averaged a 2.0, becoming the top reality bow of the year on broadcast.

The season finale of ABC’s Bachelor in Paradise took a big jump last night. The show closed with a series-high 1.8 adults 18-49 rating at 8 p.m., up 38% from last week. However, it’s hard to say if that rating will hold. ABC affiliates in New York City and Detroit preempted Paradise for Monday Night Football, and so the reality program’s rating may be artificially inflated by what was presumably a big MNF tune-in. But according to overnights, Paradise finished a tenth behind the 9 p.m. edition of Fox’s MasterChef as the No. 2 program of the night.

The debut of fall’s first new show, Utopia, was not quite idyllic. The Fox show got a big lead-in from the NFL at 8 p.m. and posted a solid number in its first half hour. But against strong competition from NBC’s Sunday Night Football, Utopia quickly slid. The show averaged a 1.9 adults 18-49 rating over its full two hours from 8 to 10 p.m.

The season finale of Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance boogied to better numbers than last week. In fact, the show hit a two-month high. Dance averaged a 1.3 adults 18-49 rating from 8 to 10 p.m., jumping 18% over last week. The show drew its best rating since July 2, though it was down a tenth from last year’s season finale. Elsewhere Wednesday, CBS’s Big Brother was the night’s top show with a 2.2 at 8 p.m., off a tenth from last week.

NBC’s long-running hit America’s Got Talent sank to a series low for a Tuesday episode last night. The show posted a 1.8 adults 18-49 rating from 9 to 11 p.m., down 14% from last week. The show was still the No. 1 program of the night on broadcast, 0.3 ahead of the No. 2 show, a repeat of NCIS that aired on CBS at 9 p.m.

With the fall television season approaching, it was a mixed bag for the Labor Day holiday. Both Fox and NBC notched the Monday victory with a 1.6 average among adults 18-49 on the strength of Masterchef (5.4 million, 1.9) and American Ninja Warrior (5.8 million, 1.9), respectively. Both programs were the top two-rated on the evening in primetime and were steady.

Big Brother will take home another victory, even with NFL preemptions on CBS for a portion of the country. Boosted by preseason football, early numbers — subject to some adjustment — indicate Big Brother averaged 7.5 million total viewers and a 2.5 rating among adults 18-49 at 9 p.m. Thursday. CBS was preempted in 27% of the U.S. in the 8 p.m. hour, 23% at 9 p.m. and 13% at 10 p.m. CBS will likely win the evening in viewership and 18-49.

Fox’s long-running reality show surged 22% over last week, to a 1.1 adults 18-49 rating from 8 to 10 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights. The show hit its highest rating among women 18-49 in five weeks, drawing a 1.6. Dance was one of several shows to see week-to-week gains on broadcast last night.

Tuesdays are a night of sparse original content on broadcast, with Fox and CBS in repeats. As usual, NBC won the night, with slight ratings gains over last week. America’s Got Talent was the night’s top show with a 2.1 adults 18-49 rating from 9 to 11 p.m., That was up a tenth, or 5%, over last week. At 8 p.m., lead-in Food Fighters rose a tenth from the previous week, posting a 1.1.

Against strong competition from the Emmy Awards, ABC and Fox’s schedules held up quite well. In fact, two of their programs even saw week-to-week gains despite the additional competition. Fox’s Hotel Hell was up 7% among adults 18-49 to a 1.6 rating, finishing second in its 9 p.m. timeslot behind the Emmys. ABC’s Mistresses grew 13% from last week, to a 0.9. Fox’s MasterChef was the night’s top non-Emmy program, posting a 2.0 at 8 p.m. That was also even to last week, meaning the Emmys really didn’t steal viewers from original shows.

CBS’s Big Brother continues to post strong ratings. In fact, Brother bumped up to a season high last night. The program posted a 2.5 adults 18-49 rating at 8 p.m., jumping 14% over last week. That also led lead-out Unforgettable to a week-to-week improvement, rising 13 percent to a 0.9 at 9 p.m. Meanwhile, on ABC, the season finale of Rising Star posted a 0.9 from 9 to 11 p.m., up 13% from last week as well.

At first glance, it appears Thursday was a pretty good night for broadcast. Original shows on ABC, CBS and NBC all saw gains in the overnight ratings compared to last week. But those numbers aren’t entirely accurate. ABC, CBS and NBC carried preseason NFL coverage on several affiliates, which may have artificially increased their ratings. True numbers for the networks won’t be clear until final ratings are issued later this afternoon. All that being said, it was another Thursday night win for CBS, led by Big Brother, which posted a 2.3 adults 18-49 rating.

CBS’s Big Brother remains the hottest show on Wednesday night. The long-running reality program, now in its 15th season, posted a 2.3 adults 18-49 rating at 8 p.m., up 10% over last week. It was enough to lift CBS to a nightly victory over NBC, which had the No. 2 program with America’s Got Talent. Talent averaged a 1.8 at 9 p.m., even to last week’s series-low overnight rating.

The network’s hit reality show America’s Got Talent was well ahead of the competition, despite falling to a season low on the night. Talent averaged a 1.9 adults 18-49 rating from 9 to 11 p.m., down 10% from a 2.1 last week. Still, it was 0.8 ahead of the night’s No. 2 show on the Big Four, Food Fighters, which averaged a 1.1 at 8 p.m. on NBC. Food was up a tenth from last week.

Fox’s reality lineup saw gains Monday night, helping the network tie NBC for first place in primetime. The 8 p.m. Gordon Ramsay program MasterChef was the night’s top show with a 2.0 adults 18-49 rating, up 11% over last week. MasterChef finished as the night’s top program, a tenth ahead of NBC’s American Ninja Warrior.

The program averaged 6.85 million viewers, up from 5.93 million last week. That marks the show’s best viewership on any night this season if the numbers hold. The show was also up a tenth over last week in 18-49s, posting a 2.1 in its 8 p.m. timeslot and finishing as the night’s top show. Though CBS usually wins Sunday on the strength of Brother, last night Fox placed No. 1 with an NFL preseason game.

NBC’s reality stand-up comedy competition Last Comic Standing ended on a high note on Thursday. The two-hour season finale of “Comic” posted a 1.4 rating among viewers 18-49, up 40% from a 1.0 for last week’s penultimate episode. The show was also up 43% week-to-week among total viewers, and it helped NBC win the 9-11 p.m. timeslot among viewers 25-54.

NBC’s America’s Got Talent slides to a series-low 1.8 in 18-49s. CBS’s Big Brother declines 9% from last week, to a 2.0. And Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance drops to a 1.0.

There has been an incredible outpouring of love for late comedian Robin Williams in the days following his death, as well as a desire to remember his great performances. Last night viewers tuned in to a special episode of ABC’s 20/20 that paid tribute to the actor, giving the network strong ratings in what’s usually a weak timeslot. 20/20 averaged a 1.7 adults 18-49 rating, finishing second in the hour to NBC’s America’s Got Talent. 20/20 was the night’s No. 2 show on broadcast, behind only Talent, which averaged a 2.0 for the night.

Channing Tatum went off into the wilderness with Bear Grylls last night on NBC’s Running Wild with Bear Grylls, and the 22 Jump Street star lifted the new show to a new high. Wild posted a 1.5 adults 18-49 rating at 8 p.m., up 15% from a 1.3 the previous week. In the show’s third outing, it finished second in its timeslot behind Fox’s MasterChef, which led the night with a 1.8, off 10% from last week.

Rory McIlroy’s exciting PGA Championship victory ignited CBS to a dominant win on an otherwise slow Sunday night. The year’s final major spilled into primetime, running until 9 p.m. The tournament averaged a 2.4 adults 18-49 rating from 7 to 9, more than double anything on any of the other Big Four networks Sunday night. That lifted CBS to a 2.0 rating and 7 share on the night, well ahead of ABC, NBC and Fox, which all tied for second with a 0.8/3. Univision was fifth at 0.7/2 and Telemundo sixth at 0.3/1.

NFL preseason games across the country wreaked havoc with the overnight ratings Thursday. Every Big Four network had at least one affiliate preempt regular programming to carry football, which artificially inflated last night’s ratings. That means all four networks’ ratings will most likely be adjusted down when final numbers come out later today, as the overnights measure timeslot and not actual program data. That said, CBS won an atypical night with an unusually strong 2.0 adults 18-49 rating and 7 share.

CBS’s new drama Extant continues to struggle. The show fell to a series low in its new 10 p.m. timeslot, where it moved last week after failing to hold the big lead-in audience from Big Brother at 9 p.m. Extant averaged a 1.0 adults 18-49 rating last night, down a tenth from last week. It still tied NBC’s Taxi Brooklyn for No. 2 in the timeslot in the demo and led the hour in total viewers with 5.91 million.

The CMA Music Festival had just enough ratings juice to lift ABC past usual Tuesday night winner NBC. The special averaged a 1.8 adults 18-49 rating from 8 to 11 p.m., down 10% from a 2.0 last year, when it aired on a Monday and not a Tuesday. It finished as the No. 2 program of the night on broadcast, behind only NBC’s America’s Got Talent, which posted a 2.0. That was off 17% from last week, perhaps due to the added competition from ABC.

ABC’s latest spinoff of The Bachelor didn’t do as well as its previous spinoff. Bachelor in Paradise premiered with a 1.3 adults 18-49 rating from 8 to 10 p.m. last night, off 13% from the most recent premiere of Bachelor Pad, which posted a 1.3 two years ago. Pad was canceled last year, and this year ABC revived the same basic premise as Pad for the new show Paradise, reuniting rejected suitors from previous Bachelor and Bachelorette seasons and sent them to the tropics, where they’re looking for “love” once again.

The NFL preseason kicked off last night with the annual Hall of Fame Game, and that boosted NBC to an easy primetime victory. The Sunday Night Football contest between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants averaged a 2.5 adults 18-49 rating from 8 to 11 p.m. The additional Sunday night competition appeared to take a toll on CBS’s Big Brother, which fell 14% from last week, to a 1.9 at 9 p.m. That was still the No. 2 show of the night on broadcast.

When you produce a show that’s a lot like a Renaissance fair, you know you’re appealing to a relatively small crowd. And few of them tuned in last night to the premiere of The Quest, ABC’s new reality competition series. The show bowed to a 0.7 adults 18-49 rating, finishing fourth in its 8 p.m. timeslot. Quest dipped slightly from its first to its second half hour, from a 0.7 to a 0.6, never a good sign for a new show. CBS’s Big Brother was, as usual, the top program of the evening, averaging a 2.1 at 9 p.m., even to last week.

CBS’s new Halle Berry drama maintained last week’s rating despite moving away from its strong lead-in, Big Brother. Extant averaged a 1.1 adults 18-49 rating at 10 p.m., flat to last week, when it aired at 9 p.m. It tied NBC’s Taxi Brooklyn as the No. 2 show in the hour, both finishing behind Univision’s Que Pobres Tan Ricos, which posted a 1.4.

The NBC reality show surged 30% over last week’s debut, the biggest week-to-week growth for any new series this summer. Food averaged a 1.3 adults 18-49 rating at 8 p.m., up from a 1.0 last week. The show finished as the No. 2 program on the night, behind only lead-out America’s Got Talent, which, as usual, dominated its 9 to 11 p.m. timeslot. Talent averaged a 2.4, even to last week, and topped the No. 2 network in its timeslot, ABC, by 140%.

The ABC reality show posted a 1.9 adults 18-49 rating from 8 to 10 p.m., down 27% from a 2.6 for last summer’s finale. The show did increase by a tenth over its penultimate episode. The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose special at 10 p.m., where Andi and her fiance dished on life since the finale, drew a 2.1, tying with NBC’s American Ninja Warrior as the night’s No. 1 program in the demo.