ratings

Shares of media-measurement giant Nielsen surged Tuesday after the purveyor of TV ratings said its largest shareholder reached an initial agreement to support a $10 billion buyout of the TV ratings company by a a group of private-equity firms.

NBC’s broadcast of this year’s NFL Hall of Fame Game pre-season kickoff averaged 4.3 million total viewers and a 1.0 demo rating, leading Thursday on both counts.

Fox News gained in total day viewers in July in what was otherwise a ratings falloff across the board in the key cable news demographic. Fox News was up 13% in total day viewers to an average of 1.35 million compared to the same month last year. MSNBC was down 1% to 765,000, and CNN was off by 10% to 541,000.

Nielsen reported higher second quarter earnings and said its new ratings system would roll out on schedule as it looks to complete being acquired by a private equity group. Net income rose to $111 million, or 31 cents a share, compared to $76 million, or 21 cents a share a year ago. Revenue rose 2.4% to $822 million.

The CW’s Riverdale this Sunday dipped to 240,000 total viewers and its first 0.0 rating in four weeks, ahead of its July 31 season finale. CBS’s two-hour Big Brother (averaging 3.3M/0.6) dominated Sunday in the demo, while a 60 Minutes rerun delivered the night’s biggest audience (5.7M).

ABC, as it did in early June, led the primetime Thursday coverage of the House Select Committee’s latest public hearing on the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. ABC’s two-hour coverage averaged 3.6 million total viewers (per early numbers), compared to CBS’s 2.6 million and NBC’s 2.5 million.

CBS’s Big Brother this Wednesday drew 3.4 million total viewers and a 0.6 demo rating, down a tick week-to-week but still leading the night in both measures. Over on ABC, the ESPYs (2.3M/0.4) were up sharply from last year’s Saturday night telecast (1.2M/0.2), but still well shy of pre-pandemic levels (3.9 million).

Fox’s coverage of Tuesday’s MLB All-Star game averaged 6.2 million total viewers (and a 1.2 demo rating), per fast affiliate numbers, down just 9% in audience from the early tally for last year’s contest, which wound up reporting a final audience of 8.3 million. The battle between AL and NL nonetheless led Tuesday in both measures.

ABC’s The Bachelorette this week drew 2.8 million total viewers and a 0.6 rating, ticking down from its premiere but still dominating Monday in the demo. Leading out of that, Claim to Fame (1.9M/0.3) dipped from its week-ago debut. CBS’s reruns of The Neighborhood and NCIS led Monday in total audience, each delivering 3.2 million viewers.

the antepenultimate episode of The CW’s Riverdale on Sunday night drew 280,000 total viewers — its second-largest audience of 2022 — while posting its third straight 0.1 demo rating. CBS’s Big Brother (3.3 million/0.6) dipped juuuuust a smidgen week-to-week, but still easily led Sunday in the demo, while a 60 Minutes rerun delivered the night’s biggest audience (5.6 million).

CBS’ Big Brother with Season 24’s first Thursday outing delivered 3.1 million total viewers and a 0.6 rating, easily leading a quiet night in the demo. Over on ABC, Press Your Luck (3.5M/0.4) was steady vs. its season opener and commanded Thursday’s largest audience. The Kelly Ripa-hosted Generation Gap (3.5M/0.4) dipped a bit in Week 2.

CBS’s Big Brother on Wednesday drew 3.3 million total viewers and a 0.6 demo rating, down 13% and 25%, respectively, week-to-week but still topping the night in both measures.

The GOP commissioner says if deep ties to single-source data are an impediment, they should be severed.

ABC’s Holey Moley closed out Season 4 with 2.2 million viewers (its second-smallest audience of the season) and a sixth straight 0.4 demo rating. NBC’s America’s Got Talent dominated Tuesday on all counts with 6.1 million viewers and a 0.7 rating.

Continuing dissatisfaction with and distrust in Nielsen is leading stations, agencies and brands to seek measurement alternatives. Note: This story is available to TVNewsCheck Premium members only. If you would like to upgrade your free TVNewsCheck membership to Premium now, you can visit your Member Home Page, available when you log in at the very top right corner of the site or in the Stay Connected Box that appears in the right column of virtually every page on the site. If you don’t see Member Home, you will need to click Log In or Subscribe.

he first Sunday outing for CBS’s Big Brother 24 drew 3.3 million total viewers and a 0.7 rating, leading the night in the demo. Lead-in 60 Minutes meanwhile copped Sunday’s biggest audience: 5.7 million viewers. Over on ABC, Celebrity Family Feud opened its latest season with a robust-for-summer 4.6 million and a 0.6.

Jon Carpenter is also eligible for short-term incentives and gets 400,000 restricted stock units.

The premiere of ABC’s Kelly Ripa-hosted Generation Gap quiz show delivered a very quiet Thursday’s largest audience — 3.6 million total viewers — while tying its lead-in, Press Your Luck, for the nightly demo win.

CBS’s Big Brother opened Season 24 with 3.7 million total viewers and a 0.8 demo rating, down 12% and 27%, respectively, from last summer’s premiere but still leading Wednesday on both counts. Leading out of BB, The Challenge: USA debuted to 2.2M and a 0.4, up 18% in audience from Love Island‘s year-ago season opener on CBS and up 233% from The Challenge‘s comparable MTV premiere last summer.

Never count out Today in the morning show wars. The venerable NBC a.m. franchise has for weeks been losing a critical ratings category to its main rival, ABC’s Good Morning America. The ABC show has long been the most-watched broadcast-TV morning-news program in the nation, while Today typically dominates among the viewers advertisers want most — people between 25 and 54. But for more than two months, that hasn’t been the case; GMA has taken the lead in both overall viewership and the ad demo. Last week put the brakes on ABC’s progress.

The CW’s Tom Swift this Tuesday drew 310,000 total viewers (its second-smallest audience to date) and its second 0.0 demo rating, leading out of a Superman & Lois rerun and six days after being canceled. NBC’s America’s Got Talent clip show dominated Tuesday across the board with 5.3 million total viewers and a 0.6 demo rating.

He’s tapped to succeed current CEO and executive vice chairman Bill Livek who is retiring.

The CW’s The Flash‘s Season 8 finale drew 570,000 total viewers and a 0.1 rating, dropping a few eyeballs week-to-week while steady in the demo. Fox’s MasterChef (2.2M/0.4) tied CBS’s 9 p.m. Price Is Right at Night rerun for Wednesday’s demo title, while that TPIRaN delivered the night’s biggest audience: 3.4 million.

NEW YORK (AP) — Fox News Channel is airing the Jan. 6 committee hearings when they occur in daytime hours and a striking number of the network’s viewers have made clear they’d rather be doing something else. During two daytime hearings last week, Fox averaged 727,000 viewers, the Nielsen company said. That compares to the […]

The CW’s In the Dark this Monday posted its best audience of the young, final season (320,000 total viewers) while clutching onto its nice, round 0.0 demo rating. NBC’s American Ninja Warrior (2.8M/0.4) was steady and tied ABC’s trio of Celebrity Family Feud reruns for the nightly demo win.

Fox’s MasterChef Junior finale drew 2.1 million total viewers and a 0.4 rating, ticking up in the demo to match its season high and top all of Thursday. CBS’s Young Sheldon rerun meanwhile delivered the night’s largest audience, with 3.4 million total viewers.

The Flash‘s penultimate Season 8 episode drew 620,000 total viewers to The CW Wednesday — its best tally since April 13, and its third-largest audience of 2022 — and an eighth straight 0.1 demo rating. ABC’s coverage of the Stanley Cup Final Game 4 (3.6M/0.9) improved on Monday’s prelim numbers, dominating Wednesday in the demo and veritably tying CBS’s The Price Is Right at Night rerun for the biggest audience.

The media agency announced today it will test Comscore’s local TV measurement for the 2023 media buying and planning period.

Tom Swift this Tuesday drew 370,000 total viewers — ending a two-week slide and marking a best-since-premiere audience — while dipping in the demo to a nice, round 0.0 rating. NBC’s America’s Got Talent (5.7M/0.6) slipped to season lows but still led Tuesday in both measures.

ABC’s broadcast of Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final averaged 3.2 million total viewers and a 0.8 demo rating, improving on Saturday’s preliminary numbers and topping Monday in the demo.

The NBA Finals — which saw the Golden State Warriors win over the Boston Celtics four games to two — witnessed 21% higher average viewers and 32% more branded searches for NBA Final sponsors versus last year’s event. Still, the event is down 19% in viewers from the pre-pandemic 2019 finals, when the Toronto Raptors beat the Warriors four games to two.

TelevisaUnivision is getting more entrenched in TV’s measurement wars. The Spanish-language media giant is teaming up with data company VideoAmp, one of a growing number of audience-measurement companies whose services are being tapped as TV networks mull alternatives to Nielsen, the industry’s de factor arbiter of audience size. Under terms of the pact, TelevisaUnivision will use VideoAmp’s data in a suite of advanced advertising solutions, giving advertisers a better sense of the viewers they are reaching and their responses to commercials.

ABC’s coverage of the Stanley Cup Final Game 1 between the Avalanche and Lightning averaged 4.2 million total viewers and a 1.3 demo rating (per Nielsen finals), topping Wednesday in both measures.

The Media Rating Council, which audits and evaluates measurement companies, said George Ivie, its CEO and executive director, has agreed to a new five-year contract extension that will keep him in his job through 2027. The MRC and Ivie have had a high profile lately as long-time TV ratings leader Nielsen faces unprecedented challenges from a squadron of competitors and complaints from customers, led by the media companies that pay most of Nielsen’s bills.

NBC’s America’s Got Talent this Tuesday drew 6 million total viewers and a 0.7 demo rating, dipping week-to-week but still dominating the night in both measures. Over on Fox — which somehow managed to air a spoilery promo for the season finale, just minutes before Gordon Ramsay sent one pint-sized semifinalist home — MasterChef Junior with a special Tuesday outing (1.5M/0.3) hit and matched season lows.

Given consumers’ numerous viewing device options, Nielsen’s stumbles in keeping pace with the proliferation and numerous metrics competitors jumping into the vacuum, the stage is set for a metrics war that won’t make anything easier for account executives or video advertisers.

ABC’s coverage of the NBA Finals Game 5 averaged  9.1 million total viewers and a 2.8 demo rating, up sharply from Friday’s numbers and of course dominating Monday in both measures. Opposite NBA Finals coverage, NBC’s American Ninja Warrior averaged 2.7 mil and a 0.3, down 13% and 40% from its already-soft season opener.