TV Ratings: Super Bowl Dominated The Week

Jeff Glor, Lester Holt, David Muir

The evening news may be one of television’s most overlooked institutions, but the programs are still looked at.

Between them, the newscasts anchored by David Muir, Lester Holt and Jeff Glor were seen by an average of 26.9 million viewers each weeknight last week, reports The Associated Press citing Nielsen data. If they were seen in prime time, both ABC’s “World News Tonight” and NBC’s “Nightly News” would be top 10 shows.

Otherwise, the Super Bowl dominated television’s week. While the game is annually the most popular program of the year, it is showing erosion. The game’s television audience of 98.2 million viewers is 16 million fewer than four years ago.

CBS won the week with a Super Bowl-aided average of 20.9 million viewers. NBC had 4.2 million viewers, ABC had 3.8 million, Fox had 2.9 million, ION Television had 1.42 million, Univision had 1.37 million, Telemundo had 1.1 million and the CW had 1 million.

Fox News Channel was the week’s most popular cable network, averaging 2.12 million viewers in prime time. MSNBC had 1.81 million viewers, HGTV had 1.27 million, USA had 1.25 million, while Hallmark and History finished tied for fifth with 1.16 million.

⏩Basic Cable Top 10 – Prime Time (Total Viewers)

1. Fox News (2,204,000)
2. MSNBC (1,880,000)
3. HGTV (1,308,000)
4. USA (1,243,000)
5. Hallmark Channel (1,184,000)
6. History (1,139,000)
7. CNN (1,097,000)
8. A&E (1,051,000)
9. Investigation Discovery (1,027,000)
10. TLC (1,013,000)

⏩Week of Jan. 28 (Total View... by on Scribd

⏩Prime-time broadcast TV viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for Jan. 28-Feb. 3:

1. Super Bowl: New England vs. L.A. Rams, CBS, 98.19 million.
2. “Post Super Bowl, Part 1” (10:05-10:12 p.m. ET), CBS, 81.96 million.
3. “Post Super Bowl, Part 2” (10:13-10:35 p.m. ET), CBS, 54.2 million.
4. “The World’s Best,” CBS, 22.21 million.
5. “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS, 13.67 million.
6. “Young Sheldon,” CBS, 11.59 million.
7. “America’s Got Talent Champions,” NBC, 10.45 million.
8. “Blue Bloods,” CBS, 9.13 million.
9. “Mom,” CBS, 8.56 million.
10. “Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials,” CBS, 7.93 million.

11. “The Masked Singer,” Fox, 7.88 million.
12. “Hawaii Five-0,” CBS, 7.87 million.
13. “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC, 7.28 million.
14. “Ellen’s Game of Games” (Tuesday, 8 p.m.), NBC, 7.05 million.
15. “Ellen’s Game of Games” (Tuesday, 9 p.m.), NBC, 6.99 million.
16. “MacGyver,” CBS, 6.96 million.
17. “NCIS,” CBS, 6.59 million.
18. “The Good Doctor,” ABC, 6.58 million.
19. “The Bachelor,” ABC, 6.45 million.
20. “Fam,” CBS, 6.05 million.

Although it’s quite an accomplishment to finish first for even a single week among the more than 100 nationally rated syndicated shows, Judge Judy achieved a milestone — six months as syndication’s No. 1 show in the household ratings in the session ending Jan. 27, which marked the last full week before the February sweep.

According to TVNewsCheck, Judy, more than dominating than ever in this, its 23rd season, blew away all competition with a sparkling 7.6 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating, its highest since November.

⏩TALK SHOWS
Dr. Phil 3.1 +7%
Live with Kelly and Ryan  2.4* +4%
Ellen DeGeneres 2.4 +4%
Maury 1.5 NC
Steve 1.4 +8%

⏩GAME SHOWS
Wheel of Fortune  6.9* +3%
Family Feud  6.7* +3%
Jeopardy  6.7* +2%
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire 1.7 NC
Funny You Should Ask  0.5 NC

⏩MAGAZINE SHOWS
Inside Edition 3.3 NC
Entertainment Tonight (3.1 NC
Access  1.4 +8%
TMZ  1.3 NC
Extra  1.2 +9%

⏩OFF-NET SITCOMS
Big Bang Theory 4.8 -4%
Last Man Standing 2.5 +9%
Modern Family 2.1 -5%
Two and a Half Men 1.5 NC
The Goldbergs 1.5 -6%