Fox News Channel’s coverage of Thursday (March 3)’s Republican presidential debate in Detroit was last week’s most-watched prime-time television program, continuing an almost uninterrupted season-long trend.
The debate averaged 16.83 million viewers, the largest audience since a Dec. 15 debate on CNN averaged 18.17 million viewers, and fourth among this campaign season’s 18 debates involving major-party candidates.
A live event — sports, politics or entertainment — has been the most- watched program on 23 of the 24 weeks of the prime-time television season. The only exception was the week of Feb. 8-14, when an episode of the CBS drama “NCIS” was the week’s most-watched program.
However, Sunday (March 6)’s Democratic debate on CNN averaged 5.51 million viewers, the second-lowest audience of the campaign’s seven Democratic debates – – ahead of only the Feb. 4 debate on MSNBC which averaged 4.47 million viewers.
CBS had eight of the 12 most-watched programs between Feb. 29 and Sunday to finish first for the 17th time this season, averaging 7.7 million viewers for the week, according to live-plus-same day figures released today by Nielsen.”NCIS” was its most-watched show, averaging 15.45 million viewers to finish second.
NBC was second overall, averaging 6.37 million viewers, thanks in part to third- and fifth-place finishes by the first two episodes of the spring season of the singing competition “The Voice.”
Outside of “The Voice,” NBC’s most-watched program was the crime drama “The Mysteries of Laura” at 20th for the week, averaging 7.44 million viewers.
ABC was third, averaging 4.44 million viewers. Its most-watched programs were the long-running comedy “Modern Family” at 15th for the week, averaging 8.22 million viewers, and “The Bachelor,” which was 16th, averaging 8.17 million.
Fox was fourth among the major broadcast networks and fifth overall behind the Fox News Channel, averaging 3.59 million viewers. Its most-watched programs were the singing competition “American Idol” sy 13th for the week, averaging 8.74 million viewers, and its initial 10-minute NASCAR post-race program, 32nd for the week, averaging 6.3 million viewers.
Both of the week’s premieres on ABC finished third among total viewers in their time slots.
The new comedy “The Real O’Neals” averaged 6.33 million viewers from 8:30-9 p.m. Wednesday (March 2), finishing 31st for the week and retaining nearly 90 percent of the audience for “The Goldbergs.”
A second episode of “The Real O’Neals” from 9:30-10 p.m. Wednesday averaged 6.01 million viewers, finishing third in its time slot and 33rd for the week. It retained 73.1 percent of the 8.22 million average viewership of the “Modern Family” episode that preceded it.
“The Real O’Neals”‘ 1.9 rating among viewers ages 18-49, the group targeted by ABC, Fox and NBC and which advertisers pay a premium to reach, tied for first in the 9:30-10 p.m. time slot with the CBS crime drama “Criminal Minds.”
“The Family” was third in its Thursday (March 3) 9-10 p.m. time slot and 39th for the week, averaging 5.7 million viewers, retaining 74.3 percent of the 7.67 million average viewership of the “Grey’s Anatomy” episode that preceded it.
The first episode of “The Family” in its usual Sunday 9-10 time slot averaged 3.31 million viewers, putting it 81st for the week and fifth in its time slot.
NBC was first for the week among viewers ages 18-49, averaging 1.85 million viewers. CBS was second, averaging 1.58 million, followed by ABC (1.56 million) and Fox (1.33 million)
AMC’s “The Walking Dead” was the week’s most-watched program among the group, averaging 7.8 million viewers, followed by the Republican presidential debate (4.6 million), the Monday and Tuesday episodes of “The Voice” (4.29 million and 3.8 million) and “Modern Family” (3.32 million).
The Republican presidential debate enabled Fox News Channel to be the most-watched cable network for the fifth time in seven weeks, averaging 4.14 million viewers. CNN was second, averaging 2.08 million viewers, a week after finishing first when it aired a GOP presidential debate.
The most-watched Spanish-language program was the season premiere of the Univision multi-episode beauty show “Nuestra Belleza Latina,” which averaged 2.34 million viewers, 118th overall.
As usual, Univision was the most-watched Spanish-language network, averaging 1.84 million viewers. Telemundo was second, averaging 1.16 million, followed by UniMas (640,000), Estrella TV (210,000), MundoMax (130,000) and Azteca America (120,000).
The “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” edged ABC’s “World News Tonight with David Muir” — 8.924 million-8.917 million — to be the most- watched network nightly newscast for the fourth consecutive week and 34th time in 37 weeks.
The “CBS Evening News” anchored by Scott Pelley was third, averaging 7.35 million.
The week’s 10 most-watched prime-time programs were Fox News Channel’s Republican presidential debate; CBS’ “NCIS”; the Monday edition of NBC’s “The Voice”; AMC’s “The Walking Dead”; the Tuesday edition of “The Voice”; and CBS’ “NCIS: New Orleans,” “60 Minutes,” “The Big Bang Theory” and “Criminal Minds.”
