Primetime Ratings: ABC Tops on Soft Night
By Michael Malone published

ABC won Tuesday night with a 1.0 rating in viewers 18-49, per Nielsen’s overnights, and a 4 share. ABC had Christmas specials (Toy Story That Time Forgot, Shrek the Halls) from 8-9 p.m., then The Year 2016 did a 1.0 from 9 to 11 p.m.
It was a night when America was doing things besides watching broadcast TV, be it Christmas shopping or bingeing on Netflix’s The OA. With a busy week so far in terms of global news, many were tuned to the cable news networks for the latest.
NBC and CBS both put up a 0.8 and 3 share, while Fox did a 0.6/2 and The CW a 0.3/1.
CBS had repeated dramas while NBC went with music specials. Michael Buble Sings and Swings did a 0.8, as did Tony Bennett Celebrates 90.
Fox had repeats 8-9 before Scream Queens did a flat 0.5.
The CW had Terry Crews Saves Christmas and The Greatest Holiday Commercials Countdown both at 0.3.
Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.
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