Primetime Ratings: ‘American Idol’ Finale Leads ABC

ABC won top spot in Sunday’s prime ratings, as the American Idol finale paced the network to a 1.2 in viewers 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, and a 5 share. That blew away the 0.6/3 put up by NBC.

CBS got a 0.5/2 and Fox a 0.4/2.

The broadcasters were up against the Game of Thrones series finale on HBO.

The America’s Funniest Home Videos season finale lost 30% for a 0.7 on ABC and three hours of American Idol grew 18% to 1.3. Last season’s Idol finale got a 1.6.

On NBC, an Ellen’s Game of Games rerun started off prime, before two hours of Dateline at 0.7. Good Girls grew 25% to 0.5.

On CBS, 60 Minutes went up 14% to 0.8 and The Red Line’s finale slid 25% to 0.3 from 8 to 10 p.m. The NCIS: Los Angeles season closer lost 17% for a 0.5.

Fox had comedy repeats, then Hotel Transylvania 2 at 0.4.

Univision rated a 0.4/2.

The CW and Telemundo got a 0.2/1. On The CW, the finales of Supergirl got a 0.3 and Charmed a 0.2. Both were flat. 

Michael Malone

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.