Primetime Ratings: CBS Wins With March Madness

CBS won the Thursday primetime ratings, as its March Madness hoops offerings across prime gave the network a 1.0 in viewers 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, and a 5 share. In second was ABC at 0.9/4.

NBC got a 0.7/3 and Fox a 0.6/3.

Telemundo and Univision both did a 0.4/2.

The CW rated a 0.3/2.

CBS’ first night of March Madness action last year did a 1.7.

ABC had Grey’s Anatomy at a flat 1.4 and Station 19 grew 13% to 0.9. For the People slipped 17% to 0.5.

NBC had Superstore at 0.9 and AP Bio at 0.5, then Brooklyn Nine-Nine at 0.6, all three down a tenth of a point. Will & Grace skied up 17% to 0.7 and Law & Order: SVU posted a level 0.8.

On Fox, Gotham and The Orville both did a 0.6, Gotham flat and Orville down 25%.

The CW saw Supernatural post a 0.4 and Legacies a 0.3, both shows 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.