Primetime Ratings: NBC’s ‘Talent’ Beats ESPYs

By Michael Malone
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

NBC scored big on Wednesday, drawing a 1.9 in viewers 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, and an 8 share. America’s Got Talent notched a 2.3, down a tenth from its performance the night before, while The Night Shift did a 1.3, up 18%.

That beat ABC, which offered ESPN’s ESPY awards across prime. ABC scored a 1.6/6; last year’s ESPYs did a 2.2.

Next was CBS at 1.0/4. Big Brother was down 10% at 1.7, while American Gothic did a 0.5, down a tenth.

Fox weighed in at 0.9/4. MasterChef was off 8% at 1.1, and Wayward Pines was a flat 0.8.

The CW scored a 0.4/2, with Penn & Teller: Fool Us and Whose Line is it Anyway both at 0.4. Penn & Teller opened to a 0.5 last summer while Whose Line did a 0.3 in its last original airing.

Michael Malone
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.