Primetime Ratings: ‘Thursday Night Football’ Down But CBS Still Wins

CBS won the ratings title for Thursday’s prime, posting a 2.1 score in viewers 18-49, thanks to Thursday Night Football, and an 8 share. That topped ABC’s 1.3/5.

But it wasn’t a great night for the NFL. Thursday Night Kickoff fell 21% to 1.5 on CBS, then the game, the Ravens crushing the Dolphins, also dropped 21%, to 2.2.

ABC saw Grey’s Anatomy slip 10% to 1.8 and Scandal at a flat 1.1, then How to Get Away With Murder at a level 0.9.

NBC did a 1.2/5 with growth for several shows. Superstore ticked up 9% to 1.2 and The Good Place tallied a flat 1.1, then Will & Grace grew 6% to 1.8 and Great News climbed 25% to 1.0. Chicago Fire went up 9% to 1.2.

Fox was at 1.0/4, with Gotham up 13% to 0.9 and The Orville up 20% to 1.2.

Telemundo, with the Latin American Music Awards, did a 0.8/3. Univision rated a 0.5/2.

The CW did a 0.5/2, with Supernatural at a flat 0.6 and Arrow off 17% at 0.5.

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.