Wednesday TV Ratings 7/15/26: ESPYS Up Slightly, Nation’s Dumbest Solid in Premiere, Big Brother Rebounds [+ Analysis]

ABC's broadcast of the ESPYS (0.38) was up slightly from last year's showing (0.35), but it was still well below CBS's Big Brother (0.67) in the key demographic. NBC (0.21/0.14/0.13) aired drama reruns. On Fox, MasterChef (0.29, +0.09) surged, and Nation's Dumbest (0.27) retained much of that rating in its series premiere. The CW aired repeats of Police 24/7 (0.04) and Law & Order Toronto (0.03). Key: (R) = repeat.

Wednesday TV Ratings 7/16/25: ESPYS Decline from 2024, Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service Hits Series High, Big Brother Rises [+ Analysis]

The ESPY Awards (0.35) performed reasonably well on ABC, down just 8% from last year (0.38) in the Adults 18-49 demographic. CBS's Big Brother (0.60) was up considerably from Sunday night's episode (0.53) and beat all other competitors. NBC continued airing Chicago drama reruns (0.26/0.21/0.11). On Fox, MasterChef (0.26, +0.06) and Secret Service (0.25, +0.04) soared. Sullivan's Crossing (0.05, 0.00) was stable for its CW finale. Key: (R) = repeat. (F) = finale.

Thursday TV Ratings 7/11/24: ESPYS Decline from 2023, President Biden Press Conference Leads, Shark Week Rises, Impractical Jokers Returns Down [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: The 2024 ESPY Awards (0.38) dipped on ABC, with the ceremony declining by 7% from 2023's show (0.41) in the Adults 18-49 demographic. Earlier in the night, the Alphabet Network led the way with their coverage of President Biden's NATO Press Conference (0.52). NBC's coverage (0.33) took second, while CBS's (0.32) was close behind in third. Fox (0.18) was in last place and used their showing of the press conference as a lead-in for Don't Forget the Lyrics! (0.26, 0.00). Later in the night, CBS's repeats of Ghosts (0.15), Elsbeth (0.10), and Fire Country (0.11) fell behind NBC's encores of Law & Order (0.18), SVU (0.20), and Organized Crime (0.20). On the CW, Masters of Illusion (0.03, +0.01) and World's Funniest Animals (0.04, +0.02) improved. Key: (R) = repeat.

Wednesday TV Ratings 7/12/23: The ESPYS Slip from 2022, MasterChef Drops After Break, LA Fire & Rescue Rises (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: ABC's broadcast of the 2023 'ESPY Awards' managed a 0.41 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic and was the highest-rated program of the evening. This was just a single hundredth lower than last year's ceremony (0.42). Fox's 'MasterChef' (0.39, -0.03) dropped by three-hundredths in its return but came within striking distance of the 'ESPYS'. 'Gordon Ramsay's Food Stars' (0.28, +0.01) picked up a hundredth in the 9 p.m. time slot. On NBC, 'LA Fire & Rescue' (0.28, +0.05) bounced back rather nicely and led into reruns of 'Chicago Fire' (0.17) and 'Chicago PD' (0.18). CBS had encores of 'The Price Is Right at Night' (0.38/0.35) and 'CSI: Vegas' (0.19). 'Nancy Drew' (0.03, -0.03) slipped on the CW and led into a 'Riverdale' repeat (0.04) that outpaced it.

Finals Update: 'Gordon Ramsay's Food Stars' (+0.1) adjusted up.

Wednesday TV Ratings 7/20/22: The ESPYS Rise from 2021 Low, Big Brother Leads, MasterChef Sets New Season High (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: The '2022 ESPYS' (0.42) rose by a whopping 75% from the 2021 ceremony (0.24) that aired in an undesirable Saturday timeslot. Despite that impressive gain, ABC's broadcast of the awards show only ranked third in its timeslot. On CBS, 'Big Brother' (0.70, +0.04) and 'The Challenge: USA' (0.40, +0.04) both grew by four-hundredths when compared to last week's episodes. The 10PM repeat of 'SWAT' (0.18) was two-hundredths higher than its week-ago counterpart. 'MasterChef' (0.48, +0.04) climbed to a new season high on Fox, but 'So You Think You Can Dance' (0.30, -0.03) widened the gap between itself and 'Chef' by slipping further. On the CW, 'Wellington Paranormal' (0.04, 0.00) was stable on finale night and was followed by a repeat of itself (0.04) that posted the same rating. Earlier in the evening, 'Mysteries Decoded' (0.05, 0.00) also matched its week-ago delivery. NBC had another helping of 'Chicago Med' (0.27), 'Chicago Fire' (0.30), and 'Chicago PD' (0.29) encores.

Finals Update: 'Big Brother' (+0.1), 'MasterChef' (+0.1), and the repeat of 'Chicago Med' (+0.1) adjusted up.