Tuesday TV Ratings 10/1/24: Vice Presidential Debate Far Lower Than 2020 Debate, Excellent Start for WWE NXT on CW, Murder in a Small Town Slips [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: The first and only vice presidential debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz occupied the airwaves on Tuesday night, but the ratings were generally lower than the Pence-Harris debate from 2020. Host network CBS (1.68) easily led the way in the Adults 18-49 demographic, while NBC (1.11) and ABC (1.00) placed second and third respectively. Fox (0.54) was last amongst the broadcast networks. The race was much closer in the 8 p.m. time slot as CBS's pre-debate broadcast (0.50) was only a few ticks above ABC's (0.48) and NBC's (0.44). On the CW, WWE NXT (0.26) got off to a strong start and bested Fox drama Murder in a Small Town (0.21, -0.01). 

Tuesday TV Ratings 9/10/24: Harris/Trump Debate Heavily Out-Rates June Biden/Trump Debate as ABC Leads Coverage [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: Tuesday night's debate between former president Donald Trump and vice-president Kamala Harris proved to be a much bigger draw than the Biden-Trump debate from June. ABC hosted the debate and led the way with a massive 4.22 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic, rising over 170% from the June debate (1.56). NBC (2.41) took second, while Fox (1.25) placed third. CBS (1.09) once more trailed the other networks in the key demo. After the debate, ABC (3.42) maintained its lead with debate analysis. NBC (1.53) remained in second, while CBS (0.77) was last again. In the 8 p.m. hour, ABC's "pre-game" show (1.39) topped its time slot. NBC (0.62) came in second, CBS (0.42) took third, and Fox (0.22) settled for a distant fourth. Counterprogramming was scarce, but the CW offered repeats of The Conners (0.04/0.05/0.05/0.05) for viewers uninterested in the debate. Key: (R) = repeat.

Thursday TV Ratings 6/27/24: Biden/Trump Debate Massively Down from First 2020 Debate as CNN Leads Overall Coverage, Olympic Track & Field Trials Top Non-Debate Programming [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: Former president Donald Trump and current president Joe Biden were up against each other yet again for the first presidential debate of 2024, but the ratings were significantly lower than they were when the two faced off in 2020. 

Since CNN hosted the debate, their coverage led the way in the Adults 18-49 demographic (2.35) and in total viewership (9.53 million). ABC took second (1.56 rating/9.21 million viewers) and beat out the other broadcast networks in both metrics. Fox News (1.04 rating/9.28 million viewers) took third, while Fox (0.95 rating/3.68 million) came in fourth. NBC (0.94 rating/5.39 million) was slightly behind Fox in the key demo but eclipsed them in total viewers. CBS (0.85 rating/5.01 million) settled for sixth place in terms of rating, while MSNBC (0.41/4.12 million) took seventh. NewsMax (0.10 rating/1.28 million) and NewsNation (0.05 rating/0.35 million viewers) were a clear step behind the other networks. CBS (-39%), Fox (-41%), ABC (-51%), and NBC (-65%) were all down dramatically from their coverage of the first 2020 debate in the Adults 18-49 demographic, with NBC taking the most alarming hit of the four.

In terms of debate analysis, CNN (1.72 rating/7.74 million viewers) led the way in Adults 18-49 ratings, but Fox News (1.00/8.71 million viewers) had more total viewers. ABC (1.33 rating/7.24 million) was once more the highest-rated of the broadcast networks. CBS (0.57 rating/3.65 million) and NBC (0.56 rating/3.73 million) were in a virtual dead heat, while MSNBC (0.43 rating/4.72 million) was last in the ratings.

Non-debate programming was scarce. NBC aired the US Olympic Trials (0.53) at 8. ABC aired ABC News: Race for the White House (0.50) as a debate "pre-game" show. Fox took 3rd in the 8 p.m. hour with Copa Tonight (0.43) and followed that with Fox News Democracy '24 (0.33). CBS aired reruns of Young Sheldon (0.27) and Ghosts (0.23). Masters of Illusion (0.05, +0.01) and World's Funniest Animals (0.05, +0.02) were up on the CW.

Wednesday Cable Ratings 1/10/24: Haley/DeSantis Debate Beats Trump Town Hall in Demo but Not Viewers, College Basketball Leads Overall

Below are the top 50 programs on cable on Wednesday, 1/10/24. Items of note include the Republican Primary Debate on CNN, the Iowa Trump Town Hall on Fox News, and AEW: Dynamite on TBS.

(Click the names of the shows written in teal or blue to be taken to their pages in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Database.)

Wednesday Cable Ratings 12/6/23: Republican Debate Breaks Ratings Records for Fledgling NewsNation, NBA Leads, King Charles Declines

Below are the top 50 programs on cable on Wednesday, 12/6/23. Items of note include the 2024 Republican Presidential Primary Debate on NewsNation, AEW: Dynamite on TBS, and NBA on ESPN.

(Click the names of the shows written in teal or blue to be taken to their pages in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Database.)

Wednesday TV Ratings 12/6/23: Republican Debate a Major Success for The CW Despite Ratings Drop, The Masked Singer and Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Hit New Lows, Survivor Easily Leads (UPDATED w/Analysis)

Ratings Analysis: The CW's broadcast of the latest Republican Primary Debate (0.30) was a monstrous success by the network's current standards. The CW struggles to clear the 0.1 threshold in the Adults 18-49 demographic on most nights, so a 0.3 is a major feat for them in 2023. Over on Fox, The Masked Singer (0.38, -0.03) fell to a new series low, but Snake Oil (0.26, +0.07) bounced back rather nicely. Celebrity Jeopardy! (0.37, +0.01) inched up, but Celebrity Wheel of Fortune (0.31, -0.05) and The $100,000 Pyramid (0.22, -0.05) collapsed on ABC. This serves as a new series low for the celebrity version of Wheel. Quantum Leap (0.26, -0.06) and Magnum P.I. (0.21, -0.02) also crumbled on NBC. CBS's Survivor (0.81, +0.01) gained a hundredth, but The Amazing Race (0.36, -0.06) lost six.

Finals Update: The Masked Singer (+0.1) and Celebrity Jeopardy! (+0.1) adjusted up.

Thursday Cable Ratings 11/30/23: Newsom/DeSantis Debate Strong for Fox News, Christmas Cookie Challenge Rises, House of Villains Stable

Below are the top 50 programs on cable on Thursday, 11/30/23. Items of note include the Gavin Newsom/Ron DeSantis Debate on Fox News, NBA on TNT, and Christmas Cookie Challenge on Food.

(Note: Click the names of the shows written in purple or blue to be taken to their pages in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Database.)

Wednesday TV Ratings 11/8/23: Republican Debate Draws Lowest Ratings of 2024 Cycle, CMA Awards Lead the Night, Survivor Slips (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: NBC's broadcast of the latest Republican Presidential Primary Debate (0.71) was solid by network TV standards but was the lowest-rated of the 2024 cycle of debates. The Republican Debate Analysis (0.39) that came after managed a respectable rating by 10 p.m. standards. On ABC, the CMA Awards (0.88) declined when compared to last year (1.05) but topped the night nonetheless. CBS juggernaut Survivor (0.71, -0.01) shed a single hundredth, while The Amazing Race (0.36, +0.03) grew in the 9:30 p.m. time slot. The Masked Singer (0.43, -0.05) and Snake Oil (0.24, -0.05) plummeted on Fox. Sullivan's Crossing (0.05, 0.00) and The Spencer Sisters (0.04, 0.00) were steady on the CW.

Finals Update: The 57th Annual CMA Awards (+0.1), The Amazing Race (+0.1), NBC News Republican Presidential Primary Debate (+0.1), and Republican Debate Analysis (+0.1) adjusted up.

Wednesday Cable Ratings 9/27/23: Second Republican Debate Far Lower Than First Debate, American Horror Story Slides, Archer Stable

Below are the top 50 programs on cable on Wednesday, 9/27/23. Items of note include the second 2024 Republican Party Primary Debate on Fox News and Fox Business, American Horror Story: Delicate on FX, and Archer on FXX.

(Click the names of the shows written in teal or blue to be taken to their pages in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Database.)

Wednesday Cable Ratings 8/23/23: 2024 Republican Debate Strong but Far Below First 2016 and 2020 Debates, Grown-Ish Midseason Finale and Temptation Island Finale Drop, AEW: Dynamite Stable

Below are the top 50 programs on cable on Wednesday, 8/23/23. Items of note include the 2024 Republican Party Primary Debate on Fox News, Grown-Ish on Freeform, and Temptation Island on USA.

(Click the names of the shows written in teal or blue to be taken to their pages in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Database.)

Tuesday Cable Ratings 10/25/22: Fetterman/Dr. Oz Debate Above-Average for NewsNation, NBA Wins Another Tuesday, The Oval Ticks Up to Season High

Below are the top 50 programs on cable on Tuesday, 10/25/22. Items of note include Queen Sugar on OWN, Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News, and NBA on TNT.

(Note: Click any show with its name in green or blue to be taken to its page in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Ratings Database.)

Sunday Cable Ratings 12/6/20: Loeffler/Warnock Debate Strong on CNN, Christmas She Wrote Rises from Previous Hallmark Film, Euphoria Special Struggles, Shameless Returns with a Low

Below are the top 25 programs on cable on Sunday, 12/6/20. Items of note include the Georgia Senate Runoff Debate between Senator Kelly Loeffler and Rev. Raphael Warnock on CNN, Christmas She Wrote on Hallmark, and the Euphoria special on HBO.
(Note: Click any show with its name in orange to be taken to its page in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Ratings Database.)

President Trump Shows Signs of a Potential Comeback, FOX News Dominates with Debate Coverage

 

Thursday Cable Ratings 10/22/20: Fox News Trumps CNN and All Others in Debate Coverage, NFL Well Below Last Fox Simulcast, Bradshaw Bunch Rises

Below are the top 25 programs on cable on Thursday, 10/22/20. Items of note include the Final 2020 Presidential Debate on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC and The Bradshaw Bunch on E!.

(Note: Click the names of the shows written in purple or blue to be taken to their pages in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Database.) 

Thursday TV Ratings 10/22/20: Final Trump vs. Biden Presidential Debate Drops from First Debate, NFL Heavily Down (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: With less than two weeks until the 2020 presidential election, President Trump and former Vice President Biden took part in the second and final debate of this cycle. After beating NBC in the ratings during the September debate, ABC's broadcast (2.1) tied NBC's (2.1) head-on this time around. The alphabet network fell more than a full point from the last debate (3.2) while the peacock network was only down by six-tenths (2.7). CBS (1.1) completely trailed the other two with their debate telecast despite having the help of a sturdy 'Big Brother' (1.0) lead-in. Nonetheless, CBS was only three-tenths behind the 1.4 it garnered for debate 1. NBC and ABC had dueling debate specials preceding the main event (0.8/0.8) and managed to match each other for that broadcast as well. When it came to 10:30pm debate analysis, ABC (1.4) was a tenth above NBC (1.3) while CBS (0.8) came in a distant third. Fox opted not to air the debate and went with the 'Giants v. Eagles' NFL game (2.1). The game fell into a three-way-tie for top program of the night, alongside the debate broadcasts on ABC and NBC. The CW had steady showings of 'Supernatural' (0.3) and 'The Outpost' (0.1).

Finals Update: NFL: Giants v. Eagles (+1.1), 2020 Presidential Debate coverage on ABC (+0.5), NBC (+0.5) and CBS (+0.2), and Debate Analysis on ABC (+0.2), NBC (+0.3) and CBS (+0.1) adjusted up. Debate Preview Special (-0.1) adjusted down.

Wednesday Cable Ratings 10/7/20: CNN Tops Fox News for Vice Presidential Debate Coverage, Archer Drops, Hannity and Tucker Jump

 

Below are the top 25 programs on cable on Wednesday, 10/7/20. Items of note include the 2020 Vice Presidential Debate on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC, Archer on FXX, and MLB on TBS.

(Click the names of the shows written in teal or blue to be taken to their pages in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Database.)

Wednesday TV Ratings 10/7/20: Vice Presidential Debate with Pence and Harris Rises from 2016, The Masked Singer Drops, Coroner Grows from Devils in Viewers (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: Vice-president Mike Pence and senator Kamala Harris sat down for a much more civil debate than their bosses had, with ratings fairly in-line with the 4-year ago Pence v Kaine debate. ABC led the pack once more with a robust 1.9 A18-49 rating, seven-tenths above what the 2016 VP debate did (1.2). The alphabet network might have benefited from starting their night off with a 'Pence vs Harris' special (0.9). They closed things out with an impressively high 'Debate Analysis' (1.3). NBC's debate broadcast (1.3) significantly trailed the 1.9 it posted in 2016 but also had slightly less lead-in help than ABC from a steady 'Weakest Link' (0.8). 'Debate Analysis' (1.0) similarly fell behind the alphabet network. 

Fox's debate broadcast (1.1) actually went four-tenths above 2016 (0.7) but the debate also had a stronger lead-in than four years ago ('The Masked Singer' 1.4; vs. New Girl; 1.0). Airing before the debate, 'The Masked Singer' (1.4) dropped an alarming five-tenths following last week's stellar resurgence. Pending adjustments, this could end up being a new series low for the reality series. CBS's debate telecast (1.0) was fairly in-line with 2016, leading out of a declining 'Big Brother' (0.9) and leading into 'Debate Analysis' (0.7). The CW had the debut of acquired series 'Devils' (0.1) and a steady 'Coroner' (0.1).

You can read more about Vice-president debate ratings HERE. 

Finals Update: 2020 Vice Presidential Debate coverage on ABC (+0.3), NBC (+0.3), Fox (+0.1) and CBS (+0.1), Debate Analysis on ABC (+0.3), NBC (+0.1) and CBS (+0.1), The Masked Singer (+0.1) and Big Brother (+0.1) adjusted up. Pence vs. Harris: The VP Debate (-0.1) adjusted down.

Breaking Down the Ratings of the 2016 Vice Presidential Debate Ahead of the Pence/Harris Debate

Even amid a White House COVID pandemic that has impacted President and First Lady Trump, Press Secretary McEnany and Senator Thom Tillis, among many others, Vice President Pence is healthy and preparing for a debate with Joe Biden's running mate, California Senator Kamala Harris. Pence last hit the debate state four years ago, on October 4, 2016. There, he faced Hillary Clinton's running mate, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine. Unlike the presidential debates, in which polls all pointed to Clinton as the big winner, Pence was seen to have the upper-hand in this debate, with a CNN poll giving him a six-point advantage over Kaine. The debate was seen as having little practicality, as the candidates interrupted themselves too often to discuss the issues (sound familiar?). CBS's Elaine Quijano moderated.

Prime Time Cable News Ratings September 28-October 1: All Networks See Huge Ratings Boosts From Debate Coverage

Tuesday Cable Ratings 9/29/20: Fox News Coverage of Trump/Biden Presidential Debate Beats All Other Networks, The ReidOut Hits a Series High

Below are the top 25 programs on cable on Tuesday, 9/29/20. Items of note include the 2020 Presidential Debate on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC, MLB on ESPN, and The ReidOut on MSNBC.

(Note: Click any show with its name in green or blue to be taken to its page in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Ratings Database.)