On NBC, the US Figure Skating Championships (0.19) declined from Friday, and Fox's college basketball broadcast (0.56) was nearly three times higher than it in the key demo. CBS's 48 Hours (0.14, +0.07) surged, rising above repeats of Tracker (0.11) and itself (0.10). ABC went with encores of Shark Tank (0.11/0.13/0.15). The CW aired reruns of TV We Love (0.03/0.02). Key: (R) = repeat.
Ratings Analysis: The gymnastics portion of the US Olympic Trials posted a massive 1.2 rating and led NBC to Nielsen ratings victory once more. NBC also aired the track & field Trials (0.65) at 8 and NASCAR: Ally 400 (0.43) at 7. Copa America (0.57) remained respectable on Fox but was down markedly from last week (1.12). CBS aired repeats of 60 Minutes (0.32/0.23) and Elsbeth (0.14/0.10). On ABC, The Princess and the Frog (0.15) went lower than last week's Up (0.21) and was only a few ticks above The CW's showing of Dirty Dancing (0.10).
Ratings Analysis: The US Olympic Trials (0.59) led the way on Saturday night and helped boost a rerun of NBC's Dateline (0.33). MLB: Regional Coverage improved on Fox (0.46, +0.08) and was only a tenth below the Trials. ABC re-aired episodes of Shark Tank (0.14/0.14/0.13). The CW aired repeats of ABC's The Conners (0.03/0.04/0.04/0.03). CBS went with reruns of FBI: International (0.09) and 48 Hours (0.12/0.13).
Ratings Analysis: The US Olympic Trials (0.80/0.80) remained a force on NBC, with the Women's Gymnastics portion topping the night in both Adults 18-49 ratings and total viewership. On Fox, WWE Smackdown (0.66, -0.07) slowed down a bit and remained in second place for the third-straight week, a rarity for a series that usually outrates all competitors. CBS's Lingo (0.19, 0.00) matched its week-ago rating, while 20/20 (0.25, -0.05) slipped on ABC. The Big Bakeover (0.04, 0.00) and Totally Funny Animals (0.05, 0.00) were stable on the CW, but Totally Funny Kids (0.05, +0.01) inched up.
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.