Wednesday Overnights: ‘Macy’s 4th of July Spectacular’ Leads NBC to Victory

WEDNESDAY 7/04/18

Household Rating/Share
NBC: 4.2/ 7, CBS: 2.7/ 6, ABC: 1.3/ 3, Fox: 1.1/ 2, CW: 0.5/ 1

Percent Change from Tuesday July 4, 2017:
CW: +25, Fox: +22, ABC: + 8, NBC: + 2, CBS: -16

Ratings Breakdown:
NBC topped the Wednesday overnights, as expected, care of the annual “Macy’s 4th of July Spectacular,” which averaged a 4.8 rating/10 share in households from 8-10 p.m. ET. Comparably, this was nine percent above the year-ago July 4th telecast (4.4/ 4), and that 4.4 rating in the household overnights translated into 6.36 million viewers and a 1.2 rating/7 share in adults 18-49 (based on the Live+Same Day data).

Also original last night was “Big Brother” on CBS (#2: 2.8/ 6 at 9 p.m.), which opposite NBC’s fireworks special dipped by 18 percent from its week-ago season-opener (3.4/ 6 in the Wednesday 9 p.m. hour), and canceled Eye net medical drama “Code Black” (#2: 3.2/ 7). Comparably, “Code Black” increased by 22 percent in the overnight households from the 9:30 p.m. portion of lead-in “Big Brother” (2.7/ 6). For a July 4th telecast, consider this another reason why CBS, or some other outlet, should keep “Code Black” alive next season.

The remainder of the evening was all encore telecasts.

What follows are the household overnight ratings for Wednesday, July 4 broken out by half-hour:

8:00 p.m.
ABC – “The Goldbergs” (R): 1.5/ 3 (#3)
CBS – “Young Sheldon” (R): 2.2/ 5 (#2)
NBC – “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular”: 3.8/ 8 (#1)
Fox – “MasterChef” (R): 1.1/ 2 (#4)
CW – “The 3rd Annual Howie Mandel Stand-Up Gala” (R): 0.6/ 1 (#5)

8:30 p.m.
ABC – “The Goldbergs” (R): 1.2/ 3 (#3)
CBS – “Young Sheldon” (R): 2.3/ 5 (#2)
NBC – “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular”: 4.0/ 9 (#1)
Fox – “MasterChef” (R): 1.1/ 2 (#4)
CW – “The 3rd Annual Howie Mandel Stand-Up Gala” (R): 0.5/ 1 (#5)

9:00 p.m.
ABC – “Modern Family” (R): 1.3/ 3 (#3)
CBS – “Big Brother”: 2.8/ 6 (#2)
NBC – “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular”: 4.7/10 (#1)
Fox – “Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back”: 1.0/ 2 (#4)
CW – “The 3rd Annual Howie Mandel Stand-Up Gala” (R): 0.5/ 1 (#5)

9:30 p.m.
ABC – “American Housewife” (R): 1.2/ 2 (#4)
CBS – “Big Brother”: 2.7/ 6 (#2)
NBC – “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular”: 6.6/14 (#1)
Fox – “Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back”: 1.1/ 2 (#4)
CW – “Whose Line Is It Anyway” (R): 0.4/ 1 (#5)

10:00 p.m.
ABC – “Shark Tank” (R): 1.3/ 3 (#3)
CBS – “Code Black”: 3.1/ 7 (#2)
NBC – “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular” (R): 3.2/ 7 (#1)

10:30 p.m.
ABC – “Shark Tank” (R): 1.4/ 3 (#3)
CBS – “Code Black”: 3.3/ 7 (#1)
NBC – “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular” (R): 3.0/ 6 (#2)

Source: Nielsen Media Research