CBS Tops the Midweek Overnight Troops

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

Household Rating/Share
CBS: 5.9 rating/10 share, ABC: 4.1/ 7, NBC: 3.9/ 7, Fox: 2.6/ 4, CW: 1.4/ 2

Percent Change from the Year-Ago Evening:
CBS: + 4, ABC: – 5, NBC: -11, CW: -12, Fox: -58

Ratings Breakdown:
It was an easy Wednesday overnight victory for CBS, which bested No. 2 ABC by 44 percent in households. “Survivor” opened with a dominant 5.7/10 in the 8 p.m. hour, followed by an above average 6.9/11 (#1 for the night) for veteran “Criminal Minds” at 9 p.m. and week two of spin-off “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders” at a 5.2/ 9 (#1) at 10 p.m. Comparably, “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders” slipped by 10 percent from its 5.8/10 opener one week earlier, and that translated into 8.88 million viewers and a 1.6 rating/6 share in adults 18-49, based on the Live + Same Day data. In other words, this erosion was expected and is not a concern…yet.

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On ABC, “Modern Family” dominated the two-hour Wednesday sitcom block, as always, with a 5.4/ 9 (#2) at 9 p.m., but this was 10 percent below the 6.0/10 one year earlier. Needless to say, the pending return of Fox’s competing “Empire” in the time period will not be beneficial. “Modern Family” led into a typical 4.1/ 7 for “black-ish” at 9:30 p.m., followed by on-the-fence “Nashville” at a 3.0/ 5 (#3) at 10 p.m. Comparably, “Nashville” trailed aforementioned “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders” and “Chicago PD” on NBC (#2: 4.3/ 7) by 21 percent and 73 percent, respectively.

Earlier in the evening on ABC, were typical overnight performances for sitcoms “The Middle” (#2: 4.9/ 8) and “The Goldbergs” (#2: 4.4/ 7) from 8-9 p.m.

In time period premiere news, NBC medical drama “Heartbeat” disappointed with a third-place 3.4/ 5 from 8-9 p.m., which was 28 percent below “The Mysteries of Laura” on the year-ago evening. The “Heartbeat” preview in the Tuesday 9 p.m. hour this week (out of “The Voice”) scored a 4.1/ 7 in the overnights, which translated into 6.30 million viewers and a 1.4 rating/5 share in adults 18-49, based on the Live + Same Day data. With weaker lead-in support, granddaddy “Law & Order: SVU” slipped to a 4.1/ 7 from 9-10 p.m.

Elsewhere, Fox had nothing usual to report care of the pairing of “Rosewood” (#4: 2.8/ 5), which is not worthy of a second season, and “Hell’s Kitchen” (#4: 2.5/ 4). And “Arrow” on The CW (#5: 1.6/ 2) led into a 1.2/ 2 for 1.2/ 2 for “Supernatural” at 9 p.m.

Source: Nielsen Media Research