NBC Leads Sluggish Pre-Holiday Thursday

THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017

Household Rating/Share
NBC: 2.3/ 4, CBS: 2.2/ 4, Fox: 1.7/ 3, ABC: 1.5/ 3, CW: 0.7/ 1

-Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening:
CW: +40, NBC: +15, Fox: no change, ABC: -12, CBS: -24

-Ratings Breakdown:
NBC inched past CBS on this minimally sampled pre-holiday Thursday, which featured just 42 percent of the programming line-up in originals. “Big Brother” on CBS, which featured the final “showmance” torn apart, led the night, but a 2.8 rating/6 share in the household overnights in the 9 p.m. hour was below average. To chime in with your thoughts on “Big Brother” last night, click here https://www.facebook.com/programminginsider/

Comparably, “Big Brother” was 65 percent above competing “Love Connection” on Fox (#3: 1.7/ 3).

Also original was CW combo “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” (#5: 0.8/ 1 from 8-9 p.m.) and “Whose Line is it Anyway?” (#5: 0.7/ 1 in the 9 p.m. half-hour), which are likely to return next summer; and 10 p.m. scripted dramas “The Night Shift” on NBC (#1: 2.3/ 4) and “Zoo” on CBS (#2: 1.5/ 3). Elsewhere it was all repeats and a night to easily forget.

What follows is the breakdown by half-hour for Thursday, August 31:

8:00 p.m.
ABC – “Battle of the Network Stars” (R): 1.8/ 4 (#3)
CBS – “Kevin Can Wait” (R): 2.2/ 4 (#2)
NBC – “The Wall” (R): 1.8/ 4 (#3)
Fox – “Beat Shazam” (R): 1.7/ 3 (#4)
CW – “Penn & Teller: Fool Us”: 0.8/ 1 (#5)

8:30 p.m.
ABC – “Battle of the Network Stars” (R): 1.6/ 3 (#4)
CBS – “Kevin Can Wait” (R): 2.1/ 4 (#2)
NBC – “The Wall” (R): 2.3/ 4 (#1)
Fox – “Beat Shazam” (R): 1.7/ 3 (#3)
CW – “Penn & Teller: Fool Us”: 0.8/ 1 (#5)

9:00 p.m.
ABC – “Battle of the Network Stars” (R): 1.5/ 3 (#4)
CBS – “Big Brother”: 2.9/ 6 (#1)
NBC – “The Wall” (R): 2.2/ 4 (#2)
Fox – “Love Connection”: 1.7/ 3 (#4)
CW – “Whose Line is it Anyway?”: 0.7/ 1 (#5)

9:30 p.m.
ABC – “Battle of the Network Stars” (R): 1.3/ 2 (#4)
CBS – “Big Brother”: 2.8/ 6 (#1)
NBC – “The Wall” (R): 2.3/ 4 (#2)
Fox – “Love Connection”: 1.7/ 3 (#3)
CW – “Whose Line is it Anyway?” (R): 0.7/ 1 (#5)

10:00 p.m.
ABC – “The Gong Show” (R): 1.3/ 2 (#3)
CBS – “Zoo”: 1.6/ 3 (#2)
NBC – “The Night Shift”: 2.4/ 4 (#2)

10:30 p.m.
ABC – “The Gong Show” (R): 1.3/ 2 (#3)
CBS – “Zoo”: 1.5/ 3 (#2)
NBC – “The Night Shift”: 2.3/ 4 (#2)

Source: Nielsen Media Research