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Thursday Final Nationals: GOP Debate on Fox News Channel Still Potent Sans Donald Trump

The networks of Fox ruled Thursday night on television. The Fox broadcast network won among key demos, thanks to another 2-hour edition of “American Idol.”

With an average of 10.159 million viewers, the Fox News Channel led all networks among total viewers with “The O’Reilly Factor” leading into the seventh prime time “Republican Presidential Debate” of the 2016 election season — the first to not feature Republican front-runner Donald Trump who boycotted the event, its network and its moderator Megyn Kelly.

The debate drew very well — as it was, by far, the night’s most watched program on television — but was the second-least watched prime time GOP debate of this season.

Trump’s rally for U.S. military veterans was carried simultaneously on CNN and MSNBC in the 9-10 p.m. hour and combined, it drew about a quarter of the Fox News debate’s viewership.

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Programming Insider Thursday, January 28, 2016
PROGRAM HH/Share Viewers
(000)		 Adults
18-34		 Adults
18-49		 Adults
25-54
8-11 Network Average 1.8/3 2724 0.5/2 0.8/3 1.0/3
8:00 Beyond the Tank 2.7/4 4007 0.6/3 1.1/4 1.4/4
9:00 My Diet is Better Than Yours 1.4/2 2082 0.4/2 0.7/2 0.8/2
PROGRAM HH/Share Viewers
(000)		 Adults
18-34		 Adults
18-49		 Adults
25-54
8-11 Network Average 4.7/8 7329 0.8/3 1.5/5 2.3/6
8:00 Big Bang Theory (r) 6.1/10 9624 1.1/5 2.0/7 3.0/9
8:31 Mom (r) 4.8/8 7516 0.8/3 1.6/5 2.4/7
9:01 Big Bang Theory (r) 5.0/8 7834 1.0/4 1.7/6 2.6/7
9:30 Angel from Hell 4.4/7 6758 0.7/3 1.4/4 2.2/6
10:00 Elementary 4.0/7 6092 0.5/2 1.1/4 1.7/5
PROGRAM HH/Share Viewers
(000)		 Adults
18-34		 Adults
18-49		 Adults
25-54
8-11 Network Average 4.0/7 6226 0.8/3 1.4/5 1.9/5
8:00 You, Me and the Apocalypse (p) 3.1/5 5024 0.7/3 1.2/4 1.6/5
9:00 The Blacklist 4.5/7 7164 0.9/3 1.6/5 2.2/6
10:00 Shades of Blue 4.2/8 6490 0.7/3 1.3/5 1.9/5
PROGRAM HH/Share Viewers
(000)		 Adults
18-34		 Adults
18-49		 Adults
25-54
8-10 Network Average 5.2/9 8774 1.6/7 2.3/8 3.1/8
8:00 American Idol 5.2/9 8774 1.6/7 2.3/8 3.1/8
PROGRAM HH/Share Viewers
(000)		 Adults
18-34		 Adults
18-49		 Adults
25-54
8-10 Network Average 1.4/2 2264 0.6/3 0.9/3 1.0/3
8:00 DC’s Legends of Tomorrow 1.7/3 2897 0.8/4 1.1/4 1.2/3
9:00 The 100 1.1/2 1631 0.4/2 0.6/2 0.7/2
PROGRAM HH/Share Viewers
(000)		 Adults
18-34		 Adults
18-49		 Adults
25-54
8-11 Network Average 1.2/2 2055 0.8/3
7:00 Muchacha Italiana Viene a Casarse 1.2/2 1974 0.7/3
8:00 Antes Muerta Que Lichita 1.1/2 1940 0.7/2
8:59 Pasion y Poder 1.3/2 2338 0.9/3
10:02 El Hotel de Los Secretos 1.1/2 1866 0.7/3

Sub-Demo Breakdowns – Thursday 1/28/16

“Beyond the Tank” (ABC)
Women 18-34: 0.8/3
Men 18-34: 0.5/2
Women 18-49: 1.2/4
Men 18-49: 0.9/3

“My Diet is Better Than Yours” (ABC)
Women 18-34: 0.5/2
Men 18-34: 0.3/1
Women 18-49: 0.9/3
Men 18-49: 0.5/2

“Angel from Hell” (CBS)
Women 18-34: 0.7/3
Men 18-34: 0.7/3
Women 18-49: 1.6/5
Men 18-49: 1.2/4

“Elementary” (CBS)
Women 18-34: 0.6/2
Men 18-34: 0.4/2
Women 18-49: 1.2/4
Men 18-49: 1.0/4

“You, Me and the Apocalypse” (NBC)
Women 18-34: 0.8/3
Men 18-34: 0.6/2
Women 18-49: 1.4/5
Men 18-49: 1.0/4

“The Blacklist” (NBC)
Women 18-34: 0.9/3
Men 18-34: 0.8/4
Women 18-49: 1.8/5
Men 18-49: 1.4/5

“Shades of Blue” (NBC)
Women 18-34: 0.8/3
Men 18-34: 0.7/3
Women 18-49: 1.6/5
Men 18-49: 1.1/4

“American Idol” (Fox)
Women 18-34: 2.1/8
Men 18-34: 1.0/5
Women 18-49: 2.8/9
Men 18-49: 1.8/6

“DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” (CW)
Women 18-34: 0.7/3
Men 18-34: 0.9/5
Women 18-49: 1.0/3
Men 18-49: 1.3/5

“The 100” (CW)
Women 18-34: 0.5/2
Men 18-34: 0.4/2
Women 18-49: 0.6/2
Men 18-49: 0.6/2

“Republican Presidential Debate-Iowa” (Fox News Channel)
Women 18-34: 1.49
Men 18-34: 2.05
Women 18-49: 1.96
Men 18-49: 2.58

“Colony” (USA)
Women 18-34: 0.32
Men 18-34: 0.42
Women 18-49: 0.41
Men 18-49: 0.50

“Baskets” (FX)
Women 18-34: 0.27
Men 18-34: 0.39
Women 18-49: 0.27
Men 18-49: 0.42

Cable Rankings – Thursday 1/28/16
What follows are the top 20 most-watched shows in prime time on cable for Thursday, January 28:


  1. “Republican Presidential Debate-Iowa” (Fox News Channel, 9-11 p.m., 7.22 household rating): 12.467 million (2.27 adults 18-49 rating)

  2. “The O’Reilly Factor” (Fox News Channel, 8 p.m.): 5.542 million (0.70)

  3. “WWE SmackDown” (USA, 8 p.m., 1.61 household rating): 2.720 (0.87)

  4. “CNN Tonight (Trump rally for vets)” (CNN, 9 p.m., 1.24 household rating): 2.031 (0.45)

  5. “Anderson Cooper 360” (CNN, 8 p.m.): 2.013 (0.39)

  6. “Flip or Flop” (HGTV, 9 p.m.): 2.010 (0.58)

  7. “American Dad” (Adult Swim, 10:30 p.m.): 1.969 (0.96)

  8. “House Hunters” (HGTV, 10 p.m.): 1.862 (0.42)

  9. “American Dad” (Adult Swim, 10 p.m.): 1.788 (0.85)

  10. “Flip or Flop” (HGTV, 9:30 p.m.): 1.706 (0.48)

  11. “The Big Bang Theory” (TBS, 9:30 p.m.): 1.654 (0.65)

  12. “House Hunters International” (HGTV, 10:30 p.m.): 1.615 (0.41)

  13. “The First 48” (A&E, 9 p.m.): 1.608 (0.58)

  14. “Nightwatch” (A&E, 10:01 p.m.): 1.555 (0.63)

  15. Movie: “The Avengers” (2012) (FX, 6:59 p.m.): 1.544 (0.66)

  16. “Lip Sync Battle” (Spike, 10 p.m.): 1.536 (0.83)

  17. “Flip or Flop” (HGTV, 8:30 p.m.): 1.523 (0.33)

  18. “CNN Tonight (Trump rally for vets)” (CNN, 10 p.m., 0.91 household rating): 1.491 (0.36)

  19. “Cloud 9” (Disney Channel, 8 p.m.): 1.351 (0.27)

  20. “The Cleveland Show” (Adult Swim, 9:30 p.m.): 1.336 (0.62)


  • “Real Detective” (ID, 10 p.m.): 1.240 (0.30)

  • “Colony” (USA, 10 p.m.): 1.212 (0.46)

  • “Rachel Maddow Show (Trump rally for vets)” (MSNBC, 9 p.m.): 1.185 (0.15)

  • “NBA Basketball: Chicago @ L.A. Lakers” (TNT, 10:33 p.m.-12:57 a.m., 0.76 household rating): 1.152 (0.53)

  • “Project Runway Junior” (Lifetime, 9 p.m.): 1.144 (0.34)

  • “NBA Basketball: New York @ Toronto” (TNT, 8:00-10:33 p.m., 0.67 household rating): 1.003 (0.42)

  • “Top Chef” (Bravo, 9 p.m.): 0.973 (0.43)

  • “Beat Bobby Flay” (Food Network, 10 p.m.): 0.932 (0.34)

  • “My 600 Lb. Life-Super Sized” (TLC, 8 p.m.): 0.850 (0.26)

  • “College Basketball: Michigan State @ Northeastern” (ESPN, 9:04-10:52 p.m., 0.52 household rating): 0.807 (0.26)

  • “Ridiculousness” (MTV, 10 p.m.): 0.776 (0.38)

  • “Baskets” (FX, 10 p.m.): 0.658 (0.35)

  • “Growing Up Hip Hop” (WE, 10 p.m.): 0.613 (0.29)

  • “Workaholics” (Comedy Central, 10 p.m.): 0.508 (0.31)

  • “Party Down South” (CMT, 9 p.m.): 0.497 (0.26)

  • “Tamar & Vince” (WE, 10:30 p.m.): 0.483 (0.19)

  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN, 10:52-11:59 p.m., 0.31 household rating): 0.446 (0.18)

  • “Greatest Party Story Ever” (MTV, 10:31 p.m.): 0.436 (0.21)

  • “Redneck Island” (CMT, 10 p.m.): 0.385 (0.18)

  • “Idiotsitter” (Comedy Central, 10:30 p.m.): 0.339 (0.19)


Source: Live+Same Day data, Nielsen Media Research

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