Logo

ABC Shows Sink to Historic Ratings Lows

Feb 11, 2013  •  Post A Comment

Two series airing Sunday night on ABC sank to all-time series lows, based on Nielsen overnights. TVbytheNumbers.com reports that on a night when CBS distanced itself from the pack on the strength of the Grammys, ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” and “Revenge” took hits in the key 18-49 demo.

While CBS’s “2013 Grammy Awards” averaged a 10.1 rating in viewers 18-49, ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” returned from hiatus to a series-low 2.2, eroding further from the previous original episode’s 2.4 — which was already a season low. ABC’s “Revenge,” meanwhile, sank to a 1.4, losing three-tenths of a ratings point from its previous original episode.

CBS wound up in a class of its own for prime time overall, averaging an 8.2 rating for the night in the 18-49 demo, well ahead of Fox (1.8 average), ABC (1.5) and NBC (0.8). CBS was also far ahead of the pack in total viewers, averaging 24.6 million to 5.6 million for ABC, 3.5 million for Fox and 3.5 million for NBC.

Other than the Grammys, the top show of the night was Fox’s “Family Guy” with a 2.4 average in 18-49, down a half-point from the previous original. Fox’s “The Simpsons” had a 2.1, “American Dad” managed a 2.0, “Bob’s Burgers” delivered a 1.8 and “The Cleveland Show” settled for a 1.3.

NBC avoided competing directly with the Grammys by putting up a slate of repeat programming.

One Comment

  1. If the “free” networks are losing viewers, what cable/satellite shows are gaining them or are people not watching as much television?

Your Comment

Email (will not be published)