“Jimmy Kimmel Live” and Game 3 of the NBA finals proved to be a winning combination Tuesday, when ABC won the night with an average of nearly 10 million viewers and a dramatic 4.0 rating in the key demographic group of viewers 18-49, according to preliminary national data from Nielsen Media Research.
Those numbers are certain to improve once Nielsen factors in pre-prime-time viewing in the Pacific time zone and post-prime viewing in the Eastern and Central time zones.
CBS finished a competitive second for the night with an average 9.1 million viewers and a distant third in the 18-49 demo (1.9 rating) with its reliable lineup of “NCIS,” “48 Hours Mystery” and “Without a Trace.”
Fox finished second in the demo (3.3 rating) and third in total viewers (7.4 million) with the fresh combo of “Moment of Truth” and “Hell’s Kitchen.” “Kitchen” whipped up the best non-NBA demo rating of the night (4.4).
NBC’s all-repeats lineup of “Most Outrageous Moments” and back-to-back “Law & Order: SVU” finished fourth with an average 6.1 million viewers and a 1.8 rating in the demo.
Repeats of “Beauty and the Geek” and “Reaper” added up to an average 1.6 million viewers and a 0.5 rating in the demo for The CW. Among its target audience of women 18-34, The CW pulled a 0.8 rating.
(Editor: Baumann)