Logo

TVWeek

Dueling Specials: Barbara Walters vs. President Obama — Who Came Out on Top?

Dec 18, 2015  •  Post A Comment

An intriguing ratings showdown took place Thursday night on the broadcast networks, with ABC’s Barbara Walters special going head-to-head in the 10 p.m. hour against an NBC program featuring President Obama.

According to ABC, the showdown was no contest, with the Walters program winning handily.

“Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2015” aired from 9:30-11 p.m., with Walters naming Caitlyn Jenner as the most fascinating person of the year, as we reported separately. On NBC, the 10 p.m. hour had Obama roughing it in Alaska on “Running Wild with Bear Grylls.”

“During the 10 o’clock hour, the ABC special beat NBC’s special ‘Running Wild with Bear Grylls,’ featuring President Obama, by over 3.0 million viewers (6.6 million vs. 3.5 million) and by 22% in Adults 18-49 (1.1/4 vs. 0.9/3),” ABC announced.

The ABC release adds: “The Barbara Walters special greatly improved its 90-minute time period year to year for ABC by 130% in Total Viewers (6.2 million vs. 2.7 million), by 43% in Adults 18-49 (1.0/4 vs. 0.7/2) and by 78% in Adults 25-54 (1.6/5 vs. 0.9/3).”

running wild with bear grylls

Your Comment

Email (will not be published)