Today's Early Overnight Ratings
This table shows the early overnight ratings. These ratings are normally adjusted later in the day when all the ratings have been consolidated to take into account any local preemptions and/or overruns. You can find all the final adjusted numbers in our
Ratings Database. (See the About section below for details about ratings)
Early Ratings Analysis
The analysis below is based on the early household numbers and are NOT the same as the numbers that will be posted in the above table later. (See the About section below)
For more information on the Nielsen Ratings see this
Wikipedia Entry.
NOTE: The opinions expressed here are NOT those of SpoilerTV but of the Author of this Article,
Marc Berman.
Metered Market Thursday Ratings
CBS Inches Past Fox; NBC Tumbles
Thursday 2/21/13
Metered Market Results
Household
Rating/Share
CBS 8.8/14
Fox 8.7/13
ABC 5.4/ 9
NBC 2.3/ 4
CW 1.6/ 2
———-
-Percent Change from Year-Ago Evening – Thursday 2/23/12:
CW: +78, Fox: +16, ABC: + 8, CBS: + 2, NBC: – 4
———-
-Winners:
The Big Bang Theory (CBS), Two and a Half Men (CBS), American Idol (Fox), Person of Interest (CBS), Scandal (ABC)
-Honorable Mention:
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
-Losers (excluding repeats):
Zero Hour (ABC), Community (NBC), Parks and Recreation (NBC), 1600 Penn (NBC), Beauty and the Beast (CW)
———-
Ratings Breakdown:
Once upon a time no network could touch Fox on an evening that American Idol aired. But the home of The Big Bang Theory, CBS, inched past Fox by one-tenth of a rating point in the overnights last night. Big Bang was the top-rated show overall, of course, with a stellar 11.3 rating/18 share at 8 p.m., which increased by nine percent year-to-year. Next was veteran Two and a Half Men (#2: 8.5/13 at 8:30 p.m.), which will return next season if the network can come strike a new deal with Warner Bros., followed by sophomore Person of Interest (#1: 9.3/14) and freshman Elementary (#1: 7.3/13) from 9-11 p.m. Despite the boasting by the Eye net, Elementary dipped by 13 percent from year-ago time period occupant The Mentalist (8.6/15 on 2/13/12), which has certainly not benefited since moving to Sunday.
American Idol, meanwhile, scored an 8.7/13 from 8-10 p.m., which compared to the 8-9 p.m. edition one year earlier (10.8/17 on 2/1312) was off by 19 percent. Consider Idol down, but certainly not out.
In week two news, ABC drama Zero Hour dropped by 14 percent from its debut to a 3.8/ 6 from 8-9 p.m. (#3). And the 4.4/ 7 in the overnights for its premiere translated into 6.38 million viewers and a 1.4 rating/4 share among adults 18-49, according to the fast affiliate results from Nielsen. Comparably, this was only six percent above the series-finale of former time period occupant Last Resort on Jan. 24 (3.6/ 6).
Next on the alphabet net was veteran Grey’s Anatomy at a respectable (and third-place) 6.5/10 at 9 p.m., followed by sophomore Scandal, also from Shonda Rhimes, at a compatible 5.8/10. Scandal, which is poised for time period victory among adults 18-49, increased from year-ago occupant Private Practice (5.0/ 9 out of a 7.0/11 for Grey’s Anatomy) by 16 percent.
Over at NBC the news was bleak with an encore of Law & Order: SVU at 10 p.m. top-rated for the night with a 2.6/ 5. Ouch! Earlier in the evening was recent returnee Community (#4: 2.3/ 4 at 8 p.m.), which seems a bit clunky knowing the Chevy Chase backstory, followed by two episodes of Parks and Recreation (8:30 p.m.: #4, 2.4/ 4; 9 p.m.: #4, 2.3/ 4) and recent entry 1600 Penn (#4: 1.7/ 3 at 9:30 p.m.). Comparably, 1600 Penn dropped from year-ago occupant Up All Night (2.5/ 4 on 2/23/12) by 32 percent.
Last, of course, was The CW care of reliable The Vampire Diaries (#5: 2.1/ 3) and freshman clinker Beauty and the Beast (#5: 1.1/ 2), which sunk to a series low.
In late night, David Letterman on CBS was tops in the overnights from 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. with an above-average 3.0/ 8 (3.3/ 8 to 2.6/ 7 by half-hour; +11 percent year-to-year). Next was Jay Leno on NBC at a 2.7/ 7 (3.2/ 8 to 2.1/ 6: + 8 percent), followed by relocated Jimmy Kimmel at a 2.5/ 7 (3.0/ 7 to 2.0/ 6). In other words, all three hours are delivering a solid audience base in late night.
Craig Ferguson on CBS led the 12:30-1:30 a.m. daypart at a 1.5/ 6 (1.8/ 6 to 1.2/ 5: +15 percent), followed by Jimmy Fallon on NBC at a 1.4/ 5 (1.5/ 5 to 1.3/ 5: + 8). ABC’s Nightline, which has not benefited since swapping time periods with Jimmy Kimmel, averaged a 1.5/ 5 in the 12:30 a.m. half-hour. And Carson Daly closed the night for NBC with a 0.9/ 4 at 1:30 a.m.
Source: Nielsen Media Research
Source: Marc Berman@tvmediainsights
About the Daily Ratings
Each day (except Sunday) we post the TV Ratings for the previous night.
The first item that gets posted (normally around 2pm GMT) is the early overnight analysis based on the early household numbers (these are not the same as the Total Viewers and 18-49 Demo numbers that are posted later).
Later on (normally between 4pm-5pm GMT) we post the official early overnight Total Viewers and 18-49 Demo numbers in the table above.
Finally, later in the evening (10pm-11pm GMT) or the following day, the final adjusted ratings numbers are released, these are then posted in the
Ratings Database. The Final Adjusted numbers are what we use for all our Renew/Cancellation Tables, Full Season Tables, Ratings Scorecards etc (see below)
Additional Ratings Resources
If you’re interested in Ratings/Renewal/Cancellations then we have a number of resources here at SpoilerTV that we recommend you check out.
Renew/Cancel

Our Cancellation/Renewal predictions for the current season.
Ratings Database

Historical Ratings Database for nearly all major US shows going back to their first episodes.
Full Season Tables

The current season full ratings tables for both Total Viewers and 18-49 Demos
Ratings Scorecard

See how all the shows stack up against each other in the Ratings Scorecard Table.
I was being sarcastic!!! The cw is already the result of a merger and see the result!
ReplyDeleteGlad Person of Interest did well, and I'm glad that Community bounced back up to more normal ratings (which indicates that last week's dip was due to it being Valentine's day). I hope that Community and Parks & Rec keeping steady ratings means they will be renewed since nearly every other NBC show is dropping like a rock.
ReplyDeleteYep.Sunday night during the football season is horrible,i finally started getting updates directly from CBS when the start time for The Mentalist was going to be. Its too bad i didn't get the updates till the very end of football season,i practically missed the whole season... I hope they run repeats of The Mentalist during the summer so i can catch up..
ReplyDeleteI don't know the numbers for the first season of The Mentalist,i do remember it didn't start out with gang buster ratings....
Indeed, TM is doing better than Elementary... It's impossible that a CBS show like Elementary keeps scoring 2.3 on ratings. Well, that's my point.
ReplyDeleteThats the thing, people now these day barely watch TV most of the CW viewing watch it online either by the CWTV, itunes, Hulu etc. there are commercials involved. Also, what about the Netflix deals with these series they still making money. Doesnt it count at the end of the day to have an internet talked about show on air? BATB fans are globaly growing every minute, most of this nielsen boxes is like they belong to ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX households only people that dont watch stream tv, I live in NJ but I dont have a Nielsen box is like Im an international viewer, .it sux!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteNetflix is a subscription deal, all they worry about is how many people subscribe to their services. Same as premium cable companies. That's why ratings are less important for cable networks. They get their money from people paying monthly fees.
ReplyDeleteGlobal fans makes no difference. The US advertisers are only interested in US viewers who watch the adverts.
I'm not saying this is the perfect system but it's the current system.
Broadcast networks live and die on ratings alone. Nothing else currently matters.
They certainly don't make millions from people watching online.
ReplyDeleteThis was said on twitter:
ReplyDelete"As long as we want these shows for free, it's all about what advertisers want". And no, I'm not willing to pay for tv shows (unless on cable, dvd, etc)
The thing with this show is I see so many people trying to promote it on here and making a fool of themselves and that turns me off so much that I don't even want to watch it. Nevertheless I did watch the first ep and thought it was pretty stupid.
ReplyDeleteUmmm i think i said they make MONEY from Millions OF People visiting their site to watch the show online.
ReplyDeleteOk, but it's still an insignificant amount compared to the advertising money they make on TV
ReplyDeleteYes it is but it does count right?So i think they should just stop depending on Nielsen tv whatever's ratings and put online watching and downloading under cosideration too.
ReplyDeleteto be honest pilot was kind of bad, it got better after a few episodes, now we are in episode 14 and we love it.
ReplyDeleteIf you think Ethel`s story is astonishing,, last pay cheque my bro basically brought in $8412 just sitting there twelve hour's a week an their house and they're classmate's sister-in-law`s neighbour has been doing this for 6 months and got a cheque for over $8412 in their spare time at Their laptop. applie the information on this site... -- Buzz80.ℂOℳ
ReplyDeleteI think Hour Zero is gonna get canceled soon, damn I like that show! I hope they give us a decent ending!
ReplyDeleteSuch a shame for Batb. It was an awesome episode! Best yet. The nielsen's ratings are crap! So many people watch this show that do not have a ratings box. They seriously need to come up with a new system! This goes for all the shows!
ReplyDeleteyes TVD
ReplyDeleteSeriously, WTF with #BATB ? This show is getting better and better as it runs....seriously? Beasties we need to unite NOW and get more people on board this is BEYOND ridicoulous....I get the pilot was bad but after last night episode it just blew us away!!!!
ReplyDeletePOI last night have one of the most innovate episode on TV this year. I hope the audiences correspond to that, because the show deserves.
ReplyDeleteHurray for Scandal! Sad for BatB, great episode
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's in a very bad timeslot after all.
ReplyDeleteit is, I just hope that they're air all the episode they shot and that the ending will be written as an ending you know. It's too bad that people prefer to watch stupid comedies than smart show like this one(even if it's not the best).
ReplyDeleteWhat is Berman's damage with Elementary? It actually improves, but he dings it for not improving on an existing show from the year prior? It's NEW. For cryin' out freaking loud. He can't toss that show a bone.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Beauty will also get a series low in the demo too?
ReplyDeleteHow much will Zero Hour drop and if it drops enough how long before ABC yank it?
Will Scandal beat Greys this week?
Scandal and greys is going to be very close looking at the early 25 markets. I don't think ZH will drop enough to yank it... yet.
ReplyDeleteI don't think ABC have anything to replace Zero Hour with,i mean aside from repeats of whatever show?
ReplyDeleteTVD beat Zero Hour, Community and Parks. wow ABC and NBC should be embarrassed
ReplyDeleteignore Parks in that list the rating changed, still very low though.
Great for TVD!
ReplyDeletethey may just go with repeats, honestly dont know. I dont know if its more expensive for them to air all low episode of ZH regardless of how low ratings are or if its more expensive to not air the episodes ahveing already made them? Guess we'll find out
ReplyDelete1.3 for TVD? surprised it's not a winner
ReplyDeletego the vampire diaries! well deserved after last week's formidable episode! Hope Scandal and GA did great too! poor community
ReplyDeleteI can see it continue to drop below 1.
ReplyDeleteBring The Mentalist back on Thursday! Elementary is a flop for CBS, but apparently the network doesn't care.
ReplyDeleteI think part of the problem is the show was probably expected to be a bigger performer. Once you take away the expectations, I think the show is good and deserves more time. CBS has collapsed across the board this season, aside from BBT, and that should be taken into account.
ReplyDeleteYeah, but this is the same place Last Resort and Missing were in so it's no surprise it would end up like this.
ReplyDeleteYeah it was DOA, they might as well air reruns of other shows, that'd be cheaper. It's like they want an excuse to cancel the show they put so much money into producing...it's sabotage pure and simple!
ReplyDeleteMaybe CW and NBC should merge and share tips on how to think a network!!!
ReplyDeleteLast resort was a decent show, I watched the first 5 episodes before finding out it was canceled so I figured I might as well drop it.
On the other hand they're still not canceling SVU that has been brain dead for at lest 3 seasons and now they even seem to upset the fact with every single episode...
Bad choices all the way!
It doesn't make sense to put up relatively expensive shows in a bad timeslot that's expect to flop that way.
ReplyDeleteNBC still has the Voice, probably the only thing if their network continues to sink.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure a merge would help, especially with the CW, it only made things worse for WB and UPN.
Oh yeah, sorry about that.
ReplyDeleteGreat for TVD, wish I could say the same about BatB, was a great episode!
ReplyDeleteIt's okay! It's hard to convey sarcasm when you're writing, I wish we could leave video comments! That would be fun....Well back to the subject on hands, They did the right thing with last resort by airing all the episodes, I dont know if viewers got a real ending and decent closure but I hoep they give us that with hour zero!
ReplyDeleteI hope they air all of the episodes, I don't see Red Widow doing well either.
ReplyDeleteEspecially with NBC being in last place, getting beaten by a CW show.
ReplyDeleteI thought they would just let the rest play out,but yeah,who knows? For all we know Wipeout could on next week. :P
ReplyDeleteNo, Revolution is outperforming Elementary.
ReplyDeleteElementary average demo this season is 2.4 (CBS Average is 2.8)
Revolution average is 3.1 (NBC average is 1.5)
It was my impression that Revolution was supposed to be the breakout. And Elementary is outperforming that, right? Maybe I was just so focused on the pre-Revolution buzz that Elementary was just an afterthought. CBS didn't promote it heavily and when they did, it was a bit silly.
ReplyDeleteI think it's clear it'll get more time, but I hope CBS is smart about it. They have a history of shooting first and asking questions later. That said, the ratings are solid and it's not losing much share-wise with POI as lead-in.
I don't know how you can say that? Elementary has been pulling in better numbers than The Mentalist,If anything the Mentalist is the one that flopped..
ReplyDeleteAgreed,it was awesome!
ReplyDeleteAs long as POI and Scandal are doing great I'm happy.
ReplyDeleteUghhh every time i see the ratings...I mean this is some real bullshit.I watch alot of shows,but none of them can even come close to being as good as Batb. This is ridiculous.Nielsen tv viewers suck!Start the ratings on worldwide online watching and downloading basis and you'll see the real ratings.I mean Come On how come a shitty show like Arrow (no offence to it's fans) gets better ratings than Batb.
ReplyDeleteDownload and online don't count because they don't make any money for the networks.
ReplyDeleteIt could be downloaded 100 Million times. It would not matter. If the networks can't get advertisers to spend money for the adverts then they make no money. No Adverts = No Money = No Show. It's that simple.
Until they can find a way to make money from downloads/online viewing it simply does not matter how many people watch worldwide online or download it.
For what it's worth, the pilot was said to be much better than Cult or Zero Hour.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I can see it doing better, but that's not saying much especially given the time slot it's in.
ReplyDeleteCW sure makes money from millions of people watching the episode online on their official site.And what about itunes??That download doesn't count either?Cz they sure as hell charge $'s for downloading.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Similar yet very different episode. I expected to see more of Reese and Finch. It was Ok though. I totally called the Root and Veronica thing. I didn't expect them to pre-empt most of the opening title sequence though. It looked more like a pilot than anything else. I hope Shaw does return. She was good. I'm a little surprised that Finch didn't tell her at least a little more about the numbers than he did. He was pretty cryptic for that situation. The bad news is that we have to wait 2 weeks for a new episode. But of course, that's what CBS does in the spring half of the season.
ReplyDeleteIt was doing good until it was moved to Sunday night. The Mentalist was pulling in better numbers than Elementary is in the same spot. Sunday is a sucky night for a show on CBS to be on because of sport show delays.
ReplyDelete