Broadcast primetime live + same-day ratings for Friday, March 29, 2019
Note: Live NCAA basketball broadcasts on CBS will likely result in greater adjustments than usual for the network in the finals.
The numbers for Friday:
| Time | Show | Adults 18-49 rating/share | Viewers (millions) |
| 8 p.m. | 2019 NCAA Basketball Tournament (CBS) | 1.6/8 | 6.56 |
| The Blacklist (NBC) | 0.6/3 | 4.33 | |
| Last Man Standing (FOX) – R | 0.5/3 | 3.23 | |
| Fresh Off the Boat (ABC) | 0.5/3 | 2.67 | |
| Dynasty (The CW) | 0.2/1 | 0.59 | |
| 8:30 p.m. | The Cool Kids (FOX) | 0.6/3 | 3.27 |
| Speechless (ABC) | 0.4/2 | 2.11 | |
| 9 p.m. | 20/20 (ABC) (9-11 p.m.) | 0.7/3 | 4.22 |
| The Blacklist (NBC) | 0.5/3 | 4.03 | |
| Proven Innocent (FOX) | 0.4/2 | 2.00 | |
| Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (The CW) | 0.1/1 | 0.42 | |
| 9:30 p.m. | 2019 NCAA Basketball Tournament (CBS) | 2.5/12 | 8.50 |
| 10 p.m. | Dateline (NBC) | 0.4/2 | 3.30 |
CBS dominated the Friday primetime ratings this week with its continued NCAA Tournament coverage.
The sweet 16 game between Michigan State and LSU kicked off the night for the network with a 1.6 rating in adults 18-49 and 6.56 million viewers. However, it was the network’s broadcast of the later game between Duke and Virginia Tech that won the night, with a 2.5 and 8.5 million viewers.
Pending updates, both games are currently up from the 1.4 and 2.4 ratings that the network’s Friday night sweet 16 broadcasts scored a year ago.
Elsewhere, NBC grabbed 0.6 and 0.5 ratings with back-to-back “Blacklist” episodes, both of which were on par with the show’s performance so far this season. On ABC, both “Fresh Off the Boat” (0.5) and “Speechless” (0.4) fell one-tenth from their last episodes.
With only a “Last Man Standing” rerun as its lead-in, FOX’s “The Cool Kids” slipped from a 0.7 to a 0.6 this week. “Proven Innocent” followed, and managed to hold onto its previous 0.4. Meanwhile, the CW’s “Dynasty” posted a 0.2, up one-tenth from its 0.1 final last Friday. “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” stayed even with another 0.1.
Network averages:
| CBS | ABC | NBC | FOX | CW | |
| Adults 18-49 rating/share | 2.0/10 | 0.6/3 | 0.5/3 | 0.5/3 | 0.1/1 |
| Total Viewers (millions) | 7.53 | 3.61 | 3.88 | 2.62 | 0.50 |
Late-night metered market ratings (adults 18-49, households):
11:35 p.m.
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” – R: 0.6/4, 1.9/6 (delayed by NCAA)
“Jimmy Kimmel Live” – R: 0.4/2, 1.7/4
“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” – R: 0.3/2, 1.5/4
12:35 a.m.
“The Late Late Show with James Corden” – R: 0.3/3, 1.1/4 (delayed by NCAA)
“Nightline”: 0.3/2, 1.1/3
“Late Night with Seth Meyers” – R: 0.3/2, 0.8/3
Definitions:
Rating: Estimated percentage of the universe of TV households (or other specified group) tuned to a program in the average minute. Ratings are expressed as a percent.
Fast Affiliate Ratings: These first national ratings are available at approximately 11 a.m. ET the day after telecast. The figures may include stations that did not air the entire network feed, as well as local news breaks or cutaways for local coverage or other programming. Fast Affiliate ratings are not as useful for live programs and are likely to differ significantly from the final results, because the data reflect normal broadcast feed patterns.
Share (of Audience): The percent of households (or persons) using television who are tuned to a specific program, station or network in a specific area at a specific time.
Time Shifted Viewing: Program ratings for national sources are produced in three streams of data – Live, Live +Same-Day and Live +7 Day. Time-shifted figures account for incremental viewing that takes place with DVRs. Live+SD includes viewing during the same broadcast day as the original telecast, with a cut-off of 3 a.m. local time when meters transmit daily viewing to Nielsen for processing. Live +7 ratings include viewing that takes place during the 7 days following a telecast.
Source: The Nielsen Company.
