ABC topped the demo on Thursday as CBS’ NCAA Tournament appears down from last year, but CBS’s numbers may change in the finals. A big episode of “Scandal,” meanwhile, was up only slightly — probably because no one saw a big twist coming.
ABC was first in ratings with a 2.0 rating/6 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and second in viewers with an average of 6.8 million, according to preliminary numbers. “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland” at 8 p.m. had a 0.8/3 and 3.5 million viewers. “Grey’s Anatomy” at 9 received a 2.3/7 and 8 million viewers. “Scandal” at 10 earned a 2.9/9 — the highest rating of the night — and 8.9 million viewers. It was up 4 percent in the demo.
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Fox was second in ratings with a 1.8/6 and first in viewers with 6.83 million. “Hell’s Kitchen” at 8 had a 1.7/6 and 5.3 million viewers. “American Idol” at 9 received a 1.9/6 — dropping below a 2.0 for the first time ever — and 8.4 million viewers.
CBS, NBC and Univision tied for third in ratings, each with a 1.1. CBS had a 4 share, NBC and Univision both had a 3. CBS was third in viewers with 3.8 million viewers; NBC was fourth with 3.5 million viewers; Univision was fifth with 2.7 million viewers.
For CBS, the tournament from 8 to 9:30 got a 1.2/4 and 4.1 million viewers. Coverage at 9:30 had a 0.9/3 and and 3 million viewers. The tournament telecast at 10 received a 1.2/4 and 3.6 million. CBS Sports noted that tournament viewership is spread across several channels and that the CBS network rating is not an accurate reflection of the tournament’s overall performance.
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For NBC, “Community” at 8 had a 1.1/4 and 3.5 million viewers. “Parks and Recreation” at 8:30 received a 1.2/4 and 3.1 million viewers. Following a rerun, “Parenthood” at 10 got a 1.2/4 and 4.2 million viewers.
The CW was sixth in ratings with a 0.9/3 and 1.9 million viewers. “Vampire Diaries” at 8 earned a 1.0/3 and 2.2 million viewers. “Reign” at 9 received a 0.7/2 and 1.6 million viewers.
Telemundo was seventh in ratings with a 0.4/1 and in total viewers with 1.1 million.
