The “Survivor: Second Chance” season finale was steady enough on Wednesday to top all primetime competition, handing CBS an easy win.
Although down two tenths of a point in the key 18-49 demographic versus last fall’s final episode, “Survivor” is poised to tick up a bit when final ratings come in later Thursday. The actual coronation of a champion overran beyond the show’s dedicated two-hour time slot, making a bump for the finale and a downturn for the after-show both likely.
CBS was so dominant last night, it doubled its closest competition in the main demo, and more than doubled it among total viewers. The runner-up on the rerun-heavy evening was ABC.
CBS was first in ratings with a 2.0 rating/7 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and in total viewers with an average of 8.6 million, according to preliminary numbers. From 8-10 p.m., the “Survivor” finale received a 2.2/8 and 9.5 million viewers. The reunion show at 10 had a 1.7/6 and 6.8 million viewers.
ABC was second in ratings with a 2.3/7 and in viewers with 4 million. Following repeats, a 10 p.m. “Nashville: On the Record” special got a 0.4/2 and 2.5 million viewers.
NBC was third in ratings with a 0.8/3 and in viewers with 3.7 million, airing only rebroadcasts.
Fox, Univision, and Telemundo all tied for fourth in ratings, each with a 0.7. The two Spanish-language nets had a 3 share, Fox had a 2. Fox was fourth in total viewers with 2.8 million viewers, airing all reruns; Univision was fifth with 1.98 million; Telemundo was sixth with 1.95 million.
The CW was seventh in ratings with a 0.3/1 and in viewers with 1.1 million, running just repeats.