On Wednesday night, ABC’s CMA Music Festival ticked up in total viewers from last summer, but it slipped in the key 18-49 demographic.
That opened the door for an NBC victory, while the Disney broadcaster tied Fox through primetime.
NBC was first in ratings with a 1.2 rating/5 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and in total viewers with an average of 6.4 million, according to preliminary numbers. “America’s Got Talent” at 8 p.m. ET earned a 1.7/7 and 9.1 million viewers. At 9, “The Night Shift” put up a 0.9/3 and 5.2 million viewers. A second hour at 10 received a 0.8/3 and 4.7 million viewers.
ABC and Fox tied for second in ratings, both with a 1.1/4. Airing just the CMA Fest, ABC was second in total viewers with 5.5 million; Fox was third with 3.71 million, with two hours of “MasterChef.”
CBS was fourth in ratings with a 1.0/4 and in viewers with 3.67 million. “Big Brother” at 8 p.m ET scored a 1.8/8 and 5.8 million viewers. Following a rerun, “American Gothic” at 10 had a 0.8/3 and 4.7 million viewers.
Univision and Telemundo tied for fifth in ratings, both with a 0.6/2. Univision was fifth in total viewers with 1.7 million, Telemundo was sixth with 1.5 million.
The CW was seventh in ratings with a 0.4/2 and in viewers with 1.4 million. “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” at 8 p.m. ET got a 0.4/2 and 1.4 million viewers. At 9, “Whose Line Is It Anyway” received the same rounded numbers. A repeat followed.