'The Wiz Live' Soars Past 'Peter Pan' in Early Ratings

“The Wiz Live!” nearly eased on down the road past CBS’ “Thursday Night Football” coverage last night in Nielsen’s 56 metered-market household ratings — and it straight-up walloped the primetime NFL game per the smaller sample-size local people meters.

Ultimately, CBS bested NBC per that first very preliminary Nielsen metric, though by just two-tenths of a ratings point. The networks tied for audience share, there.

In the 25-market LPM’s 18-49 demographic — the all-important age-range for broadcast advertisers — NBC’s primetime average actually easily topped that of CBS, with a 4.4/14 versus a 3.1/10. In the rough demo snapshot, the musical beat the NFL contest coverage in all six head-to-head half hours.

In those admittedly few markets that have local people meters, “The Wiz Live!” delivered the highest-rated Thursday for any network — excluding sports — in nearly three years. And on just NBC, excluding sports once-again, it was the highest-rated Thursday since April 2, 2009’s “ER” finale. That all said, LPM numbers are likely to be inflated due to the event’s major market appeal.

Also Read: Will 'The Wiz Live' Ratings Be More 'Sound of Music' or 'Peter Pan'?

Back in those bigger-picture metered-market households, CBS scored a 8.1 rating/13 share across primetime, while NBC song-and-danced to a 7.9/13. NBC’s number spells the highest-rated Thursday for any network in the local markets, excluding sports, in more than a year. On just NBC, you can up that to two years, since “The Sound of Music Live!” (a gaudy 10.9). That means, quite obviously, “The Wiz Live!” bested “Peter Pan Live!,” per the early count.

Versus its big contemporary competition, “The Wiz Live!” comfortably topped the “Thursday Night Football” pregame show right at 8 o’clock, and hung in there for the first half-hour of the actual game. But the Green Bay Packers’ come-from-behind, instant-classic victory proved too much after that overall, pulling away.

It was a good night for CBS to program a Hail Mary, walk-off pro football win for one of the NFL’s most-beloved franchises. Just like they planned it.

Also Read: 'The Wiz Live!' Review: NBC Production Eases on Down the Road With Style

Last night is a pretty squirrely one for reporting early ratings. Live sports and events tend to over-inflate the early numbers anyway, and “The Wiz” ending at the weird time of 10:45 requires a little more time for a little more math.

Fast-national ratings for “The Wiz Live!” are due in at 11 a.m. ET; more accurate fast-official ratings within a couple hours after that.

So, check back soon — this won’t be the last quantifying post about NBC’s latest live hit today.

From Wags to Riches: 11 of TV's Most Famous Dogs (Photos)

In honor of #InternationalDogDay, we look back at some of the small screen's most recognizable canine stars.
Pal, the original Lassie, made $4,000 a week in 1954 or $51,000 in today's world. Lassie has since been played by 10 generations of Pal's descendants.
(Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images)
Flame Jr., also known as Rin Tin Tin IV, starred in the TV hit ABC show "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin" from 1954-59. The famed dog was responsible for increasing the popularity of German shepherds as family pets and was nominated for the American Humane Association's PATSY Award for animal performers.
"Adventures of Rin Tin Tin" Season 1 Episode 12
Moose, the Jack Russell terrier who played Eddie on "Frasier" (1993-2004), earned a cool $10,000 per episode. In total, Eddie earned $3.2 million in his 11-year run. He also received more fan mail than any of his costars! Fun fact: Eddie's biological son, Enzo, took over the role after his dad retired.
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Gidget, the 12-pound chihuahua known for the ubiquitous catchphrase, "Yo quiero Taco Bell!" was propelled to stardom after landing the lucrative fast-food campaign in the late '90s. She also starred as Bruiser's mom in 2003's "Legally Blonde 2" alongside Reese Witherspoon.
1999 Taco Bell Commercial/Video Archeology
Even though Sadie isn't exactly a TV star, Oprah Winfrey's cocker spaniel was mentioned so many times on her show, she became almost as famous as her gazillionaire owner. In 2009, Dogtime.com reported that Oprah set aside $30 million for her five dogs, including Sadie.
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Cookie Frankel, "Real Housewives of New York" star Bethenny Frankel's dog, has more than 25,000 followers on Twitter. The Lhasa apso gets regular massages and is constantly fed antioxidant-rich carrots. "Everyday is a spa day for her," Bethenny has said.
Instagram
"Million Dollar Listing" star Fredrik Eklund insists his miniature dachshund, Fritzy, needs a big living room to play in. But Eklund is realistic, insisting he would never spend more than $2 million on his dog's digs. Moderation is key, people.
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Giggy, "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Lisa Vanderpump's Pomeranian, is perhaps one of TV's most pampered pups, with his own personal chef and Twitter account. He has become such a fan favorite that he now makes his own red carpet appearances, rich owner in tow.
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Stewart, a Pembroke Welsh corgi, played who played Captain Raymond Holt’s dog Cheddar for much of the run of the sitcom "Brooklyn Nine Nine" -- often featured in the show's elaborate shenanigans. Stewart died in 2019 at age 13.
NBC
Brigitte, a French bulldog "actress," best known for her role as Stella on ABC's hit comedy "Modern Family," won Best Dog in a Television Series at the inaugural Golden Collar Awards in 2012.
The American Human Association
On the last seven seasons of “Modern Family,” Beatrice replaced Brigitte as the beloved bulldog Stella owned by Ed O'Neill's Jay Pritchard. Beatrice died in March 2020 -- just weeks after production wrapped on the long-running sitcom's series finale.
ABC