TV Ratings: Sochi's Opening Ceremony Falls Just Shy of Vancouver Olympics

Friday night brought the official start to the 2014 Winter Olympic Games with the 31.7 million viewers tuning into the Opening Ceremony during primetime (8 - 11 p.m.), according to Fast National returns.

Though final ratings will see some adjustment, that's within 1 million of the last Winter Opening Ceremony in Vancouver -- which saw final returns bring an average 32.6 million viewers to the game.

PHOTOS: Winter Olympics Kicks Off With White Lights and Icebergs at Opening Ceremony

Those games, in 2010, had the benefit of taking place in the Pacific Time Zone and airing live on the east coast. The lack of a delay in most of the U.S. limited online streaming of the event, which will no doubt come into play over the next two weeks.

Early returns have the game posting an overnight rating of 18.5, down 8 percent from Vancouver. And among adults 18-49, the primetime run a 8.6 rating. (Finals saw Vancouver an average a 9.4 rating among adults 18-49.)

The record for Winter Olympics openers is still those juggernaut Lillehammer Games in 1994. Riding the wave of a media frenzy over skater Tonya Harding's ex-husband clubbing U.S. team favorite Nancy Kerrigan the month before, a 33.8 million viewers tuned into the stateside broadcast.

Elsewhere, few broadcast networks bothered programming against the ceremony. Fox aired new episodes of Enlisted (0.7 adults) and Raising Hope (0.6 adults), and ABC aired a new 20/20 (1.2 adults). All three were down from their last airings.

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TV Ratings: Jimmy Fallon Leaves 'Late Night' With Record 6.6 Million Viewers

Jimmy Fallon signed off on Friday night... though only for a week. The incoming Tonight Show host taped his final Late Night ahead of the big move, bringing in boosted ratings in the process -- topping the series high overnights he set the night before.

Overnight returns give the host a 4.8 rating and a 13 share with metered-market households. Fallon had a big lead-in with the Winter Olympics opening ceremony, topping Thursday's 4.6 rating and 15 share after Jay Leno's exit.

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Fast Official ratings maintain Fallon's hot streak. The episode averaged 6.6 million viewers and 2.2 rating among adults 18-49 -- both highs for his Late Night tenure.

Fallon was joined by Andy Samberg and the Muppets for his last show, more than tripling his current  show’s 1.5 metered-market season average results.

Late Night hit series high for a regularly scheduled in adjusted ratings on Thursday with 6 million viewers and a 2.0 rating among adults 18-49. If Friday's show ends up beating that number, it does so with the aid of airing at midnight and within a half-hour of the network's Olympic coverage.

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TV Ratings: 'Shark Tank' Hits Highs, Grammy Noms Tie at 10 O'Clock

Friday proved to be especially competitive, with all original programming rising across the broadcast networks.

ABC topped in total viewers, sharing its demo edge with NBC. The network averaged a 1.4 rating with adults 18-49 and 5.95 million viewers. Last Man Standing (1.4 adults) improved two-tenths of a point from its last showing, while Neighbors (1.0 adults) and Shark Tank (2.0 adults) were both up a tenth. The latter posted a series high in total viewers, averaging 7.46 million at 9 p.m. 20/20 (1.1 adults) was also up, improving by two-tenths from its latest.

Dateline (1.4 adults) and Dracula (1.1 adults) were both up two-tenths of a point on NBC, while Grimm (1.6 adults) jumped three-tenths in between. NBC averaged a 1.4 rating with adults 18-49 5.8 million viewers.

CBS had holiday encores of Frosty the Snowman (1.6 adults) and Yes, Virginia (1.4 adults) and a NCIS: LA repeat before the live Grammy Nominations Concert (1.1 adults). That shared a three-way tie at 10 p.m. CBS averaged a 1.2 rating with adults 18-49 and 5.7 million viewers.

Up a tenth from its last original, Bones (1.6 adults) led into back-to-back episodes of Raising Hope, up two-tenths and even for respective scores of a 0.8 adults and 0.6 adults ratings. Fox took a 1.2 in the demo and 4.6 million viewers.

Both CW offerings inched up a tenth of a point from last week's scores, with The Carrie Diaries (0.4 adults) and Nikita (0.3 adults) averaging a 0.3 rating with adults 18-49 and 900,000 viewers for the block.

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TV Ratings: 'Last Man Standing' and '20/20' Grow on Friday

Fast National ratings give ABC a demo win on Friday night, kicking the evening off with the night's few boosted programs: Last Man Standing. Averaging a 1.4 rating with adults 18-49, the show was up two-tenths of a point from last week. The Neighbors (1.0 adults) held even, while Shark Tank (1.8 adults) was off two tenths of a point. 20/20 (1.6 adults) was up four-tenths from last week. ABC averaged a 1.5 adults rating and 5.8 million viewers.

Undercover Boss (1.4 adults) dropped two tenths of a point from its premiere, while Hawaii Five-0 (1.5 adults) shed just one to be the night's top scripted effort. Blue Bloods (1.4 adults) was down three-tenths from it's premiere. CBS brought in a 1.4 adults rating and dominant 9.4 million viewers for the night.

On NBC, Dateline earned a 1.2, down a tenth from last week's 1.3  adults 18-49 rating. Meredith Vieria special Elizabeth's Story (1.2 adults) finished the night, with NBC averaging a 1.1 adults rating and 4.9 million viewers.

MasterChef Jr. dropped three-tenths of a point from last week's premiere, averaging a 1.3 rating among adults 18-49. With a Sleepy Hollow encore, Fox brought a 1.0 adults rating for the night and 3.1 million viewers.

America's Next Top Model (0.4 adults) held last week's rating on the CW, giving the net a nightly average of a 0.4 adults rating and 1.1 million viewers.

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TV Ratings: 'Big Brother' Tops Thursday, ABC's Lineup Rises

Another Thursday, another likely CBS ratings victory.

Though CBS programming was pre-empted or delayed in about 5 percent of the country due to local NFL preseason football, the network topped primetime on the strength of another fiery live eviction episode of Big Brother (6.9 million total viewers, 2.3).

Big Brother, in fact, was the evening's most watched broadcast program in primetime, and was No. 1 among adults 18-49 and 25-54 (2.8) — though down from Wednesday's telecast. CBS also aired reruns of The Big Bang Theory (1.8), Two and a Half Men (1.5) and Elementary (1.0).

ABC, meanwhile, saw double-digit boosts for its entire lineup due to NFL pre-emptions/delays: Wipeout (5.1 million, 1.6), Motive (5.9 million, 1.3) and Rookie Blue (5.8 million, 1.4). These numbers will likely be adjusted down.

An original of NBC's Hollywood Game Night (3.9 million, 1.3) rose nearly 20 percent at 10 p.m., according to fast nationals. Repeats of America's Got Talent (4.1 million, 1.0) and an encore of Hollywood Game Night (3.7 million, 1.2) were lead-ins.

Fox aired encores of Glee (1.8 million, 0.7), New Girl (1.5 million, 0.6) and The Mindy Project (1.7 million, 0.7). The CW went with reruns of The Vampire Diaries (1 million, 0.4) and America's Next Top Model (934,000, 0.3).

Current projections for CBS, as well as ABC, NBC and The CW, are likely to go down when finals come in.

E-mail: Philiana.Ng@THR.com
Twitter: @insidethetube

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TV Ratings: 'New Girl,' 'NCIS: LA' and 'Dancing' Rise, 'Grimm' Steady on Tuesday

NBC topped Tuesday among adults 18-49 thanks to another two-hour episode of The Voice. Averaging a 3.6 rating in the key demo, Fast National returns have the show down three tenths of a point from last week to a season low. Grimm (1.9 adults) topped the 10 p.m. hour with a steady second showing in its new time slot. The network brought in a 3.0 rating among adults 18-49 and 9.4 million viewers for the night.

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NCIS (2.9 adults) was down two tenths of a point from last week, while NCIS:LA (2.4 adults) recouped its sister series' losses by moving up the same measure. Golden Boy (1.2 adults), hitting a Tuesday low, was down a tenth of a point. CBS averaged a dominant 12.4 million viewers and placed second in the demo with a 2.2 adults rating.

Hell's Kitchen (1.9 adults) dropped two tenths of a point on Fox, leading into a slightly boosted New Girl (2.1 adults). The season's penultimate episode was up a tenth of a point ahead of a steady Mindy Project (1.3 adults). Fox averaged a 1.8 rating with 18-49-ers and 4 million viewers.

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The season finale of Splash (1.0 adults) saw modest growth on ABC, moving up a tenth of a point. Dancing With the Stars (1.7 adults) was also up from last week's series low with two tenths of a point in growth. Body of Proof (1.4 adults) was down by two tenths at 10 p.m. ABC averaged a 1.3 rating with adults 18-49 and 7.7 million viewers.

Hart of Dixie (0.5 adults) held last week's score on the CW. The network averaged a 0.4 rating in the demo and 948,000 viewers for the night.

Univision averaged a 1.5 rating with adults 18-49 and 3.8 million viewers.

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TV Ratings: 'American Idol' Drops to All-Time Low

With usage among adults 18-49 down week to week and no series posting any growth across the broadcast networks, Thursday night proved a particular downer for Fox's American Idol.

Following Wednesday's performance show low, Idol (2.7 adults rating) was down two-tenths of a point from the previous Thursday for the lowest demo score in the show's 11-year history. The hour obviously is subject to adjustment when final ratings are available. Idol led into a one-hour season finale of Raising Hope (1.3 adults), which was down by a tenth of a point from its most recent Tuesday outing. Fox averaged a 2.0 rating with 18-49-ers and 7.5 million viewers.

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ABC's Wife Swap (1.4 adults) was down three-tenths of a point from last week's premiere, leading into Grey's Anatomy (2.8 adults), which dropped two-tenths from last week. Scandal (2.6 adults) was only off by a tenth of a point, giving the network an average 2.3 rating with adults 18-49 and 7.1 million viewers.

Early returns for CBS coverage of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament regional semifinals, which are likely to see adjustment when final numbers are available, brought in a 2.3 rating with adults 18-49 and 6.9 million viewers.

With two episodes of 1600 Penn (0.7) -- both tying a series low -- as the only originals on NBC, the network averaged just a 0.8 rating with adults 18-49 and 2.6 million viewers.

The CW bested NBC in the demo for the night, with The Vampire Diaries (1.2 adults, off a tenth) and an even Beauty and the Beast (0.6 adults). The CW averaged a 0.9 rating with adults 18-49 and 2 million viewers.

Univision averaged a 1.4 rating with adults 18-49 and 3.5 million viewers.

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Jay Leno Angers NBC's Robert Greenblatt With Ratings Jabs (Report)

Bill O'Reilly, left, and Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show"

Jay Leno may have found himself in hot water with NBC entertainment chief Robert Greenblatt after using The Tonight Show stage to mock the network’s ratings troubles.

Greenblatt fired off an email to the comedian after a Feb. 28 episode in which Leno skewered the network's falling to fifth place during sweeps month, the New York Times reports.

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During the episode's opening monologue, Leno joked about NBC’s fifth-place status: "We are behind the Spanish-language network Univision -- or, as we call it here in Los Angeles, Cinco de Ratings." Other jokes included: "It’s so bad, The Biggest Loser isn’t just a TV show anymore; it’s our new motto" and "It’s so bad, NBC called Manti Te’o and asked him to bring in some imaginary viewers."

The exchange between Greenblatt and Leno is said to have occurred before The Hollywood Reporter reported March 1 that NBC was discussing an exit plan for Leno, which would see him cede his 11:35 p.m. timeslot in 2014, possibly to be replaced by Jimmy Fallon. NBC has denied the report, but two high-level industry sources told THR the network was considering making an announcement in May.

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The sources indicated NBC was concerned about ABC moving its younger-skewing Jimmy Kimmel Live!  to 11:35 p.m. in January. Leno remains dominant in most ratings categories, including the 18-49 demo, though Jimmy Kimmel bested Leno in his first week in the 11:35 timeslot.

"Kimmel has done extremely well," a network veteran told THR for the March 1 story. "Jay wins overall, but on any given night, it's neck-and-neck in 18-49. I understand where they might have fear and also feel that they own the solution [in Fallon]."

Leno’s rep told the Times there would be no comment on the report.

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TV Ratings: Justin Timberlake 'Saturday Night Live' Is NBC's Top-Rated Show of 2013

Saturday Night Live, always dependable for NBC, is now regularly outperforming the network's entire primetime lineup -- and the most recent episode with Justin Timberlake was no exception.

Final Nielsen returns give the March 9 edition a 3.4 rating with adults 18-49 and 8.4 million viewers. It was the series' biggest episode in over a year, since a January 2012 broadcast saw a huge NFL lead-in for host Charles Barkley, and NBC's top-rated outing of 2013.

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The episode was obviously out-rated by the Golden Globes (a 6.4 adults rating on Jan. 13) and a primetime NFL playoff game, but among original entertainment programming, Timberlake's SNL was tops.

Even better for the third-place network, SNL surged in the Big Four rankings to top most of last week's primetime broadcasts across networks. It tied an original of CBS powerhouse NCIS for sixth place among all telecasts, trailing only The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men and three new episodes of American Idol.

And speaking of Idol, final SNL ratings actually topped this Thursday's episode of the Fox competition by four tenths of a point.

What a strange world we live in.

Email: Michael.OConnell@THR.com; Twitter: @MikeyLikesTV

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TV Ratings: 'Fringe,' Christiane Amanpour Special Lead Quiet Friday

Four nights before Christmas and little was stirring on television. Fox and ABC, the two networks airing the night's few original broadcast, shared an extremely soft Friday with a 1.0 rating among adults 18-49.

ABC, which also led in viewers with 4.8 million, followed comedy encores with ABC News special Back to the Beginning With Christiane Amanpour (1.1 adults).

Also leading with an encore, Fox aired on of the scant remaining episodes of Fringe (1.0 adults). It was down just a tenth of a point from last week. Fox averaged 2.7 million viewers.

Dateline (0.8 adults) followed encores on NBC. The broadcast was down significantly from last week (2.0 adults), which saw viewership swell for the hour devoted to coverage of the Sandy Hook shooting. NBC averaged 4.4 million viewers.

Three back-to-back repeats of The Good Wife averaged a 0.6 adults rating and 4.1 million viewers on CBS.

Christmas specials pulled a 0.6 adults rating and 1.8 million viewers on The CW.

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TV Ratings: Dipping 'Shark Tank' Wins Night, ALMA Awards Down From 2011

Though ABC's Friday lineup was down from last week's premieres, the network still pulled an easy victory with adults 18-49, averaging a 1.5 rating for the night. Shark Tank, the night's strongest performer across the board, came in two tenths of a point shy of last week's showing with 1.6 adults rating. Also down two tenths, Primetime: What Would You Do? earned a 1.5 adults rating and 20/20, taking the steepest drop, was down four tenths of a point for a 1.4 rating with 18-49-ers. ABC brought in 5.2 million viewers.

Encores of Undercover Boss, CSI: NY and Blue Bloods averaged a 0.9 adults rating and a dominant 5.4 million viewers for CBS. And repeats of Bones and The Mob Doctor both posted a 0.8 rating with adults 18-49 and averaged 3.1 million viewers for Fox.

NBC's one-hour broadcast of the Alma Awards pulled a 0.6 rating with 18-49-ers, down a tenth of a point from last year's score. Following an encore of Grimm, Dateline was up a tenth of a point from last week with a 1.0 adults rating. The network brought in a 0.7 adults rating and 2.99 million viewers.

America's Next Top Model was down from last week's cycle high, averaging a 0.6 rating with adults 18-49. The network brought in a 0.4 adults rating and 959,000 viewers for the night.

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MTV drops racy drama "Skins" after poor ratings

LOS ANGELES | Fri Jun 10, 2011 2:31am EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - MTV has canceled its teen drama "Skins" after the show suffered disappointing ratings in the face of a media controversy about its depiction of underage sex and drinking.

"Skins," based on the British show of the same name, featured a group of youngsters dabbling in drink, drugs and sex. It caused a media uproar in America because some of the actors were as young as 15.

At least eight companies pulled their advertising after the series debuted in January, or placed the show on a "do not buy" list, following a campaign by a parents watchdog.

But sources at the Viacom Inc-controlled network said the decision not to order a second season was due mostly to a steep drop in viewershop.

"'Skins' is a global television phenomenon that, unfortunately, didn't connect with a U.S. audience as much as we had hoped," MTV said in a statement on Thursday. "We admire the work that the series' creator Bryan Elsley did in adapting the show for MTV, and appreciate the core audience that embraced it."

"Skins" lost about two-thirds of the 3.3 million viewers who tuned in for its heavily-promoted premiere in January by the time the series ended its first season in March, according to ratings data.

The award-winning British version, which just finished its fifth season, featured such actors as Dev Patel ("Slumdog Millionaire") and Nicholas Hoult ("A Single Man").

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; editing by Dean Goodman)

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