Fox’s first primetime NFL telecast of the season carried the network to a ratings win Thursday night. CBS’ Big Brother, meanwhile, held pretty steady vs. the stiffer-than-usual competition.
The NFL preseason game (Browns-Eagles) on Fox averaged 6.08 million viewers and a 1.7 rating among adults 18-49, pending updates for the live broadcast. The audience peaked in the 9 o’clock hour but didn’t tail off too much at 10 p.m., despite the fact that there was no second-half scoring in a game the Browns won 5-0.
Fox will have NFL games that count on Thursdays starting Sept. 27 when it takes over the Thursday Night Football package.
Big Brother scored a 1.6 in the demo for CBS, down a tenth of a point vs. a week ago, but still above its Thursday average this season. It and a Big Bang Theory rerun at 8 p.m. (1.0) were the only other shows to make it to the 1.0 mark.
The final two episodes of Trial & Error on NBC each drew 0.4 for NBC, pretty well in line with last week and with the show’s season average.
The Gong Show delivered a 0.5 on ABC, up a tenth vs. last week. Part two of The Story of the Royals averaged 0.5 from 9-11 p.m., even with Wednesday’s debut.
Fox’s 1.7 rating in the 18-49 demo led the network race, finishing well ahead of the 1.0 for second-place CBS. ABC and NBC tied for third at 0.5. A night of repeats on The CW averaged 0.2.
