TV Ratings: CBS Wins Last Night Before Olympics

CBS scored one last victory on Thursday night before the broadcast networks essentially surrender to the draw of the Olympics.

With NBC’s Friday night coverage of the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro kicking off a two-plus-week stretch of wall-to-wall coverage, CBS scored a demo victory with a new episode of Big Brother. Following some robust comedy repeats, the reality show fetched a 1.9 rating among adults 18-49. Big Brother also stands as the night’s most-watched original telecast, pulling 5.9 million viewers during the 9 o’clock hour.

NBC tried to drum up some excitement for the Summer Games with a preview special. It performed just south of the recent trials, averaging a 1.1 rating among adults 18-49.

On ABC, Battle Bots held even with 0.8 rating in the key demo before the finale of Greatest Hits rose to a 0.9 rating with adults 18-49. On Fox, a new Home Free brought in a 0.6 rating with adults.

The CW aired a new episode of Beauty and the Beast for a 0.3 rating with adults 18-49.