‘MasterChef Jr.’ OK In Return, Fox Ties CBS For Demo Ratings Win On Night Of Many Lows
March 3, 2018
‘MasterChef Jr.’ OK In Return, Fox Ties CBS For Demo Ratings Win On Night Of Many Lows
The post-Olympics fatigue for watching television live continues with another night of subdued Live+same day ratings results for the broadcast networks. In that context, Fox’s MasterChef Jr. opened its sixth season with a two-hour premiere that drew an OK 0.9 adults 18-49 and 3.4 million total viewers. The demo delivery tied a L+SD series low for the MasterChef spinoff previously hit during Season 5, which aired on Thursday, and Season 4, which was on Friday. The audience was below the Season 5 average, premiere and finale but above the series’ low viewership marks.
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MasterChef Jr.’s demo delivery was strong enough to tie CBS, whose drama lineup returned to originals after a monthlong break, for the No.1 spot on Friday among adults 18-49. MacGyver (0.8, 7 million) and Hawaii Five-0 (0.9, 8 million) both ticked down a tenth from their most recent outings to match demo series lows, while Blue Bloods (0.9, 8.9 million) held steady. CBS easily won the night in total viewers by a wide margin.
NBC’s Blindspot (0.7, 3.1 million) was up a tenth from its last original a month ago. Technically, it’s matching a demo season high for the mystery drama but since Blindspot has been very consistent this season, delivering between 0.6-0.7 in Live+SD 18-49 every week, it’s a little disingenuous to call every 0.1 uptick or downtick a season high/low. Let’s say Blindspot was in line with its season average this season. Leading out of that, the fifth episode of Taken‘s second season (0.5, 2.44 million) was also up a tenth in the demo from the previous original to match the show’s first three episodes. In total viewers, the action drama slipped to a L+SD series low.
ABC’s Once Upon a Time kicked off its final stretch of episodes with a modest 0.4 in 18-49 and 2.2 million total viewers, inching down in both categories from its winter finale to mark new L+SD season/series lows for the fairytale drama. The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (0.5, 1.9 million) also slipped, tying a series L+SD demo low and setting a new viewership low.
Following an iZombie rerun, the CW’s Jane the Virgin (0.2, 590,000), featuring Eva Longoria as a guest star, also was off in its return, dipping a tenth in the demo to match a demo low and log its smallest L+SD audience ever.