Primetime Ratings: ‘American Idol’ Finale Leads ABC

ABC won top spot in Sunday’s prime ratings, as the American Idol finale paced the network to a 1.2 in viewers 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, and a 5 share. That blew away the 0.6/3 put up by NBC.

CBS got a 0.5/2 and Fox a 0.4/2.

The broadcasters were up against the Game of Thrones series finale on HBO.

The America’s Funniest Home Videos season finale lost 30% for a 0.7 on ABC and three hours of American Idol grew 18% to 1.3. Last season’s Idol finale got a 1.6.

On NBC, an Ellen’s Game of Games rerun started off prime, before two hours of Dateline at 0.7. Good Girls grew 25% to 0.5.

On CBS, 60 Minutes went up 14% to 0.8 and The Red Line’s finale slid 25% to 0.3 from 8 to 10 p.m. The NCIS: Los Angeles season closer lost 17% for a 0.5.

Fox had comedy repeats, then Hotel Transylvania 2 at 0.4.

Univision rated a 0.4/2.

The CW and Telemundo got a 0.2/1. On The CW, the finales of Supergirl got a 0.3 and Charmed a 0.2. Both were flat. 

Michael Malone

Michael Malone is content director at B+C and Multichannel News. He joined B+C in 2005 and has covered network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television, including writing the "Local News Close-Up" market profiles. He also hosted the podcasts "Busted Pilot" and "Series Business." His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The L.A. Times, The Boston Globe and New York magazine.