Primetime Ratings: CBS Wins With March Madness

CBS won the Thursday primetime ratings, as its March Madness hoops offerings across prime gave the network a 1.0 in viewers 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, and a 5 share. In second was ABC at 0.9/4.

NBC got a 0.7/3 and Fox a 0.6/3.

Telemundo and Univision both did a 0.4/2.

The CW rated a 0.3/2.

CBS’ first night of March Madness action last year did a 1.7.

ABC had Grey’s Anatomy at a flat 1.4 and Station 19 grew 13% to 0.9. For the People slipped 17% to 0.5.

NBC had Superstore at 0.9 and AP Bio at 0.5, then Brooklyn Nine-Nine at 0.6, all three down a tenth of a point. Will & Grace skied up 17% to 0.7 and Law & Order: SVU posted a level 0.8.

On Fox, Gotham and The Orville both did a 0.6, Gotham flat and Orville down 25%.

The CW saw Supernatural post a 0.4 and Legacies a 0.3, both shows 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.