Wednesday Night TV Ratings: The X Factor Holds, CBS Wins the Evening
Source: TVByTheNumbers
Wednesday’s broadcast primetime showed CBS taking the overall victory in both the key adults 18–49 demographic and total viewers, even as Fox’s The X Factor remained steady compared to the previous week. Viewers saw mixed results across the networks: Fox held firm with a 3.4 rating in adults 18–49 for The X Factor, while CBS maintained solid numbers with Survivor and Criminal Minds. CBS also saw a rise for CSI at 10:00 p.m., and NBC’s repeat-heavy night delivered lower numbers.
Fox’s The X Factor kept last week’s momentum, delivering a 3.4 adults 18–49 rating and about 10.69 million viewers in the 8:00–9:30 p.m. window. CBS showed strong performance across its lineup: Survivor: South Pacific and Criminal Minds helped the network top the night. Notably, the sitcom I Hate My Teenage Daughter on Fox continued to slide, dropping two-tenths to a 1.9 adults 18–49 rating—an indicator of ongoing struggles for that series.
Barbara Walters Presents aired a special that drew lower ratings than the prior year. The special earned a 2.3 adults 18–49 rating, down from the previous year’s 3.2. Context matters: last year’s broadcast aired on a Thursday following an Oprah special, which likely contributed to stronger viewership.
Across the schedule, repeats and preemptions influenced several shows’ numbers. ABC and NBC leaned on repeat episodes in multiple time slots, which typically produce more modest ratings. The CW’s offerings remained lower overall compared with the Big Four networks, showing limited traction in the key demo.
Full Hour-by-Hour Ratings Breakdown (Adults 18–49 / Share / Total Viewers in Millions)
8:00–9:30 PM
FOX — The X Factor (8:00–9:30 p.m.): 3.4/9, 10.69 million viewers
CBS — Survivor: South Pacific: 3.1/9, 10.74 million viewers
ABC — The Middle (Repeat): 1.7/5, 6.16 million viewers
NBC — Up All Night (Repeat): 1.2/4, 3.66 million viewers
CW — America’s Next Top Model (Repeat): 0.4/1, 1.27 million viewers
8:30–9:00 PM
ABC — Suburgatory (Repeat): 1.7/5, 5.21 million viewers
NBC — Whitney (Repeat): 1.1/3, 3.31 million viewers
9:00–10:00 PM
CBS — Criminal Minds: 3.4/9, 12.70 million viewers
ABC — Modern Family (Repeat): 2.3/6, 6.61 million viewers
NBC — Harry’s Law (Repeat): 0.8/2, 4.07 million viewers
CW — Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show (Repeat): 0.7/2, 1.61 million viewers
9:30–10:00 PM
FOX — I Hate My Teenage Daughter: 1.9/5, 5.25 million viewers
ABC — Barbara Walters Presents: 2.3/6, 8.34 million viewers
10:00–11:00 PM
CBS — CSI: 3.0/8, 12.13 million viewers
NBC — Law & Order: SVU (Repeat): 1.2/3, 4.36 million viewers
Key Takeaways
- CBS led the night in both the adults 18–49 demographic and total viewers, anchored by Survivor, Criminal Minds and CSI.
- Fox’s The X Factor held steady week-to-week with a 3.4 adults 18–49 rating and strong total-viewer numbers, keeping it competitive in the early part of prime time.
- I Hate My Teenage Daughter continued to decline, dropping to a 1.9 in the 18–49 demo—trends that raise concerns about the sitcom’s future.
- Barbara Walters Presents showed a year-over-year dip in the key demo, likely affected by scheduling differences from the previous year.
- Repeat-heavy schedules on ABC and NBC contributed to softer performance for those networks on this particular Wednesday.