TV Ratings Report: American Country Awards Climbs, The Sing Off Slides
Ratings for the evening come from TVByTheNumbers. The night’s big winner was Fox’s 2nd Annual American Country Awards, which posted a notable gain compared with last year. Conversely, NBC’s holiday special of The Sing Off underperformed, and NBC’s newsmagazine Rock Center slipped to a season/series low.
Highlights
American Country Awards (FOX): The 2nd Annual American Country Awards increased by 33% compared with last year, finishing with a 2.0 adults 18-49 rating for the 8–10 p.m. block. That represents a significant improvement in the key advertiser-coveted demo.
The Sing Off (NBC): NBC’s two-hour Sing Off Christmas special drew a 1.1 adults 18-49 rating, a disappointing figure for a prime-time special. Following that, NBC’s Rock Center with Brian Williams dropped 18% from the prior week to a season/series low, equalling a 0.9 adults 18-49 rating.
Context and Analysis
The adults 18-49 rating remains the primary metric advertisers use to judge a show’s value. In this snapshot of the evening, CBS dominated many time slots with consistent comedies and dramas posting higher ratings across the schedule. Fox’s award show succeeded in attracting a larger audience in the 18-49 demo compared with its previous year, while NBC’s musical special failed to make a similar impact.
Rock Center’s decline to a 0.9 adults 18-49 rating is notable because it marks the program’s lowest point for the season or series, indicating ongoing challenges for that newsmagazine. Meanwhile, ABC’s holiday specials and family programming retained moderate viewership, and The CW continued to post lower ratings relative to the other broadcast networks in this sample.
Full Primetime Breakdown (Adults 18-49 Rating, Share, and Estimated Viewers Where Provided)
| Time | Network & Program | Adults 18-49 Rating | Share | Estimated Viewers (where shown) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00 PM | CBS — How I Met Your Mother | 4.5 | 12 | 11.708 |
| 8:00 PM | ABC — A Charlie Brown Christmas | 2.8 | 8 | 9.064 |
| 8:00–10:00 PM | FOX — American Country Awards | 2.0 | 5 | 7.424 |
| NBC — The Sing Off (Christmas special) | 1.1 | 3 | 4.133 | |
| 8:00 PM | CW — Gossip Girl | 0.6 | 1 | 1.278 |
| 8:30 PM | CBS — 2 Broke Girls | 4.6 | 11 | 12.778 |
| 8:30 PM | ABC — Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice | 2.2 | 6 | 6.986 |
| 9:00 PM | CBS — Two and a Half Men | 5.0 | 12 | 15.040 |
| 9:00 PM | ABC — You Deserve It | 1.0 | 2 | 3.567 |
| 9:00 PM | CW — Hart of Dixie | 0.8 | 2 | 1.785 |
| 9:30 PM | CBS — Mike & Molly | 4.2 | 10 | 12.739 |
| 10:00 PM | CBS — Hawaii Five-0 | 3.0 | 8 | 10.756 |
| 10:00 PM | ABC — Castle | 2.0 | 5 | 8.046 |
| 10:00 PM | NBC — Rock Center with Brian Williams | 0.9 | 2 | 3.423 |
Takeaways
Overall, CBS delivered the strongest performance across the evening with several comedies and dramas ranking highest in the 18-49 demo. Fox’s awards special outperformed several competing shows and showed year-over-year improvement. NBC struggled in both entertainment and late newsmagazine programming on this night, as evidenced by The Sing Off’s modest 1.1 rating and Rock Center’s decline to 0.9. ABC’s seasonal specials maintained steady, moderate ratings appropriate for family-oriented programming. The CW continued to post lower ratings relative to the other major broadcast networks.
These numbers reflect the competitive landscape of broadcast primetime and the continuing importance of the adults 18-49 demographic for advertisers and network decision-makers.