The CBS “Survivor” finale on Wednesday didn’t just survive — it thrived.
The show topped the night in both the key demo and in total viewers. While it is currently sitting at an all-time finale low for the long-running reality show, a 15-minute overrun — which included the announcement of the winner — took the episode to 10:15 p.m., so it is likely to adjust up in the finals when Nielsen finalizes the timeslots.
Meanwhile, over on NBC, Michael Buble’s Christmas special earned its most viewers ever, though this year — his fourth — came back to 8 p.m. from the 10 o’clock hour, a move that yields higher viewing levels. A “Sing-Off” one-off holiday special at 9 did not perform very strongly, considering it was down 19 percent in the demo from the episode on the same day last year.
CBS was first in ratings with a 2.2 rating/7 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and first in viewers with an average of 9.1 million, according to preliminary numbers. “Survivor” at 8 earned a 2.4/8 and 9.6 million viewers — both best in primetime. The reunion show, which has a labeled start-time of 10:30, received a 1.7/6 and 6.9 million viewers.
NBC, ABC and Fox all tied for second in ratings, each with a 1.3/4. NBC was second in total viewers with 5.8 million; ABC was third with 4.8 million, airing entirely reruns; Fox was fourth with 3.6 million.
For NBC, the Buble special at 8 had a 1.3/4 and 7.4 million viewers. The “Sing-Off” special at 9 got a 1.3/4 as well, but 5.1 million viewers.
For Fox, “Hell’s Kitchen” at 8 had a 1.3/4 and 3.6 million viewers. A second hour at 9 got the same numbers.
Univision was fifth in ratings with a 1.1/3 and in total viewers with 2.7 million.
Telemundo was sixth in ratings with a 0.6/2 and seventh in total viewers with 1.3 million.
The CW was seventh in ratings with a 0.5/2 and sixth in total viewers with 1.6 million. Following a rerun, the fall finale of “The 100” dipped to a 0.5/2 — a series low — and 1.4 million viewers.