The closing night of the Democratic National Convention on Thursday took minor to severe hits compared to its 2008 counterpart, with NBC seeing the least severe loss and taking a win for the night, according to preliminary numbers.
NBC won the night in both the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic with a 2.0 rating/6 share and in total viewers with 7.2 million.
Despite the overall win, the network's evening began on a down note, with "America's Got Talent" at 8 p.m. dropping 18 percent from last Wednesday's episode to a series low of 1.8/6 and taking 7.6 million total viewers — which made it the most-watched program of the night, notwithstanding the key-demo drop.
The network's coverage of the DNC convention the following hour posted a 2.1/6, a slight drop from the 2008 convention closer, and drew 7 million total viewers.
CBS took second place in ratings and total viewers with a 1.6/5 and 5.3 million. Following repeats of "The Big Bang Theory" and "Two and a Half Men," "Big Brother" at 9 p.m. saw a 16 percent leap from last week, scoring a 2.2/6 — making it the night's most-watched program — and attracting 6 million total viewers. Its coverage of the DNC the following hour slumped 31 percent from 2008, receiving a 0.9/2, and took 3 million total viewers.
ABC took third place in ratings and total viewers with a 1.1/3 and 4.3 million. "Wipeout" at 8 p.m. rebounded from a series low last week, jumping 18 percent to a 1.3/4 and attracting 4.5 million total viewers. "Rookie Blue" the following hour likewise bounced back from a series low last week, surging 33 percent to a 1.2/3 with 4.8 million total viewers. CBS's coverage of the DNC at 10 p.m., however, dropped 50 percent from 2008's closer, drawing a 1.0/3 and receiving 3.7 million total viewers.
Fox, which ran repeats throughout the night, took fourth in ratings and total viewers with a 0.7/2 and 1.8 million.
