A rising "X Factor" pushed Fox to a first-place tie in the ratings Wednesday night, while "Modern Family" inched up from last week for the night's highest individual ratings, according to preliminary numbers.
Fox and ABC both scored a 2.8 rating/8 share in the 18-49 demographic most important to advertisers, with Fox taking second place in total viewers with 8.1 million. "The X Factor," which filled Fox's primetime slate, grew 27 percent in the demo over last week's Thanksgiving Eve broadcast, and also improved in total viewers.
ABC, which tied NBC for third in total viewers with 8 million, ran "A Charlie Brown Christmas" at 8 p.m., which inched up from last year's broadcast for a 2.9/8 and took 8.9 million total viewers. "Modern Family" at 8:30 p.m. also grew modestly, taking a 4.7/12 — the night's best performance in the demo — with 12 million total viewers. "Suburgatory" at 9 p.m. grew slightly to a 2.6/7 and had 6.9 million total viewers. The freshman drama "Nashville" at 10 p.m. ran even with last week for a 1.8/5 and took 5.6 million total viewers.
CBS, which had third place in ratings and first in total viewers with a 2.7/7 and 11.5 million, enjoyed growth across the board, starting with "Survivor" at 8 p.m., which grew 17 percent to a 2.7/8 and had 10.4 million total viewers. "Criminal Minds" the following hour grew slightly to a 2.9/8 and was the most-watched show of the night with 12.3 million total viewers. "CSI" at 10 p.m. inched up to a 2.6/7 with 12 million total viewers.
NBC came in fourth in ratings and with a 2.5/7. "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" at 8 p.m. grew 11 percent from last year's special, taking a 2.1/6 with 9.1 million total viewers, while "Saturday Night Live: An SNL Christmas" the following hour drew a 2.7/7 and 7.4 million total viewers.
At the CW, "Arrow" at 8 p.m. continued to perform strongly for the network, returning even from a hiatus last week with a 1.2/3 in the demo and taking 3.7 million total viewers.
