TV Ratings: Dick Clark helps ABC win New Year's Eve Friday primetime

CBS' procedural repeats are good for second overall

By Daniel Fienberg Saturday, Jan 1, 2011 1:30 PM

Ryan Seacrest and Dick Clark ring in the New Year

Credit: ABC

Fast National ratings for Friday, December 31, 2010.

Thanks to "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve," ABC won the final primetime ratings race of 2010, ruling Friday in all key measures.

Among adults 18-49, ABC won the night with a 1.9 rating, far ahead of the 1.0 rating for NBC. CBS' 0.9 rating, FOX's 0.6 rating and the 0.3 rating for The CW all trailed in the key demographic.

Overall, ABC averaged an estimated 6.74 million viewers and a 3.6 rating/8 share. CBS averaged a 3.9/8, but only 6.27 million viewers. NBC was a distant third with 3.83 million viewers and a 2.1/4, beating the 1.3/3 and 2.03 million viewers for FOX. The CW was last with a 0.7/1 and 1.12 million viewers.

8 p.m. -- CBS started the night in first overall with the 6.595 million viewers for an "NCIS" repeat. ABC was second with 5.095 million viewers for the movie "Wild Hogs," winning the hour in the key demo with a 1.3 rating. NBC's repeat of "Minute to Win It" finished third with 3.755 million viewers. FOX's broadcast of the movie "Rocky Balboa" was fourth with 1.84 million viewers, edging out the 1.19 million viewers for a "Smallville" repeat on The CW.

9 p.m. -- A "CSI: NY" repeat kept CBS in first for the 9 p.m. hour with 6.135 million viewers. ABC's "Wild Hogs" improved to 5.98 million viewers and won the hour with a 1.5 demo rating. Another "Minute to Win It" repeat gave NBC third place with 3.86 million viewers, topping the 2.22 million for FOX's movie. A CW repeat of "Supernatural" was fifth with 1.06 million viewers.

10 p.m. -- The beginning of beloved standard "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" boosted ABC to 9.14 million viewers and a 2.7 demo rating in the 10 p.m. hour. CBS' "Blue Bloods" repeat averaged 6.07 million viewers in second, beating the 3.87 million viewers for NBC's "New Year's Eve with Carson Daly."

All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change, particularly in the case of live events.

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Daniel Fienberg
Executive Editor

A long-time member of the TCA Board and a longer-time blogger of "American Idol," Dan Fienberg writes about TV, except for when he writes about movies or sometimes writes about the Red Sox. But never music. He would sound stupid talking about music.