Like the other broadcast networks, ABC is being heavily impacted by the repercussions of the actors and writers strikes. For the first time in the Alphabet Network’s history, there are no new episodes of scripted shows on the Fall 2023 schedule. Will this move negatively impact the ratings for the rest of ABC’s 2023-24 season? Stay tuned!
ABC shows (so far): The $100,000 Pyramid, 20/20, 9-1-1, Abbott Elementary, American Idol, America’s Funniest Home Videos, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, Bad Romance, Celebrity Family Feud, Celebrity Jeopardy!, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, Claim to Fame, The Conners, Dancing with the Stars, The Golden Bachelor, The Good Doctor, The Great Christmas Light Fight, The Great Halloween Fright Fight, Grey’s Anatomy, The Interrogation Tapes, Jeopardy! Masters, Judge Steve Harvey, Lucky 13, Not Dead Yet, Press Your Luck, The Rookie, Shark Tank, Station 19, What Would You Do?, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, and Will Trent.
There’s lots of data that network execs look at when deciding whether to renew or cancel a TV series but ratings are a major ingredient. These 2023-24 season charts will be updated daily, as new ratings data becomes available.
Note: If you’re not seeing the updated chart, please try reloading the page or view them here and here.
A couple of notes about these charts:
These figures are updated automatically as new ratings are released. The averages are based on the final national numbers (live plus same day viewing), unless marked with an asterisk (*). For technical reasons, I have to resort them manually. While these numbers don’t include further delayed or streaming viewing, they are a very good indicator of how a show is performing, especially when compared to others on the same channel. There can be other economic factors involved in a show’s fate, but typically the higher-rated series are renewed and the lower-rated ones are cancelled.
Keep in mind that the demo numbers are typically what’s most important to advertisers. Therefore, that’s how the networks measure success. Advertisers pay more for ad time on a show that has a higher demo rating. Older viewers also matter but younger viewers watch less traditional TV and are therefore harder to reach. Delayed viewing matters more and more these days (if commercials are watched) but live viewing is still advertisers’ ideal.
Demo numbers are typically reported using the 10ths decimal place (2.4, for example). In the averages, I’m using an extra decimal for easier ranking. The networks take into account when shows air on Fridays and Saturdays, nights when TV viewership is lower.
What do you think? Are you surprised by any of the ratings? Which 2023-24 shows should be doing better? Which one do you think will be cancelled next?
Do Nielsen ratings above reflect the streaming data? I read recently that The Rookie was #1 on Hulu. Since Hulu is owned by Disney/ABC etc that would make a difference in the network’s decisions on which series it will renew.