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Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., Oct. 30) -- NFL-less CBS yields to ABC on two fronts

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The first night of the November “sweeps” ratings period found CBS bereft of Thursday Night Football and paying a prime-time price from 8 to 10 p.m.

CBS’ twin comedy punch of The Big Bang Theory and Mom held steady before the network’s Two and a Half Men, The McCarthys and Elementary fell to second place behind ABC’s Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder. CBS’ NFL telecasts previously had swept the prime-time Nielsens.

Big Bang was Thursday’s biggest draw in both total D-FW viewers (432,388) and advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds (189,229). Mom likewise controlled the 7:30 to 8 p.m. slot, but with significantly diminished totals of 258,038 viewers and 107,229 in the 18-to-49 demographic.

ABC then took over. Scandal won from 8 to 9 p.m. in both ratings measurements with respective totals of 237,116 and 97,768 viewers. How to Get Away with Murder ran first in the 9 p.m. hour with 230,142 total viewers and 75,691 in the 18-to-49 age range. The 8:30 p.m. premiere of CBS’ new The McCarthys ran second across the board in its time slot but in both cases lost audiences from CBS’ preceding season premiere of Two and a Half Men.

NBC had the night’s least-watched attraction among the Big Four broadcast networks. The Peacock’s 8:30 p.m. episode of A to Z had a sub-measly 48,818 total viewers.

It was also a big night in cable sports. The New Orleans Saints-Carolina Panthers game, airing exclusively on the NFL Network, topped a four-way competition with 146,454 viewers and 53,615 in the 18-to-49 realm.

Fox Sports Southwest’s Dallas Mavericks home season opener, a rout of the visiting Utah Jazz, ran second with totals of 90,662 and 40,999 viewers.

On ESPN, the matchup between No. 2-ranked Florida State and No. 22 Louisville took the bronze with 76,714 total viewers and 34,692 in the 18-to-49 motherlode. TNT’s presentation of LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers homecoming -- against the visiting and victorious New York Knicks -- ran fourth with respective totals of 55,792 and 28,384 viewers.

D-FW’s four major local news providers also girded their loins for 20 weekdays worth of ratings sweeps warfare. There was something for everybody except NBC5 in Thursday’s opening battle.

Gannett8 edged CBS11 for the most total viewers at 10 p.m., but CBS11 surprisingly won among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 swept both the 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. competitions and also won among 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 p.m. (with Gannett8 just a smidgen behind). CBS11 had the most total viewers at 6 p.m.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net