‘The Masked Singer’ Edges Mike Bloomberg and NBC’s Dem Debate in Early Demo Ratings

Mike Bloomberg’s Democratic Debate debut faced off with Fox’s “The Masked Singer” on Wednesday. Who won depends on how — and possibly when — you look at it.

First, a disclaimer: Due to the nature of live coast-to-coast television, the below Nielsen numbers for NBC should be considered subject to significant adjustment. We’ll get final numbers in a few hours.

For now, it’s Fox on top in the key demo and NBC No. 1 in total viewers.

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Fox was first in ratings with a 1.45 rating/7 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and third in total viewers with an average of 5.1 million, according to preliminary numbers. At 8 p.m., “The Masked Singer” scored a 1.9/10 and 7 million viewers. “Lego Masters” at 9 earned a 1.0/5 and 3.1 million viewers.

NBC was second in ratings with a 1.44/7 and first in viewers with 8.4 million. Following a repeat, the Democratic Debate, airing from 9-11, put up a 1.7/8 and 10 million viewers. (Remember, those numbers aren’t final.)

See how close those primetime averages are in the key demo? The margin is razor thin, so it’s very likely that NBC will overtake Fox among adults 18-49. In terms of total viewers, NBC’s domination isn’t changing.

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CBS was third in ratings with a 1.0/5 and second in viewers with 6 million. At 8, “Survivor” got a 1.4/7 and 7.2 million viewers. At 9, the night’s first episode of “Criminal Minds” took a 0.8/4 and 5.4 million viewers. The series finale at 10 received a 0.8/4 and 5.3 million viewers.

ABC was fourth in ratings with a 0.6/3 and in viewers with 2.8 million. At 8, “The Goldbergs” got a 0.8/4 and 4 million viewers. At 8:30, “Schooled” had a 0.6/3 and 2.9 million viewers. “Modern Family” at 9 came in with a 0.7/4 and 3.3 million viewers. At 9:30, “Single Parents” closed the comedy block with a 0.6/3 and 2.2 million viewers. “Stumptown” at 10 managed a 0.4/2 and 2.2 million viewers.

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Univision was fifth in ratings with a 0.5/2 and in viewers with 1.6 million.

Telemundo was sixth in ratings with a 0.3/2 and in viewers with 989,000.

The CW was seventh in ratings with a 0.1/1 and in viewers with 760,000. “Howie Mandel’s 5th Annual All-Star Comedy Gala” aired from 8-10, settling for a 0.1/1 and 760,000 viewers.

Read original story ‘The Masked Singer’ Edges Mike Bloomberg and NBC’s Dem Debate in Early Demo Ratings At TheWrap