While more media agencies are doing some deals based on 25-54 broadcast primetime ratings, the 18-49 demo is still the holy grail for marketers. And since primetime is watched by more women than men, women 18-49 viewers wield a little bit more influence when it comes to determining the fate of shows.
An examination of Nielsen ratings data shows that there is a significant correlation to broadcast shows survival and their level of women 18-49 viewership.
Most recent case in point - ABC's cancellation of drama Revenge after four seasons. Last season, Revenge averaged a 2.2 demo rating among women 18-49. This season it fell to 1.5.
A look at the cancellations of new broadcast network shows earlier in this current season also illustrates how most of those series never caught on with female 18-49 viewers. Those shows and their female 18-49 rating when they were taken off the air: Mulaney, Fox (0.7); Utopia, Fox (0.8); A to Z, NBC (1.0); Bad Judge, NBC (1.0); Constantine, NBC (1.0); Red Band Society, Fox (1.2); Manhattan Love Story, ABC (1.3); and Selfie, ABC (1.4).
To that list you can add new series that have struggled to get viewers this season and are longshots at being renewed like Weird Loners on Fox with a women 18-49 rating of 0.7; American Oddessey, NBC (0.8); The Slap, NBC (1.0); Allegience, NBC (1.0); Gracepoint, Fox (1.0); Backstrom, Fox (1.1); Forever, ABC (1.2); and Cristela, ABC (1.2).
Last season a bunch of new series that were cancelled also failed to draw significant women 18-49 viewers. Among them: Enlisted, Fox (0.7); Killer Women, ABC (0.9); Mind Games, ABC (0.9); Rake, Fox (1.0); Welcome to the Family, NBC (1.1); Lucky 7, ABC (1.1); Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, ABC (1.2); Dracula, NBC (1.2); Sean Saves the World, NBC (1.3); Surviving Jack, Fox (1.3); Trophy Wife, ABC (1.3); Ironside, NBC (1.4); Michael J. Fox Show, NBC (1.4); and Intelligence, CBS (1.4).
This season, much like Revenge, which took a precipitous drop in women 18-49 viewers, Fox's The Following is also following in a similar path. Last season the Fox drama averaged a 1.8 rating among women 18-49. This season the demo rating is down to a 1.2. Once Fox's most-watched drama, The Following doesn't appear to have much of a future on the network.
To be fair to Revenge, last season it aired on Sunday night at 9, leading out of ABC's Once Upon a Time, which has a solid women 18-49 demo rating of 2.7. So yes, lead-ins do matter.
The same can be said for CBS drama series NCIS: Los Angeles, which the network moved to a new night and time period this season. Last season NCIS: Los Angeles, leading out of NCIS, averaged a 2.4 in the women 18-49 demo. That was helped in large part by the NCIS women 18-49 demo rating of 2.7. This season, NCIS: Los Angeles is averaging a 1.8, even though its new lead-in Scorpion is averaging a 2.2 in the female demo.
Other broadcast primetime series that have taken big dips in their women 18-49 demo ratings this season are ABC dramas Resurrection and Castle, NBC's About a Boy and Fox drama Sleepy Hollow.
Resurrection hit the ground running after premiering last spring and ended its first season averaging a 3.2 demo rating among women 18-49. However this season, before finishing its run, the series averaged just a 1.6 rating. Castle, which still has Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor as its lead-ins during different portions of the season, has dipped among women 18-49 from a 2.4 to a 1.9. About a Boy was leading out of NBC's The Voice on Tuesday night last season and averaged a 2.5 among women 18-49. This season without The Voice lead-in, About a Boy fell to a 1.3 rating in the female demo. Sleepy Hollow was considered to be a freshman series hit for Fox last season and averaged a 2.2 in the women 18-49 demo, but this season it fell to a 1.4.
So what are the most-watched new series this season in broadcast primetime among women 18-49? They are also among the most-watched TV series among all primetime shows. Fox's Empire, which just completed its limited first season run, averaged a non-sports-programming, broadcast-leading 6.3 rating among women 18-49. How to Get Away with Murder on ABC, which also just completed its first season, averaged a 3.4 rating in the demo and that was seventh best among all broadcast entertainment shows. ABC sitcom Black-ish is averaging a 2.7 rating in the female demo, CBS sitcom The Odd Couple is averaging a 2.6, CBS drama Scorpion a 2.2 and ABC drama Secrets and Lies, a 2.0.
What those numbers show is that if women 18-49 are watching in large numbers, a new show has a solid chance to not only succeed, but to be among the most viewed shows on television. If not, that shows chances are greatly diminished.
Among all primetime shows, dramas and comedies, this season, in second place behind Empire among women 18-49 is ABC's Scandal, which is averaging a 4.5 in the demo. Next is CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory (4.2); the Monday edition of The Voice (4.1) and Tuesday edition of The Voice (3.9); ABC's The Bachelor (3.5); ABC drama Grey's Anatomy (3.5); ABC sitcom Modern Family (3.4); ABC's Dancing with the Stars (2.9); and ABC drama Once Upon a Time (2.9), which actually increased its rating in the female demo this season.
Other dramas that draw well among the women 18-49 demo include Criminal Minds on CBS (2.7); NBC's The Blacklist (2.6); and CBS's NCIS and NCIS: New Orleans (both with a 2.4). NBC drama Chicago Fire is averaging a 2.1 in the demo.
Also pulling in a sizable women 18-49 audience is CBS reality series Survivor, which is averaging a 2.6 demo rating.
On the comedy side, other Top 10 shows among women 18-49 include ABC sitcom The Goldbergs (2.5); CBS comedy Two and a Half Men (2.4), which recently aired its series finale; ABC comedy The Middle (2.4); and CBS comedies Mike & Molly and
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
04/06/2026
Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p-compatible PTZ auto-frami...
04/06/2026
This recent grad from Spring, TX, led creative-video output for the Aggies' men's basketball team last season and has been producing video and creating ...
04/06/2026
For the first time at a women's golf major, every player in the field will r...
04/06/2026
Three Panasonic PT-RQ45 40,000-lumen 3-Chip DLP projectors made their first live...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin and Akamai have announced a collaboration with NRJ Group, a French mult...
04/06/2026
Telestream will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N7952), demonstrating media work...
04/06/2026
Sony has announced the development of RIALTO 65, a 65mm format image sensor block for the VENICE 2 digital cinema camera, targeting release in the first half of...
04/06/2026
KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N8025, June ...
04/06/2026
Bell Media's TSN and RDS are the exclusive Canadian broadcasters of FIFA Wor...
04/06/2026
The Challenge: Receiving Heavy Media Files From Road Games Quickly and ReliablyT...
04/06/2026
MASV, a managed file transfer platform used in broadcast and live sports product...
04/06/2026
NESN has announced the appointment of Fahad Haider as Vice President of Operations and Engineering. Haider returns to NESN, where he previously served as Vice P...
04/06/2026
David J. Halberstam, who spent almost 50 years in sports as a broadcaster and an executive, died June 2 after a years-long battle with brain cancer.
Over his l...
04/06/2026
Although collegiate production programs are tasked with delivering high-quality ...
04/06/2026
California studio, two production trucks, global distribution system are combine...
04/06/2026
New global program empowers and supports storytellers through scriptwriting course and access to industry experts
TikTok and Sundance Institute today announce...
04/06/2026
Steinberg DAWs now boast in-depth Tonalic integration
Celemony's innovative virtual session musician plug-in has just received an update that brings ARA...
04/06/2026
Get Hands-On With Over 20 Mic Brands
GearExpo UK is fast approaching, and if you've been looking for a chance to check out some new mics, then you'r...
04/06/2026
Combos feature new Amplifier Intelligence engine
Positive Grid's latest release sees the company introduce two new combo amplifiers that promise to offe...
04/06/2026
Is Your Job Making You Work this June?
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS Launches the World Cup Watchers' Rights Association to Stand Up For Australians&...
04/06/2026
Statement regarding unauthorised use of SBS logos on third party social content
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has become aware of social media posts in c...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming infrastructure, and Akamai, the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business onli...
04/06/2026
American Underground (AU), the Startup Hub of the South and a community of mor...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
NVIDIA and Microsoft Reinvent Windows PCs for the Age of Personal AI
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
RTX Spark - a 1-Petaflop Superchip, the Full...
04/06/2026
Inside the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Grade
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Simone Grattarola discusses shaping the look in DaVinci Resolve...
04/06/2026
Cine Gear Expo Announces 2026 Awards of Excellence Recipients
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Ed Lachman ASC, Caleb Deschanel ASC, and M. David M...
04/06/2026
St. Vincents Live with Orchestra Tour to Feature Berklee Alum Ruby Plume Berklee alumni St. Vincent and Ruby Plume will appear on the same bill across seven d...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
All the Truth in My Lies Coming to Netflix on August 28
Entertainment
04 June 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Download the imag...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Larry Tanz, VP of Content, EMEA, Delivers a Keynote Speech at ...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Turn Your Living Room into a Stadium With the New FIFA World ...
04/06/2026
Keeping conversations real on LinkedIn Published on Jun 4, 2026 Categories: Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Communications
Share
LinkedIn
Facebook ...
04/06/2026
BackStory follows four Irish young people as they travel back to their parents' homelands
Modern Irish identity is enriched by cultures and influences from...
04/06/2026
June's forecast with GeForce NOW: 100% chance of gaming.
GeForce NOW is lining up new adventures for the month, from big-name blockbusters to quirky indies...
03/06/2026
SES and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, have launched multi-orbit satellite inflight connectivity on Viva's Airbus aircraft. A total of 60 A320s ...
03/06/2026
The College Football Playoff, ESPN, and TNT Sports have announced kick times and...
03/06/2026
RED Digital Cinema will exhibit at Cine Gear Expo 2026 (Booth 33, June 5-6, Universal Studios Lot), hosting three panels and hands-on product demonstrations.
P...
03/06/2026
Roku has announced the Soccer Zone, a dedicated hub for FIFA World Cup 2026 content available across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argent...
While more media agencies are doing some deals based on 25-54 broadcast primetime ratings, the 18-49 demo is still the holy grail for marketers. And since primetime is watched by more women than men, women 18-49 viewers wield a little bit more influence when it comes to determining the fate of shows.
