'The Amazing Race' Hits Low Ratings on CBS (Analysis)
CBS moved 'The Amazing Race' from its usual Sunday night slot to Friday where the risk of cancellation is higher than any other night. How is 'The Amazing Race' doing in a new slot to this date?
The new spring cycle of 'The Amazing Race' premiered with a special 90-minutes episode on Wednesday, February 25, before moving to its regular slot on Fridays 8PM. These are the results:
'The Amazing Race' Cycle 26
(target group 18-49, live+SD. Source: The Nielsen Company)
| Date | Time | # of persons 18-49 | rating 18-49 | vs. CBS that week | # of persons 2+ | rating 2+ | vs. CBS that week | # of households | rating HH | vs. CBS that week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special - Wednesday 2/25 | 9:30-11:00 | 1.9 mil. | 1.5 | -0.1 | 6.2 mil. | 2.1 | -1.0 | 4.3 mil. | 3.7 | -2.0 |
| Friday 2/27 | 8:00-9:00 | 1.4 mil. | 1.1 | -0.5 | 6.1 mil. | 2.1 | -1.0 | 4.4 mil. | 3.8 | -1.9 |
| Friday 3/6 | 8:00-9:00 | N/A | 1.2 | N/A | 6.2 mil. | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
'The Amazing Race' underperformed on CBS’s average ratings for week #23 even with their Wednesday special and Friday regular time slot premiere. Next week it rose 0.1 point in ad-relevant 18-49 demo, but lost to ABC's 'Shark Tank' which moved back to an earlier 8PM time slot achieving 1.9 rating.
The show is in line with the previous fall 2014 season when it averaged from 1.0 to 1.4 ratings in the target demographic with episodes 4 to 12 (data for prior weeks were adjusted after technical errors, so they aren't considered).
'The Amazing Race' Cycle 25, Episodes 4-12
(target group 18-49, live+SD. Source: The Nielsen Company)
Moving 'The Amazing Race' from Sundays to Fridays weakened the shows results. There are two main reasons: Friday has always been a weak evening compared to Sunday-Thursday due to viewers watching less linear TV, preferring DVRs or non-television entertainment. Second 'The Amazing Race' lost viewers naturally by the show getting older. Cycle 19 in fall 2011 averaged 11.1 million viewers (2+) and a 3.3 rating in 18-49 demo while the last 26th cycle lost 3.5 million viewers and 1.6 rating points in the demoraphic.
Season Averages
(target group 18-49, live+7. Source: The Nielsen Company)
| Season | Day+time | rating 18-49 | vs. CBS | # of persons 2+ | vs. CBS | rating HH | vs. CBS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011/2012 (Cycle 19) | Sunday, various times | 3.3 | +0.3 | 11.1 mil. | -0.7 mil. | 6.7 | -0.7 |
| 2011/2012 (Cycle 20) | Sunday 8:00 | 3.0 | 0 | 10.3 mil. | -1.5 mil. | 6.0 | -1.4 |
| 2012/2013 (Cycle 21) | Sunday 8:00 | 3.1 | +0.2 | 10.7 mil. | -1.1 mil. | 6.5 | -0.8 |
| 2012/2013 (Cycle 22) | Sunday 8:00 | 2.8 | -0.1 | 10.2 mil. | -1.6 mil. | 6.0 | -1.3 |
| 2013/2014 (Cycle 23+24) | Sunday 8:00 | 2.3 | -0.1 | 9.5 mil. | -1.1 mil. | 5.8 | -0.9 |
| 2014/2015 (Cycle 25+26)* | Friday 8:00 | 1.7 | -0.7 | 7.6 mil. | -4.0 mil. | 4.6 | -2.6 |
* preliminary data for season through March 1, 2015
