• by Wayne Friedman , May 9, 2012

With just a couple of weeks left in the broadcast year, the most current season-to-date ratings for the five major English-language broadcast networks ratings are down an average 7% versus a year ago among key advertiser-targeted 18-49 viewers.

Five networks –- ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and the CW -- are pulling in a collective average Nielsen live plus same day 12.58 million viewers in primetime. A year ago this was 13.69 million. 

Through May 5, Fox, in prime time, is averaging an industry-leading Nielsen live-plus-same-day 2.5 rating among 18-49 viewers -- down from a 2.8 rating the year ago. In actual average 18-49 viewership, Fox is down 13% to around 3.24 million. 

Much of Fox’s decline comes from significant lower ratings for its big show “American Idol.” “Idol”’s key performance show is averaging a 5.4 rating – down from its 8.0 average rating a year ago. So to has its results show show taken a hit -- now averaging a 4.8 number, a steep drop from its 6.9 number of a year ago. Long time, now departing drama, “House” is lost ground as well -- a 2.4 rating among 18-49 viewers from a 3.0 rating a year ago.

-CBS is now in a closer second place to Fox -- just a tenth of a rating point behind at a 2.4 average. Overall, CBS is down just 3%, averaging 3.09 million viewers in prime time. “Big Bang Theory” is up year-to-year, to a 4.4 rating from a 3.6 a year ago. “Two and a Half Men” is up as well -- to  a 4.3 from a 3.6.

NBC also kept its losses to a minimum --only down 4% so far to 2.77 million 18-49 viewers in prime time. This is mostly the result of still-high ratings from the NFL’s “Sunday Night Football” -- now at an average 8 rating, the same number as a year ago. There is mounting evidence that “SNL” will be the highest-rated prime-time series of the broadcast season this year, replacing “Idol” in that top position.

NBC continues to find stability from “The Voice,” just behind “Idol” at a 5.3 average rating. The network also was helped this year from an extra weekly episode of “The Voice,” averaging its 3.3 rating.

ABC is down 7% among 18-49 viewers at a 2.2 rating and 2.69 million (versus 2.88 million a year ago).“Dancing with the Stars” took some heavy losses, with its performance show at a 3.2 -- a drop from a 4.5 rating. Its results episode is also off, averaging a 2.9 -- down from a 3.6. But “Modern Family” is now at a 4.1 rating, almost half a rating point higher than a year ago at a 3.7.

The CW is down 21% among the 18-49 crowd, averaging 790,000 viewers at a 0.6 rating. Looking at its core younger audience -- women 18-34 -- CW is down 20% to 303,000 (a 0.9 rating). All its 18-34 viewers sank 25%, dropping to 436,000.