The 2017 Miss USA pageant saw a significant decline in the broadcast ratings for the second straight year, according to Nielsen overnight data.
Airing on Fox from 8-10 p.m., the pageant drew an estimated 0.8 rating in adults 18-49 and 2.9 million viewers. Compared to last year (1.1, 4 million), that is a decline of over 27% in both key measures. Last year’s pageant was down a similar percentage compared to when it last aired on NBC in 2014. NBC cut ties with the pageant when they ended their relationship with Donald Trump, who formerly owned it, in 2015. Miss USA aired on cable channel Reelz that year.
Also on Sunday night, the two-hour Season 6 finale of “Once Upon a Time” (0.9, 3 million) ticked up in the demo compared to last week’s episode on ABC. The series is set to undergo a major reboot in the recently announced Season 7, with several main cast members departing.
On NBC, a new episode of “Little Big Shots” was even, while “Chicago Justice” (1.1, 5.6 million) rose slightly in the demo. “Shades of Blue” (0.9, 4.7 million) was up in both measures.
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For CBS, “60 Minutes” (1.0, 9.7 million) was up in the demo, as was “NCIS: Los Angeles” (1.1, 9.4 million). “Madam Secretary” (0.7, 7.8 million) and “Elementary” (0.6, 4.5 million) were even.
ABC aired the one-hour special “Once Upon a Time: The Final Battle Begins” (0.8, 2.9 million) before the season finale of “Once Upon a Time.”
Fox aired only the Miss USA pageant.
NBC finished first in the demo with a 1.0 but second in total viewers with 5.3 million. CBS finished second in the demo with a 0.9 but first in viewers with 7.8 million. ABC finished third overall with a 0.8 and 2.8 million. Fox came in fourth with a 0.6 and 2.3 million.
