Following up last weeks average ratings performance The Ultimate Fighter looked to build some momentum for FX going into the weekends TUF Finale. Last nights show featured both Uriah Hall and Kelvin Gastelum moving onto the finals.
According to Nielsen sources, the twelfth episode of The Ultimate Fighter 17 ended up 7% lower than last week and tied for the lowest rating of the season.
The show finished with a preliminary rating of 1.09 million viewers and jumped up to 0.6 rating in the 18-49 adult demographic (slight drop from last week).
This lowered rating does not spell well for the TUF finale coming up this weekend. However, it should be noted TUF was the only FX show in the top-100 cable shows for the evening. Something that has been very rare this season. So that right there is a huge victory for the UFC.
When it came to the competition from the national networks in the 9 p.m. time-slot the UFC went up against a new episode of NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS, Dancing with the Stars on ABC, and New Girl on Fox. NCIS easily won the night with a huge 13.94 million viewers and a 2.6 18-49 adult demographic rating. DWTS’s dropped a bit to 11.82 million viewers, but lost out to New Girl which had a 2.2 vs 1.9 in the 18-49 adult demographic.
On the cable side of things at 9 p.m. time-slot, the UFC lost out again against TBS’s The Big Bang Theory, History Channels Counting Cars and TruTv’s Hardcore Pawn. The Big Bang Theory once again hit well over 2.8 million viewers and a 1.2 rating in the 18-49 adult demographic. Counting Cars and Hardcore Pawn both scored well over 2 million viewers and 0.9 ratings in the 18-49 adult demographics.
On an unrelated note, the WWE also had its annual pre-taped Hall of Fame ceremony on USA at 10 P.M. EST which landed at 1.63 million viewers and a 0.6 rating in the 18-49 adult demographic.