Summertime escapism in the form of talent and game shows ruled on broadcast TV, with “60 Minutes” the exception

LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer

June 16, 2020, 10:50 PM

2 min read

LOS ANGELES -- Summertime escapism in the form of talent and game shows ruled on broadcast TV, with “60 Minutes” the exception.

“America's Got Talent” on NBC was the most-watched show last week, according to Nielsen company ratings out Tuesday. But the No. 2 slot was claimed by CBS' long-running news magazine, which included reports on the pandemic's effect on colleges and on a 1921 attack that wreaked havoc on a black Oklahoma community.

“60 Minutes Presents,” a compilation of revisited wildlife stories, also made the top five.

Meanwhile, cable viewers kept their eye on COVID-19 and the aftermath of police-related killings, with Fox News Channel once again the most-watched cable outlet, followed by MSNBC and CNN.

For the week, CBS averaged 3.8 million viewers and NBC was second with 3.3 million. ABC had 2.9 million viewers, Fox had 1.8 million, Univision had 1.4 million, ION Television had 1.2 million, Telemundo had 890,000 and CW had 610,000.

Fox News averaged 3.2 million viewers for the week. MSNBC had 1.8 million, CNN had 1.6 million, HGTV had 1.3 million and TLC had 1.2 million.

“World News Tonight” drew an average of 8.8 million viewers. NBC’s “Nightly News” was second among the evening newscasts with a 7.7 million average, followed by the “CBS Evening News” with 5.4 million.

For the week of June 8-14, the top 20 prime-time shows, their networks and viewerships:

1. “America’s Got Talent,” NBC, 8.6 million.

2. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 7.9 million.

3. “NCIS,” CBS, 5.9 million.

4. “60 Minutes Presents,” CBS, 5.7 million.

5. “FBI,” CBS, 5.3 million.

6. “Celebrity Family Feud,” ABC, 5.3 million.

7. “Young Sheldon,” CBS, 5.2 million.

8. “Man With a Plan,” CBS, 5 million.

9. “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” ABC, 4.7 million.

10. “Mom,” CBS. 4.5 million.

11. “Tucker Carlson Tonight” (Thursday), Fox News, 4.4 million.