ABC’s broadcast of Nik Wallenda’s highwire walk at Niagara Falls claimed significant ratings Friday night, qualifying as the most-watched non-sports summertime major network telecast since at least 2006.
PHOTOS: Summer TV Preview 2012
From 9-11 p.m., Megastunts: Highwire Over Niagara Falls attracted 10.1 million viewers, more than double the 4.7 million viewers who watched NBC’s two-hour Dateline.
The coverage of Megastunts gave ABC a huge margin for victory over its nearest competitors in multiple categories including total viewers (8.7 million vs. CBS’ 4.6 million), adults 18-49 (2.1/8 vs. NBC’s 1.0/4) and adults 25-54 (2.6/8 vs. NBC’s 1.2/4). The ratings earned the network its most-watched Friday since November 2007, and attracted its biggest audience in the two-hour time period in more than five and a half years.
