Getting ready to rock at the ‘CMAs’
The awards show will be ABC's top program of the week
November 4, 2015
At a time on broadcast when even the most reliable shows post a 3.0 adults 18-49 Nielsen rating or below, live events such as tonight’s “Country Music Association Awards” on ABC can give a network a huge lift.
The “CMAs” will undoubtedly be ABC’s top show of the week – usual top program “Modern Family,” which is being preempted tonight, is averaging a 2.9 in 18-49s this season.
The “CMAs” drew a 4.5 last year. This year the show will face much tougher competition against Fox’s “Empire,” broadcast’s top scripted show.
But even if ratings drop, the “CMAs” should still give ABC a nice boost in its weekly average as the first week of the November sweep period wraps up.
The show has a strong lineup of singers, with hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood headlining for the eighth straight year.
Performers will include Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, Reba McEntire, Keith Urban, Florida Georgia Line, the Zac Brown Band and many more.
And, in an effort to give the show crossover appeal to draw in non-country fans, there will be a slew of pop stars performing as well, including Fall Out Boy and Justin Timberlake. That gambit worked last year, when Ariana Grande was among the performers and ratings rose year-to-year by double-digit percentages among kids and teens.
A look at this week’s top TV draws |
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4 |
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Time |
Network |
Program |
Description |
8 p.m. |
ABC |
“CMA Awards” (A) |
Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley host the 49th annual awards ceremony. |
8 p.m. |
ESPN |
“NBA Basketball” (S) |
The Knicks take on LeBron James and the Cavaliers in Cleveland. |
9 p.m. |
Fox |
“Empire” (D) |
Lucious and Cookie attempt to put their differences aside for the good of the family. |
9 p.m. |
Lifetime |
“Little Women: LA” (R) |
Part two of the season-ending reunion episode, followed by a “Lost Footage” episode. |
10 p.m. |
FXX |
“The League” (C) |
Pete deals with his commitment issues, and Taco tries to enjoy his new bank job. |
11 p.m. |
TLC |
“Late Night Joy” (T) |
Series premiere. New talk show hosted by Joy Behar from her apartment in New York. |
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5 |
|||
Time |
Network |
Program |
Description |
8 p.m. |
CBS |
“The Big Bang Theory” (C) |
The comedy moves back to its Thursday night timeslot. |
8:25 p.m. |
NFL Network |
“Thursday Night Football” (S) |
The first non-CBS Thursday game of the season features Cleveland and Cincinnati. |
9 p.m. |
Lifetime |
“Project Runway” (R) |
Season finale. The designers make final adjustments to their collections before the winner is selected. |
10 p.m. |
WE tv |
“Selling It: In the ATL” (R) |
Series premiere. New real estate reality show set in Atlanta. |
10 p.m. |
CMT |
“I Love Kellie Pickler” (R) |
Series premiere. Reality series following the country singer and her husband. |
10 p.m. |
CBS |
“Elementary” (D) |
Season premiere. Holmes faces criminal charges following his relapse. |
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6 |
|||
Time |
Network |
Program |
Description |
3 a.m. |
Netflix |
“Master of None” (C) |
Series premiere. New comedy starring former “Parks and Recreation” actor Aziz Ansari. |
8 p.m. |
Fox |
“MasterChef Junior” (R) |
Season premiere. Season starts with 24 contestants making a burger and a side dish. |
9 p.m. |
ABC |
“Shark Tank” (R) |
The sharks hear a pitch from Jimmy Kimmel and his sidekick Guillermo. |
9 p.m. |
Animal Planet |
“Restoration Wild” (R) |
Series premiere. Aging structures are remodeled for new uses. |
9 p.m. |
Fox |
“World’s Funniest” (C) |
Season premiere. Ross Matthews, Natasha Leggero and Josh Wolf serve on the panel. |
10 p.m. |
CNBC |
“American Greed” (N) |
Season finale. The story of a New York stockbroker who got $140 million out of investors. |
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7 |
|||
Time |
Network |
Program |
Description |
12 p.m. |
ABC |
“College Football” (S) |
A very solid Pittsburgh team hosts traditional power Notre Dame. |
12:30 p.m. |
NBC |
“Premier League Soccer” (S) |
Struggling Chelsea tries to get its season back on track at Stoke City. |
3:30 p.m. |
Fox |
“College Football” (S) |
A key Big 12 matchup between TCU and Oklahoma State. |
8 p.m. |
Hallmark Channel |
“Ice Sculpture Christmas” (M) |
Romance blooms within a team at a holiday ice-sculpting contest. |
8 p.m. |
CBS |
“College Football” (S) |
Alabama hosts LSU in a huge SEC game. |
9 p.m. |
Reelz |
“Jackie Kennedy: Behind Closed Doors” (N) |
New documentary profile of former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. |
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8 |
|||
Time |
Network |
Program |
Description |
2 p.m. |
NBC |
“NASCAR Racing” (S) |
The Sprint Cup AAA Texas 500 in Fort Worth. |
7:30 p.m. |
Fox Sports 1 |
“Major League Soccer” (S) |
The first game of a conference semifinals doubleheader, teams to be determined. |
8 p.m. |
Starz |
“Flesh and Bone” (D) |
Series premiere. New drama set in the world of ballet in New York City. |
8:20 p.m. |
NBC |
“Sunday Night Football” (S) |
An NFC East game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. |
9 p.m. |
TNT |
“Agent X” (D) |
Series premiere. Sharon Stone stars as the Vice President in this new drama about a top secret agent. |
10 p.m. |
HBO |
“Getting On” (C) |
Season premiere. New season picks up eight months after the corporate hospice scandal. |
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show. |
Tags: abc, cma awards, cmas, COUNTRY, country music association awards, tv this week, wednesday tv this week
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