’24: Legacy’ gets smallest post-Super Bowl audience in 14 years after late start

[ntscuser]

The overtime game that thrilled football fans in Super Bowl LI also drove down the ratings for the premiere of “24: Legacy” after the game.



The Super Bowl ended around 10:25 p.m. with the New England Patriots scoring the winning touchdown in overtime. Then came the postgame show, which pushed the start of “Legacy” back to 11 p.m. ET/8 PT.

The premiere delivered 17.6 million viewers and a 6.1 rating in adults 18-49. The total audience was the smallest since an episode of “Alias” drew 17.36 million in 2003 (it also started after 11 p.m. ET).

The 11 p.m. start was the third-latest for the program after the game and postgame. “Alias” in 2003 and CBS’ “Elementary” in 2013 each started at 11:15 p.m ET.

The 6.1 in adults 18-49 was the lowest for a post-Super Bowl show since at least 1988. The previous low was a 7.7 for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” last year.

FOX notes that the premiere was the highest-rated series debut on a broadcast network since “2 Broke Girls” drew a 7.1 (behind Ashton Kutcher’s debut on “Two and a Half Men”) in 2011 and is the highest-rated entertainment show so far this season.

FOX says because of the late start time, DVR and on-demand viewing may be higher than typical for a post-Super Bowl show. “24: Legacy” moves to its regular home on the network Monday night.