Who Won the Last Leap Day in Broadcast Ratings?

Saturday is Feb. 29, a.k.a. Leap Day, the holiday (of sorts) that only happens once every four years. That 1,460-day gap means many TV series don’t even make it from one Leap Day to the next.

Before we celebrate our extra day of February, TheWrap’s curiosity led us to look back at what broadcast network and which show won the last Leap Day, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Nielsen’s Live + Same Day ratings?

Led by “The Voice,” NBC topped that evening’s primetime (8 p.m. to 11 p.m.) in total-viewer averages. The exact same line could be said about this past Monday night, though the specific numbers are significantly lower just four years later. How the landscape has truly changed…

What doesn’t hold is the fact that NBC also won back then among adults 18-49, the demographic most coveted by company’s advertising on entertainment programming, with “The Voice” as the evening’s highest-rated show. These days, that distinction now belongs to “The Bachelor,” which led ABC to a Monday win this week.

*Also Read:* Why Former Viacom CFO's Huge Univision Deal Makes Sense: Just Look at TV Ratings

NBC won Feb. 29, 2016 with a 2.9 rating and 11.2 million viewers.

ABC was second in the key demo with a 2.0 rating, but third in total viewers with 7.2 million.

CBS and Fox tied for third in ratings among adults 18-49, both with a 1.4 rating. CBS’ average of 7.9 million total viewers placed it second in overall audience, while Fox brought up the rear among the so-called “Big 4” broadcasters with 4 million.

As stated above, “The Voice” was that night’s highest-rated and most-watched show, averaging a 3.4 rating and 13.3 million total viewers from 8 to 10 p.m. “Blindspot” at 10 had a 1.8 and 6.8 million viewers.

*Also Read:* Why Discovery Won't Sell Content to Peacock, Other Streaming Services

For ABC, “The Bachelor” from 8-10 posted a 2.5 and 8.2 million viewers. “Castle” at 10 p.m. closed primetime with a 1.1 and 5.3 million viewers.

On CBS, “Supergirl” at 8 p.m. got a 1.4 and 6.7 million viewers. “Scorpion” at 9 p.m. drew a 1.5 and 9.2 million viewers. At 10 p.m., “NCIS: Los Angeles” had a 1.2 and 7.9 million viewers.

For Fox, “Gotham” at 8 p.m. got a 1.5 rating and 4.1 million viewers. “Lucifer” at 9 p.m. received a 1.3 and 3.9 million viewers.

The CW wasn’t really a factor, finishing behind Spanish-language broadcasters Univision and Telemundo with a lineup of “Jane The Virgin” and “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.”

*Also Read:* 10 Highest and 11 Lowest-Rated Primetime Series Among College-Educated Viewers

Of those series that aired on Leap Day 2016, reality competitions “The Voice” and “The Bachelor” and procedural “NCIS: Los Angeles” remain on TV on their original platforms. After already being banished to Fridays in 2017, former fall hit “Blindspot” is now sentenced to wrap up this summer with its fifth and final season.

“Supergirl” was moved to The CW ahead of its second season in 2016 and “Lucifer” was canceled by Fox in May 2018 and revived by Netflix a month later.

The others were just straight-up canceled, for one reason or another.

Hope you enjoyed that little trip back in our time machine — enjoy your Leap Day 2020! It’ll be a long time until the next one, when we can guarantee that both TV and its audience measurement will look a hell of a lot different than they do today.

*Related stories from TheWrap:*

'The Masked Singer' Beats NBC's 'Chicago' Crossover in Demo Ratings – But Not in Viewers

Discovery Tops Q4 Earnings Expectations Despite Lower Ratings, Continued Cord-Cutting

CBS Dominates in Early Ratings With Dem Debate Topping 13 Million Viewers