Gotham Catches Supergirl in The Ratings

I guess we’re seeing why FOX decided as a channel and company decided to abandon the Live+Same Day ratings, and focus only on the +3 and +7 ratings that include delayed viewing on DVR, On Demand, and Streaming. In both of those latter metrics in the last few weeks, FOX’s Gotham tied fellow WBTV DC Entertainment series Supergirl, which airs on CBS at the same time, 8pm on Mondays.

It’s a big deal, both for FOX in general, and for Gotham specifically. FOX clearly sees a substantial audience in the delayed viewing category, and it’s changing the game for the network, allowing them to much more directly compete with the “big three” networks. CBS is the annual ratings winner overall, so for FOX this is even sweeter.

For Gotham it’s a little more of a mixed bag. We, along with many others, questioned why WBTV wouldn’t push CBS and FOX to come up with different timeslots for their pair of shows; while they are pitting Batman versus Superman on the big screen in the Spring, they would probably prefer their two series to compliment, rather than compete with each other. Still, it can be seen as nothing other than wonderful for Gotham that it hit a 2.1 in Live+3, for the November 23, 2015 episode, exactly tying Supergirl, and hit a 2.7 in the Live+7 ratings for the November 9, 2015 episode, again demonstrating the tie. That could mean it’ll even surpass its super younger cousin in the following weeks’ Live+7 as those roll in.

This week’s ratings, boosted by the mid-season finale status and the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice tease, should be very interesting for Gotham, as well. We’ll be interested in the Live+SD, even if FOX no longer is.