Invasion! Crossover Ratings: Did The CW's Superhero Event Pay Off?

Let's talk The CW superhero crossover ratings! How many people watched the DC's Heroes v Aliens Invasion! event? Here's the break down of how many people tuned into each episode, from most to least watched:

• The Flash: 4.2 million, 1.5 in key demo
• Arrow: 3.5 million, 1.3 in key demo
• Supergirl: 3.5 million, 1.1 in key demo
• Legends of Tomorrow: 3.33 million, 1.1 in key demo

I think we can all agree that The CW's four-way crossover (or, let's be honest, three-way crossover, with a Supergirl kicker) paid off big time for the network, not only in total viewers, but in that all-important key demo. The crossover event brought eyes to the smallest of the Big Five networks at a time when its ratings are slipping, TV audiences are more fractured than ever, and its hard to break through the cacophony of media news.

Something tells me this won't be the last time we see these superheroes team up...

Legends of Tomorrow Ratings

Though Legends of Tomorrow was the least-watched of the CW crossover installments, it garnered its best ratings ever, drawing in 3.33 million viewers in total for an 80-percent increase from its last episode.

The lowest-rated of the CW superhero shows, Legends of Tomorrow also saw a bump in the key demo rating, snagging a 1.1., which represented an 83-percent increase over its last episode. Though "Invasion!" was technically the most-watched episode of Legends of Tomorrow ever, its key demo rating was just short of the series premiere's 1.2.

What did we think of Legends of Tomorrow "Invasion!"? Read our review of the episode.

Arrow Crossover Ratings

Arrow's crossover installment had even more pressure than its CW superhero counterparts. "Invasion!" was not only the third part to the four-way crossover, but the show's 100th episode. Did that translate into better ratings? Let's look at the numbers...

Arrow pulled in its best ratings in a year with "Invasion!", drawing 3.52 million viewers in total and scoring a 1.3 rating in the key demo. This was an 86-percent increase in 18-49s from its latest regular-week ratings.

While the episode was down a tenth (13 percent) from The Flash's crossover episode, it was the highest-rated episode of Arrow this season. In fact, it was the highest-rated Arrow episode since last December's crossover episode, which I think we can all agree means that the CW superhero shows should cross over every other week, right?

What did we think of Arrow "Invasion!"? Read our review of the episode.

The Flash Crossover Ratings

We've got numbers on the second episode of The CW's crossover special extravaganza. How did The Flash do? 

Continuing the trend that started with Supergirl's episode, The Flash saw a surge in its normal ratings. Already the highest-rated of the CW superhero shows, The Flash saw an increase of 39 percent in total viewers and 36 percent in the key demo rating.

What does this mean in terms of numbers? Well, 4.09 million people tuned in to watch The Flash "Invasion!", which earned the episode a 1.5 key demo rating. These were easily season highs for Barry Allen and its best audience since February 16th's "Escape From Earth-2."

What did we think of The Flash"Invasion!"? Read our review of the episode.

How DC's Superhero Universe Crossover Took Flightby denofgeek

Supergirl Crossover Ratings

The CW crossover got off to a strong start, withSupergirl hitting its best CW numbers ever. "Medusa" garnered 3.5 million viewers in total (a Supergirl on The CW best) and got a 1.1. in the key advertising demo rating of 18 to 49-year-olds (matching its CW debut and Gotham's fall finale on Fox). This was a 33 percent bump in total viewers and a 20 percent bump in the key demo.

It also seems relevant to note that, while Supergirl was technically the start of the four-part crossover event, it was much more of a Supergirl-specific episode, with Barry and Cisco only popping in at the very end to say hello. It will be interesting to see if the more crossover-intensive installments of the event see more of a ratings bump. (Especially Legends of Tomorrow, which is the least-watched of the four shows and comes at the end of the crossover event.)

The true test for Supergirl will be if the show holds onto any new audience members from the larger CW superhero-verse following the crossover event. It's done relatively well since its move to The CW from CBS. Though its ratings have fallen, that's to be expected when you go from the most-watched of the Big Five TV networks to the least-watched one.

It's worth noting that The CW is playing a different game than CBS, concentrating much more intensely on the millennial demographic vs. the entirety of the 18-49 key demo. So far, Supergirl has done well in the 18-49s and is the second-highest rated show on the network, just behind its friend The Flash.

What did we think of Supergirl "Medusa"? Read our review here.

CW Crossover Ratings

Be sure to check back here for crossover ratings updates after Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow air.