Ratings - "Shades of Blue" Captures NBC's Third-Biggest L+3 Viewer Increase Ever for a Series Premiere

[01/12/16 - 08:05 AM] "Shades of Blue" Captures NBC's Third-Biggest L+3 Viewer Increase Ever for a Series Premiere NBC further spins the numbers for Thursday, January 7.

[via press release from NBC]
"SHADES OF BLUE" CAPTURES NBC'S THIRD-BIGGEST L+3 VIEWER INCREASE EVER FOR A SERIES PREMIERE GROWS BY +4.0 MILLION VIEWERS IN L+3, MOVES AHEAD OF "AMERICAN IDOL" AS LAST THURSDAY'S #2 MOST-WATCHED BROADCAST The Jan. 7 premiere of "Shades of Blue" has grown by +58% in adult 18-49 rating going from "live plus same day" to "live plus three day" results from Nielsen Media Research (from a 1.81 to a 2.86) and by nearly +4.0 million persons in total viewers (8.6 million vs. 12.5 million). Among NBC new series premieres, "Shades of Blue" delivered the #3 biggest L+3 increase ever in total viewers (3.961 million), behind only "Blindspot" (4.587 million) and "The Blacklist" (+4.362 million). The L+3 viewership of 12.5 million moves "Shades" ahead of that night's Thursday season premiere of "American Idol" (11.8 million in L+3), making "Shades of Blue" the night's #2 most-watched telecast on the Big 4 networks. The 3.961 million increase was also the night's #2 biggest lift among primetime shows on the broadcast networks, narrowly behind CBS's "Big Bang Theory" (+4.031 million).

most recent ratings | view all posts

[10/03/25 - 02:17 PM]
ESPN's Record-Setting '25 MLB Wild Card Series
Across eight games, the MLB Wild Card Series is averaging 4.4 million viewers, up 65% from last year.

[10/03/25 - 12:07 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Continues to Shatter Records - Growing Two Weeks in a Row Since Season Premiere for First Time Since 2005
Plus: "High Potential" hit a season high in Total Viewers (4.24 million), growing by double digits over the show's comparable third episode from last fall.

[10/02/25 - 04:09 PM]
ESPN Delivers the Most-Watched WNBA Semifinals Ever
Game 5 between the Indiana Fever and the Las Vegas Aces averaged 1.8 million viewers, peaking at 2.1 million.

[10/02/25 - 02:51 PM]
ESPN's Record-Setting Day One of MLB Wild Card Series
Coverage of Red Sox versus Yankees averaged 6.5 million viewers, peaking at 9.9 million.

[10/02/25 - 11:00 AM]
"Survivor" and "The Amazing Race" Season Premieres Hit Their Largest 3-Day Streaming Viewerships Ever
The "Survivor" season 49 premiere grew to 6.83 million viewers with three days of multiplatform viewership; while "The Amazing Race" season 38 premiere grew to 4.01 million viewers.

[10/02/25 - 09:38 AM]
"Celebrity Wheel of Fortune" Scores on Friday Nights with Biggest Total Viewer Audience in Nearly Two Years
"Celebrity Wheel of Fortune" stood as the No. 1 program of the night, rising by double digits in Total Viewers over its previous season premiere.

[10/01/25 - 10:27 AM]
"Big Brother" Season Finale Is Most-Watched Episode in Over Three Years
The finale was up +33% from its year ago finale and up +33% from this season's average.

[09/30/25 - 03:44 PM]
ESPN and ABC Win College Football's Week 5; "College GameDay's" Most-Viewed Season Rolls On
ABC is off to its best start ever with 7.1 million average viewers per game, and the network has aired eight of the top 10 most-viewed games this season.

[09/30/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of September 22: "Wayward" Lures Viewers at No. 1, "KPop Demon Hunters" Sets Top 10 Record
New on Netflix this week is "House of Guinness," a historical drama series created by Steven Knight, which debuted at No. 3 on the English TV list with 5.2 million views.

[09/30/25 - 10:24 AM]
"High Potential" Season Premiere Vaults to Nearly 16 Million in First Week Across Platforms
This marks ABC's best season premiere for a drama among Total Viewers in five years.

[09/29/25 - 06:06 AM]
ESPN's 2025 MLB Game Viewership Up 21 Percent from Last Year
Coverage delivered 1.8 million viewers on average across 30 games this season.

[09/26/25 - 01:11 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Week Two Delivers Over 5 Million Total Viewers Rising Over Season Premiere for First Time in 14 Years
Once again, the show led its time period and stood as the No. 1 show of the night in Total Viewers (5.46 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.02 rating).

[09/25/25 - 02:05 PM]
Viewers Have Watched More Than 8 Billion Minutes of "Big Brother" This Summer - Up +27% from Last Year
Multiplatform average episode viewership grew to 5.1 million, up +23% versus last year in 35-days of viewing, outpacing the competition.

[09/24/25 - 02:47 PM]
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" Returned on Tuesday to 6.26 Million Total Viewers on Broadcast, According to Initial Live+Same Day Measurement
In addition to linear ratings, the monologue has garnered more than 26 million views across YouTube and social platforms.