or


[09/19/16 - 08:21 AM]
Sunday's Broadcast Ratings: NFL Sparks NBC, CBS Victory Over Emmys on ABC
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

Primetime Preliminary Fast National Nielsen Data
(includes all DVR playback through 3:00 am)

Here are the highlights of the 17 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (9/18/16):

NBC (18.369 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 6.6, #1) was the top draw on Sunday with week two of "Football Night in America #1" (6.901 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 2.1, #8), "Football Night in America #2" (10.419 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 3.5, #4), "Football Night in America #3" (15.708 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 5.4, #3) and "Sunday Night Football" (20.491 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 7.4, #1).

CBS (11.941 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 2.8, #2) then claimed the silver with its mix of "NFL Overrun" (19.280 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 5.7, #2), "60 Minutes" (14.243 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 3.4, #5), "The Case of: JonBenét Ramsey" (10.730 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 2.2, #7), a second "The Case of: JonBenét Ramsey" (9.846 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 2.0, #9) and a repeat "NCIS: Los Angeles" (6.609 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.2, #11).

Next up was ABC (8.850 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 2.2, #3) and its presentation of "Countdown to the Emmy Awards: Red Carpet Live" (6.344 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 1.3, #10) and "The 68th Primetime Emmy Awards" (9.686 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 2.5, #6).

And finally, repeats of "Bob's Burgers" (2.871 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 1.1, #12), another "Bob's Burgers" (1.813 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T14), "The Simpsons" (1.845 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T14), another "The Simpsons" (1.802 million viewers, #16; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T14), "Family Guy" (1.918 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.8, #13) and "The Last Man on Earth" (1.289 million viewers, #17; adults 18-49: 0.5, #17) closed out the night on FOX (1.923 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.8, #4).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+9.38% - Football Night in America #2
0.00% - Football Night in America #1
-1.33% - Sunday Night Football
-10.00% - Football Night in America #3

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
-12.94% - Sunday Night Football
-21.88% - The 68th Primetime Emmy Awards
-22.86% - Football Night in America #3
-23.91% - Football Night in America #2
-25.00% - Football Night in America #1


Here are the highlights of the 15 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (9/20/15):

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Due to NFL coverage, Fast Nationals for FOX from 7-8p and NBC for the night are approximate.]

NBC (7:30-11P) (21.121 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 7.7, #1) was still the network to beat on Sunday with its mix of "Football Night in America #1" (8.727 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 2.8, #7), "Football Night in America #2" (13.212 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 4.6, #5), "Football Night in America #3" (19.844 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 7.0, #3) and "Sunday Night Football" (22.958 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 8.5, #1).

The silver then went to FOX (12.577 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 4.1, #2) and its combination of "NFL Overrun" (22.455 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 8.0, #2), "The OT" (15.920 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 5.6, #4) and "The 67th Primetime Emmy Awards" (10.373 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 3.2, #6).

Next up was CBS (5.633 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.1, #3) and its quartet of "60 Minutes" (8.754 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.6, #9), "Big Brother 17" (6.767 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 1.8, #8), "Madam Secretary" (3.589 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T11) and "CSI: Cyber" (3.422 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T11).

And finally, repeats of "America's Funniest Home Videos" (3.690 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.7, #10), "Once Upon a Time" (1.845 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T13), another "Once Upon a Time" (1.562 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T13) and yet another "Once Upon a Time" (1.536 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T13) on ABC (2.158 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4) closed out the evening.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+16.67% - Football Night in America #1
+1.45% - Football Night in America #3
-7.61% - Sunday Night Football
-8.00% - Football Night in America #2
-18.18% - Big Brother 17

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+109.09% - Football Night in America #2
+75.00% - Football Night in America #1
+40.00% - Football Night in America #3
+18.06% - Sunday Night Football
-15.79% - The 67th Primetime Emmy Awards (vs. The 66th Primetime Emmy Awards (on 8/25/14))
-50.00% - Big Brother 17 (vs. 60 Minutes)

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [september 2016]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





most recent ratings | view all posts
[05/26/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of May 18 - In Ruthless Pursuit, "Nemesis" Steals No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
Retirement in "The Boroughs" is anything but sleepy as the Duffer Brothers-produced sci-fi series took No. 2 on the list with 5.6 million views.

[05/26/26 - 11:00 AM]
"Dutton Ranch" Is the Biggest Original Series Debut in Paramount+ History
In addition to its record-setting performance on Paramount+, "Dutton Ranch" is also the #1 streaming series according to Nielsen based on average audience for the week of May 11 according to preliminary data.

[05/21/26 - 02:32 PM]
ESPN Delivered Most-Watched NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 Since 2018
The New York Knicks overtime victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 19 generated an average audience of 7.1 million viewers and peaked with 8.87 million viewers at 10:45 p.m. ET.

[05/21/26 - 02:00 PM]
"Survivor" Historic 50th Season Concludes with Most-Watched Finale Since 2020
The season finale drew an average of 5.78 million viewers, based on Nielsen Preliminary panel only data.

[05/21/26 - 07:01 AM]
NBC Sports' 2026 SuperMotocross Coverage Delivers Viewership Gains and Milestones
The seven races featured on NBC and Peacock averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 468,000 viewers on NBC and Peacock, up 8% vs. 2025.

[05/20/26 - 03:05 PM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver the Most-Watched Western Conference Finals Game 1 Ever for Monday's Spurs-Thunder Double Overtime Thriller
Coverage peaked with 12.0 million viewers from 11:30-11:43 p.m. ET for the second overtime and game's conclusion.

[05/20/26 - 03:04 PM]
ESPN Aired Its Most Viewed 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round of the Current Rights Deal
Collectively all 11 Second Round games, with nine airing on ESPN and two on ABC, delivered 2.2 million viewers, up 76% year-over-year.

[05/20/26 - 07:36 AM]
After Record-Setting 2025 Season, "Sunday Night Football" Finishes Fall-Spring TV Season as Primetime's No. 1 Show for Unprecedented 15th Consecutive Year
The series averaged 23.5 million viewers in 2025, marking the show's best-ever viewership - up nearly 1 million viewers from the prior record for the series set a decade ago (22.6 million in 2015 season) and an increase of 9% over the '24 season (21.6 million).

[05/19/26 - 02:52 PM]
Subway Series Delivers Second Most-Watched FOX Saturday Baseball Telecast of the Season
2,500,000 viewers tuned-in to the two-game slate highlighted by the Mets' 6-3 victory over the Yankees in most of the country.

[05/19/26 - 02:01 PM]
Netflix Viewership Peaks with Nearly 17 Million Global Viewers for MVP MMA's Rousey vs. Carano, Averaging 12.4 Million Viewers Across the Triple Main Event
In the US, the triple-main card averaged 9.3 million viewers, peaking at 11.6 million viewers during Rousey vs. Carano.

[05/19/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of May 11 - "The Roast of Kevin Hart" Heats Up to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
True crime audiences also streamed the second season of "Worst Ex Ever," which rose to the No. 2 spot on the English TV list with 8.1 million views.

[05/19/26 - 07:07 AM]
TNT Sports Posts Its Most-Watched NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round Ever
Thursday's Game 5 of the Montreal/Buffalo series averaged 1.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched, Second Round, Game 5 on cable ever featuring a Canadian team.

[05/18/26 - 04:03 PM]
"The Rookie" Season 8 Finale Surges to Over 9 Million Total Viewers
Setting new records with its exceptional momentum this season, "The Rookie" finale earned an all-time streaming high for the series based on views over seven days on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

[05/15/26 - 02:03 PM]
ABC News Is #1 in Total Viewers on Sunday Morning, in Late-Night and on Friday Night
"20/20" saw week-to-week increases in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, hitting 4-week highs in both measures.

[05/14/26 - 10:07 AM]
"Rooster" Capped Off a Standout First Season, Becoming HBO's Most-Watched Comedy Debut in Over 15 Years
The series is averaging 6.5 million U.S. viewers per episode, with the finale reaching 2.2 million viewers in its first three days.