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
[10/23/26 - 03:54 PM]
ESPN's NBA Opening Wednesday Delivered Its Second-Largest Audience Ever
The Minnesota Timberwolves' victory over the Miami Heat averaged 2.52 million viewers, up 16% from last year's comparable game.

[10/23/26 - 03:25 PM]
USA Sports Delivers Most-Watched WNBA Finals Game 3 Since 1999, Best Ever on Cable
1.71 million viewers on average tuned into Wednesday night's Game 3 coverage across USA Sports' linear platforms (USA Network and CNBC) and streaming on Peacock.

[10/23/26 - 08:30 AM]
Record College Football Viewership Propels ESPN to Second Best Start Since 2011 with "College GameDay" on Track for Most-Watched Season Ever
ESPN networks are averaging 2.2 million viewers across 120 games on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU - the second-best start for ESPN since 2011.

[10/22/26 - 04:01 PM]
ABC News Wins Across Friday Night, Sunday Morning and Late-Night
"20/20: The Suitcase Murders" ranked as Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, and Adults 18-49.

[10/22/26 - 04:00 PM]
CBS Dominates Its Premiere Week in Seven-Day Multiplatform Viewership, Up +14% from Last Year, with Six Series Topping 10 Million Viewers
Among its broadcast competition, CBS claimed eight of the top 10 series.

[10/22/26 - 02:50 PM]
NBC Sports Delivers Most-Watched NBA Tip-Off Primetime Game Ever with 76ers-Knicks
Viewership peaked at 9.1 million - an NBA Tip-Off record - from 9:45-10:00 pm ET as the 76ers clinched the victory.

[10/22/26 - 02:00 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Waltzes to Season High During Heartfelt "Dedication Night" with 7.36 Million Total Viewers
The October 20 episode hit a season high with the show's best non-finale episode in six years.

[10/21/26 - 04:01 PM]
USA Sports' Coverage of Dream-Valkyries Game 2 Is Most-Watched WNBA Finals Game 2 Ever on Cable
Monday night's coverage averaged 1.33 million viewers across USA Sports' linear platforms (USA Network, CNBC and E!).

[10/21/26 - 03:15 PM]
It's Back to School at "Abbott Elementary" as Show Returns with Over 6 Million Total Viewers
The premiere episode scored the show's best streaming performance since Season 4, based on views over seven days on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

[10/21/26 - 02:31 PM]
Commanders-49ers on "Monday Night Football" Delivers 17.9 Million Viewers
Six weeks into ESPN's Super Bowl LXI season, "Monday Night Football" is up 23% compared to the same point in 2025, averaging 19 million viewers.

[10/21/26 - 11:01 AM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of October 12
"Carrie," "Neagley," "Reacher," "Off Campus," and "Sterling Point" led all original series worldwide.

[10/21/26 - 06:39 AM]
NFL Network's London Slate Culminates with 6.4M Viewers for Jaguars-Texans
Season to date, through three games in London, NFL Network is averaging 6.9M viewers, up 15% vs. the network's six-game International Series average last season.

[10/21/26 - 06:30 AM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver Most-Watched WNBA Finals Game 1 Ever
Led by Gabby Williams' 26 points, Golden State's 68-64 win over Atlanta peaked at 3.0 million viewers for the game's exciting conclusion from 5:45 - 5:55 p.m. ET.

[10/20/26 - 03:19 PM]
"College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" Delivers Its Third Most-Watched Regular-Season Episode Ever from BYU
ESPN networks had 3 of the top 4 games this week, the second most-watched regular season Saturday on record (based on minutes).

[10/20/26 - 03:08 PM]
Ohio State's Win Over Indiana Scores Most-Watched College Football Game of the Week
Viewership peaked at 14,269,000 viewers from 3:30-3:45 PM ET on FOX.