NBC FINISHES #1 FOR THE FULL 52-WEEK 2014-15 PRIMETIME TELEVISION SEASON IN ADULTS 18-49, WINNING ITS SECOND STRAIGHT SEASON
Even Excluding Its Super Bowl Boost, NBC Claims the 2014-15 Crown in the Key 18-49 Demo
Additionally, NBC Ranks #1 for the Season in Adults 25-54, Adults 18-34 and All Key Adult-Male Demos
NBC Is Also Poised to Win the Summer of 2015 in 18-49, Its Fifth Summer Victory in a Row
NBC Generates Unbeaten Streaks in 18-49 of 10 Weeks in a Row -- Matching Its Best in 12 Years -- and Six Nights in a Row -- Equaling Its Best Without Olympics in 18 Years
NBC's 'Tonight Show' and 'Late Night' Dominate the Late-Night Season; 'Nightly News' and 'Today' Deliver #1 Rankings
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - Sept. 15, 2015 - NBC has clinched first place for the full 52-week 2014-15 primetime ratings season in the key demographic of adults 18-49, the network's second consecutive victory after going the prior nine seasons without a #1 finish.
In "most current" averages from Nielsen Media Research through Sept. 13, with one week left to count in the 52-week season, NBC is averaging a 2.1 rating in adults 18-49 to rank #1 for the season, holding an advantage that is virtually certain to stand when full 52-week averages are in.
Even taking NBC's boost from last February's Super Bowl out of the network's averages, NBC still wins the season in viewers 18-49 (with a 2.0 rating for NBC excluding the Super Bowl vs. a 1.9 each for ABC and CBS).
In adults 18-49, NBC has now won the fourth quarter three years in a row, the November sweep three years in a row and the February sweep two years in a row, and is poised to win a fifth summer in a row.
NBC has finished #1 or tied for #1 among the Big 4 networks during 28 weeks so far this season (L+SD), doubling the closest network, ABC with 12 weekly wins, including ties. CBS has won or tied for #1 during eight weeks and Fox has also won or tied during eight weeks. Note that the last time NBC aired a Super Bowl (2011-12), it won 11 weeks that season, three of which were Olympic weeks.
NBC's current unbeaten streak of 10 weeks in a row ranking #1 or tied for #1 in 18-49 matches the longest for any network in six years, since Fox won 17 weeks in a row in 2009 from the week of Feb. 2 to the week of May 25, 2009. The 10-week streak also equals NBC's longest in 12 years, since the network finished #1 or tied for #1 for 16 consecutive weeks in 2003 from the week of May 26 through the week of Sept. 8, 2003.
NBC also ranked #1 or tied for #1 among ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox for six consecutive nights from Sunday, Sept. 6 through Friday, Sept. 11, the network's longest nightly unbeaten streak without Olympic help in 22 months, since a six-night stretch from Sunday, Dec. 1-Friday, Dec. 6, 2013. The six-night unbeaten streak matches NBC's longest without an Olympic boost in nearly 18 years, since an eight-night streak from Thursday Oct. 16-Thursday Oct. 23, 1997.
In addition to NBC's season-long win in adults 18-49, the network also ranks #1 or tied for #1 for the season in adults 25-54, adults 18-34, and all key adults-male demos. In total viewers, NBC ranks #2 for the season (with or without the Super Bowl boost being counted in its average).
In adult 18-49 rating among Big 4 primetime programs, NBC's schedule includes the #1 series on the broadcast networks, "Sunday Night Football" (with an 7.6 rating, L+7); the #1 reality series, "The Voice" (4.0); and the #1 summer series, "America's Got Talent" (2.9, "most current").
Among the NBC series that have increased their audiences this season versus last were: "America's Got Talent" (+8%, 12.5 million vs. 11.5 million), "Chicago P.D." (+10%, 9.1 million vs. 8.2 million), "Law & Order: SVU" (+8%, 9.0 million vs. 8.3 million, for its most-watched season in five years), "American Ninja Warrior" (+22%, 7.2 million vs. 5.9 million) and "Dateline Mystery" (+11%, 5.5 million vs. 4.9 million).
It was also an exceptional season for NBC specials:
· February's Super Bowl, which averaged 114.4 million viewers in L+SD, making it the most-watched telecast in U.S. TV history.
· February's "SNL 40," NBC's top entertainment program, excluding post-Super Bowl shows, in 10 years and the most-watched "SNL" telecast in 22 years.
· December's "Peter Pan Live!," which delivered NBC's second-biggest non-sports Thursday in total viewers in more than five years.
· January's "Golden Globes," which outrated every "Globes" telecast from 2008 through 2012.
· November's "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade," which delivered the event's second-most-watched telecast (22.6 million) in 13 years.
Additionally, NBC ruled the season in late-night, with "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" and "Late Night with Seth Meyers" outdelivering their ABC and CBS time-period competition in every key ratings category. "Tonight" topped CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman" this season by a +104% margin in adults 18-49 rating (1.14 vs. 0.56, "most current," when Letterman's run concluded) and is beating ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" by +80% (1.10 vs. 0.61). Meyers leads CBS's "Late Late Show" by a +47% advantage (0.47 vs. 0.32) and "Nightline" in their head-to-head half-hour by +33% (0.52 vs. 0.39).
Last week, Fallon outdelivered the premiere week of CBS's "Late Night with Stephen Colbert" by a +28% margin in adults 18-49 and topped Colbert three of four nights in 18-49 and total viewers. Meyers beat CBS's "Late Late Show with James Corden" for the week by a +63% advantage in 18-49 and even outscored ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" by a +33% margin despite a start time of one hour later. Both Fallon and Meyers delivered their strongest weeks in 18-49 and total viewers since February.
NBC News is also generating #1 results, with "NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt" currently ranked #1 among evening newscasts in adults 18-49, adults 25-54 and total viewers, while "Today" leads the morning newscasts in adults 18-49.
NBC's primetime lineup is poised to win its fifth summer in a row in adults 18-49 and has only trailed any other Big 4 network all summer long during weeks when the competition benefited from an atypical sports-related ratings boost (NBA Finals on ABC and Women's World Cup on Fox). NBC has finished #1 among the Big 4 during 12 weeks this summer (including ties) while no other network has led more than five times.
NBC's summer programming highlights include:
· "America's Got Talent," the most-watched summer unscripted series for a 10th year in a row, generating its biggest total-viewer result in four years.
· "American Ninja Warrior," which has grown +10% versus last year in 18-49 (2.2 vs. 2.0) and +22% versus two years ago (2.2 vs. 1.8) and is delivering its most watched season ever (averaging 7.2 million viewers, up +22% from last year's 5.9 million).
· Time-period dominance among the Big 4 networks for "Last Comic Standing," "Running Wild with Bear Grylls, "I Can Do That" and "Hollywood Game Night," which are undefeated in their time periods versus regular Big 4 competition in 18-49.
· "Mr. Robinson" and "The Carmichael Show," the two most-watched summer-comedy launches in the past eight years (best since "Creature Comforts" on CBS in the summer of 2007).
2014-15 52-WEEK SEASON AVERAGES
>Average rating, share and audience in each category through Sunday, Sept. 13
ADULTS 18-49
NBC 2.1/7, 2.7 million
ABC 1.9/7, 2.5 million
CBS 1.9/6, 2.4 million
Fox 1.7/6, 2.1 million
CW 0.7/2, 0.9 million
Each rating point equals 1.27 million viewers
TOTAL VIEWERS
CBS 3.2/9, 9.5 million
NBC 2.6/7, 7.7 million
ABC 2.4/7, 7.1 million
Fox 1.7/5, 5.1 million
CW 0.6/2, 1.8 million
Each rating point equals 2.95 million viewers
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