CBS Has Largest Audience, Most 18-49 and 25-54 Adults; Fox Has Most 18-34 Adults

Even with CSI still waiting in the wings, CBS staged a resounding win for the second week of the new 2008-9 season from September 29 - October. CBS had the largest audience, the most adults 18-49 and adults 25-54. Fox edged NBC for the most adults 18-34 for the week with ABC and CBS close behind.

CBS’s average viewership of 11.08 million beat ABC by a 1.85 million viewers. NBC with 7.3 million and Fox with 6.45 million were well behind. For demo adults 18-49 it was CBS over NBC by 4.16 million to 3.69 million with ABC (3.65 million) close behind. For adults 25-54 it was CBS over ABC by 5.04 million to 4.15 million viewers, with NBC close behind in third (4.02 million) and Fox (3.40 million) fourth. In adults 18-34, Fox edged ABC by 60,000, winning with 1.65 million to 1.59 million, ABC and CBS finished a close thirdand fourth with 1.47 million and 1.46 million respectively.

Univision was fifth across the board, and the CW was sixth across the board, typical of last season.

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Nielsen TV Ratings Data: ©2008 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.

In a resounding win on the first week of the new 2008-9 season, ABC had the largest audience and the most adults 18-49 and adults 25-54 for the week of September 22-28. NBC edged ABC for the most adults 18-34 for the week.

ABC’s average viewership of 12.26 million beat CBS by a million viewers. NBC with 8.31 million and Fox with 7.50 million were well behind. For demo adults 18-49 it was ABC over NBC by 5.03 million to 4.40 million with CBS (4.06 million) and Fox (3.96 million) in a close race for third. For adults 25-54 it was ABC over CBS by 5.56 million to 5.04 million viewers, with NBC third (4.50 million) and Fox (4.00 million) fourth. In adults 18-34, NBC edged ABC by a mere 10,000, winning with 2.14 million to 2.13 million, Fox finished a close third with 1.96 million and CBS was well back with only 1.27 million.

Univision was fifth across the board, and the CW was sixth across the board, typical of last season.

Note that I’ve also put this post under the “Season to Date” category, since the season’s only a week old this week is the season to date!

Check out the changes from the 2007-8 season to the 2008-9 season here.

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Nielsen TV Ratings Data: ©2008 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.

For the week of September 15-21, the final week of the annual broadcast “year”, NBC averaged 8.31 million prime-time viewers to win the average viewership title for the week (over CBS with 7.84 million).

NBC also won the demo adults 18-49 category with 3.76 million (over Fox with 3.54 million) and the demo adults 25-54 category with 4.08 million adults 25-54 (over Fox with 3.67 million).

Fox won the demo adults 18-34 category with an average of 1.67 million (over NBC with 1.56 million)

That was the final week of the broadcast year. We’ll get results for the first week of this broadcast year on Tuesday, September 30.

Nielsen TV Ratings Data: ©2008 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.

NBC Sweeps All Prime-time Ratings Categories

For the week of September 8-14, the second to last week of the annual broadcast “year”, NBC averaged 8.35 million prime-time viewers to win the average viewership title for the week (over CBS with 7.41 million).

NBC also won all the age demographic categories for the week as well with 3.43 million adults 18-49 (over Fox with 3.02 million), 1.40 million adults 18-34 (over Fox with 1.33 million) and 3.88 million adults 25-54 (over CBS with 3.31 million).

We’re currently in the final week of the broadcast year. We’ll get this week’s results on Tuesday, September 23. The new broadcast year begins Monday, September 22!

Nielsen TV Ratings Data: ©2008 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.

NBC Sweeps All Categories, Fox 2nd in All Categories

Nielsen TV Ratings Data: ©2008 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.

NBC Tops Viewers, 18-49, 25-54, Univision wins 18-34

For August 25-31, the “week after the Olympics”, NBC’s winning ways continued as it took the viewership title (but needed average only 5.86 million viewers) and the demo adults 18-49 (2.24 million) and 25-54 (2.57 million) crowns.

Surprising Univision won the adults 18-34 demo category for the week with an average of 1.22 million. That will be tough to repeat as the English language networks begin to air new episodes this month, but is impressive nonetheless. Of course, you won’t hear about it in any of the other English language TV media.

Nielsen TV Ratings Data: ©2008 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.

NBC Averages More Viewers Than Next 5 Competitors Combined

For August 18-24, the final week of the 2008 Summer Olympics, NBC averaged 23.27 million prime-time viewers, more than CBS, ABC, FOX, Univision and CW combined. We’ll not see another week this lopsided for 4 more years.

The previous week, while Michael Phelps was earning his 8 gold medals, was even more lopsided (NBC averaged 28.68 million viewers). I may go back and chart that week as well, but don’t hold your breath.

With the rest of the English language broadcast networks vacationing on a beach somewhere just waiting for the Olympics to end, Univision was a close 4th in total viewers, 3rd in adults 18-49, 2nd in adults 18-34 and a close 4th in adults 25-54. The CW’s 18-34 audience for the week could have fit in the average American high school gym.

Nielsen TV Ratings Data: ©2008 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.

MLB All-Star Game Helps Fox Win Viewership and Demos for Week

On the strength of the MLB All-Star Game, Fox swept all ratings categories for the week of July 14-20, 2008. The margin over second place CBS in average viewers was 700,000.

As has been the case most of 2008, Fox won all the age demographic categories; winning the weekly races for adults 18-49 (by 1.05 million over NBC, press release incoming!), adults 18-34 (by 340,000 over second place Univision, it has happened enough times to no longer be surprising) and adults 25-54 (by 700,000 over CBS).

ABC had an absolutely dreadful week. It was a distant fourth in viewers, tied Univision for fourth in adults 18-49, was a distant third in adults 18-34. With ABC’s new summer shows like High School Musical: Get in the Picture and Wanna Bet bombing, Fall cannot arrive soon enough for the Mouse.

Nielsen TV Ratings Data: ©2008 Nielsen Media Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved.