NBC Is Tops For 18-49, Total Seasonal Viewers

• by Wayne Friedman , March 8, 2018

With three months of the TV season remaining, NBC -- with the Winter Olympics and Super Bowl firmly under its belt --  sits comfortably atop all TV broadcast networks among two major metrics, both higher than a year ago.

After 23 weeks, through March 4, NBC is averaging a Nielsen 2.6 rating/10 share among 18-49 viewers -- looking at a combination of live program plus seven days of time-shifted viewing measures and live-plus-same day for the most recent two-week periods.

This is well above Fox's rating at 1.7/6 and CBS at 1.6/6. This is followed by ABC at 1.4/6; the CW with 0.6/2, and Telemundo and Univision each with a 0.5/2.

In addition, NBC is in position to take the top spot when it comes to total viewers -- a rare occurrence, with 10.07 million overall  prime-time viewers. CBS, the perennial winner for total viewers, is at 9.04 million. NBC’s double sports whammy of the Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl is a major factor.

In the race for total average prime-time viewers, after NBC and CBS, ABC is at 5.88 million, followed by Fox with 5.52 million; the CW at 1.74 million; Univision with 1.56 million; and Telemundo at 1.28 million.

Only NBC is up against both key measures versus a year ago.

Through 25 weeks in the 2016-2017 season, NBC was at a 2.3/8 among 18-49 (8.58 million total viewers), followed by Fox with 2.1/7 (6.54 million viewers); CBS, 1.9/7 (9.87 million); ABC at 1.7/6 (6.34 million); the CW with 0.7/2 (1.84 million); Univision at 0.7/2 (1.87 million); and Telemundo with 0.6/2 (1.61 million).