Smallest Audience Yields Top Status For CBS

By STEVEN HERBERT

CBS drew its smallest audience of the season last week, but was still the most-watched network for the fifth time in the five-week-old prime-time television season.

CBS averaged 9.78 million viewers for its prime-time programming between Oct. 19 and Sunday, the first time this season it averaged under 10 million viewers, according to live-plus-same-day figures released by Nielsen Tuesday.

The only other network to average more than 9 million viewers in a week this season was NBC, which averaged 9.3 million the week of Sept. 28-Oct. 4.

NBC was second last week, averaging 8.16 million viewers, its second lowest average of the season. ABC was third, averaging 6.36 million viewers, and Fox fourth, averaging 4.9 million.

Fox’s average was bolstered by the 21-minute runover of its Sunday afternoon NFL coverage that went into prime time in the Eastern and Central time zones that averaged 27.33 million viewers. The runover is not considered a separate program, but is included in the weekly average.

The network order of finish has been identical for all five weeks of the season.

CBS had nine of the week’s 20 most-watched programs, topped by “NCIS,” which was second overall, averaging 17.22 million viewers, its most since the season premiere.

CBS also had the most-watched comedy, “The Big Bang Theory,” fifth overall, averaging 14.68 million, and the most-watched new series, “Life in Pieces,” 27th for the week, averaging 8.47 million.

NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” was the most-watched program for the fifth time this season, averaging 20.61 million viewers.

NBC finished first among viewers ages 18-49, the group it, ABC and Fox target and advertisers covet because it watches less television and is harder to reach. This is the first time it has finished first among the group for each of the season’s first five weeks since 2001, when its programming included “Friends” and “ER.”

NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” game between the Philadelphia Eagles and undefeated Carolina Panthers was the week’s most-watched program among the group, averaging 9.64 million viewers.

AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” was second, averaging 8.48 million viewers, followed by CBS’ “Thursday Night Football” game between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, which averaged 7.44 million, NBC’s nine-minute “Sunday Night Football” kickoff show, which averaged 6.95 million, and ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” which averaged 6.59 million.

ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” game between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles was the week’s most-watched cable program, averaging 13.9 million viewers, sixth among all prime-time cable and broadcast programs.

Two National League Championship Series games enabled TBS to be the most- watched cable network for the second consecutive week, averaging 3 million viewers.

The two games between the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs were the week’s third- and fourth-most watched cable programs behind “Monday Night Football” and “The Walking Dead,” averaging 9.22 million and 7.94 million.

ESPN was second for the second consecutive week, averaging 2.74 million.

The week’s most-watched Spanish-language prime-time program was Wednesday episode of the Univision telenovela “Lo Imperdonable,” which averaged 2.93 million viewers, 90th among all prime-time broadcast and cable programs.

As usual, Univision was the most-watched Spanish-language network, averaging 2.21 million viewers. Telemundo was second, averaging 1.49 million, followed by UniMas, which averaged 570,000, Estrella TV, which averaged 280,000, MundoMax, which averaged 130,000, and Azteca America, which averaged 110,000.

The “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” was the most-watched network nightly newscast for the 18th consecutive week, averaging 8.12 million viewers. ABC’s “World News Tonight with David Muir” was second, averaging 6.82 million.

The “CBS Evening News” was third, as it has been throughout Scott Pelley’s tenure as anchor, averaging 6.82 million viewers for its Monday through Wednesday and Friday newscasts. The Thursday broadcast was not included in the weekly average because of pre-emptions and schedule changes caused by “Thursday Night Football.”

The week’s 10 most-watched prime-time programs were NBC’s “Sunday Night Football”; CBS’ “NCIS” and “Thursday Night Football”; NBC’s nine-minute “Sunday Night Football” kickoff show; CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory”; ESPN’s “Monday Night Football”; AMC’s “The Walking Dead”; CBS’ “NCIS: New Orleans”; the 22-minute third segment of NBC’s “Football Night in America”; and ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.”

City News Service