NBC ended CBS’ nine-week winning streak in the prime-time television ratings race, thanks in part to airing two more original hours of “The Voice” than a week earlier and the abysmal viewership for the Hollywood Movie Awards that aired on CBS.
NBC averaged 9.15 million viewers for its prime-time programming between Nov. 10 and Sunday, according to live-plus-same-day figures released today by Nielsen, followed by CBS (8.64 million), ABC (7.58 million) and Fox (4.49 million).
It’s the first time NBC has finished first in total viewers during a ratings sweep week, outside of the Olympics, since the week of May 3-9, 2004, when its programming included the final episode of the comedy “Friends.”
NBC’s viewership was up 17.61 percent from the previous week, when its programming included two original hours of the singing competition “The Voice.”
CBS’ seven-week winning streak to start the season was the longest by any network since its 15-week streak in the 2006-07 season.
CBS’ viewership was down 7.1 percent from a week earlier, when it averaged 8.84 million for its Friday lineup of “The Amazing Race,” “Hawaii Five-0” and “Blue Bloods.”
With CBS devoting its Friday to the inaugural broadcast of the Hollywood Movie Awards and the 52-minute “The CBS Hollywood After Party,” it averaged 3.61 million viewers for the night — 59.16 percent fewer than a week earlier.
The Hollywood Movie Awards averaged 4.1 million viewers, putting it 84th among the week’s prime-time broadcast and cable programs. The 52-minute “The CBS Hollywood After Party” that followed attracted 2.45 million viewers, 112th among the week’s broadcast programs. (Its figure among all prime-time programs was not available.)
For the eighth time in 10 weeks, NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” was the most-watched prime-time program, with the New England Patriots’ 42-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts averaging 20.82 million viewers.
CBS’ “NCIS” was second, averaging 17.49 million, and “The Big Bang Theory” third, averaging 16.90 million.
NBC’s most-watched entertainment program was the two-hour Monday edition of “The Voice,” 11th for the week, averaging 11.48 million viewers. Hourlong episodes on Tuesday and Wednesday were 12th and 15th for the week, averaging 11.42 million and and 10.64 million, respectively.
NBC also benefited from a triple-crossover involving “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago P.D.” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
“Chicago Fire” was 30th for the week, averaging 9.06 million viewers, the third-largest audience in its three-season history. “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” was NBC’s most-watched scripted program of the week, averaging 10.01 million viewers, finishing 22nd. The crossover concluded on”Chicago P.D.” which averaged 9.54 million viewers to finish 25th.
“The Voice,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Chicago P.D.” combined to give NBC its most-watched Wednesday of an official television season, outside of the Olympics, since April 23, 2008, when it aired a two-hour episode of “Deal or No Deal” and “Law & Order.”
NBC also finished first among viewers ages 18-49, the harder-to-reach group ABC and Fox also target and advertisers covet.
The AMC horror drama “The Walking Dead” finished first for the week among the group for the third consecutive week, averaging 9.22 million viewers, followed by “Sunday Night Football” (9.05 million); the nine-minute “Sunday Night Football” kickoff show (6.69 million); “The Big Bang Theory” (5.73 million); and ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” game between the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles(5.2 million).
ESPN was the most-watched cable network for the 10th consecutive week, averaging 2.99 million viewers. “The Walking Dead” was the most-watched cable program, averaging 14.07 million viewers, sixth overall.
The week’s most-watched Spanish-language prime-time program was Tuesday episode of the Univision telenovela “Mi Corazon Es Tuyo,” which averaged 3.9 million viewers, placing it 90th among all prime-time broadcast and cable programs.
As usual, Univision was the most-watched Spanish-language network, averaging 2.99 million viewers. Telemundo was second, averaging 1.23 million, followed by UniMas, (490,000), Estrella TV (310,000), MundoFox (170,000) and Azteca America (80,000).
The “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams” was the most-watched network nightly newscast for the 270th consecutive week and 317th of the past 318, averaging 9.45 million viewers, followed by ABC’s “World News Tonight with David Muir” (8.99 million) and the “CBS Evening News” (7.44 million).
The week’s 10 most-watched prime-time programs were NBC’s “Sunday Night Football”; CBS’ “NCIS” and “The Big Bang Theory”; the nine-minute “Sunday Night Football” kickoff show; CBS’ “NCIS: New Orleans”; AMC’s “The Walking Dead”; ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”; CBS’ “Madam Secretary” and “60 Minutes”; and NBC’s 24-minute third segment of “Football Night in America.”
— City News Service