NBC Wins 4th Straight September to September Season

It’s the first time in 14 years NBC has won the full season in 18-49 with no Super Bowl or Olympics.

NBC has won its fourth consecutive September-to-September television season in the key primetime demographic of adults 18-49, having clinched a first-place finish with one week left to count in the 2016-17 season, according to "most current" ratings data from Nielsen Media Research. 

NBC has also won the season among the Big 4 networks in every other key demographic -- adults 25-54, men and women 25-54, men and women 18-49, and adults, men and women 18-34 (including a tie in men 18-34). In total viewers, NBC ranks No. 2 and, when excluding sports, is running within 1.040 million persons of first-place CBS in that category, the closest it’s been to CBS at this point in the season excluding sports in 14 years. 

In the key adult 18-49 demographic, NBC is No. 1 for the season when counting all programming as well as with entertainment programming only, scripted shows only and alternative programs only, and is also #1 in alternative programs in total viewers. 

In "most current" ratings from Nielsen Media Research through Sept. 17, with one week left to count in the September-to-September season, NBC is averaging a 1.9 rating in adults 18-49 to rank No. 1 for the season with a margin that’s certain to stand when the full averages are reported by Nielsen next week. 

It’s the first time NBC has won the September-to-September season in 18-49 with no boost from an Olympics or Super Bowl in 14 years, since taking the 2002-03 season. 

NBC’s margin of +0.4 of a rating point in adults 18-49 is the biggest win for any network in six years, since Fox held a +0.6 advantage at this point in the 2010-11 season. On a percentage basis, NBC is leading by +27 percent, the largest percentage lead for any network with one week left to count in the season in 19 years, since NBC led the 1997-98 season by a +34 percent advantage.

In total viewers, excluding live news and sports, NBC is averaging 6.790 million persons, to pull within 1.040 million viewers of CBS’ 7.830 million. That’s the closest NBC has run to CBS in total viewers with one week to go in the season, excluding sports, since 2002-03, when the gap was 598,000.