NBC Wins Premiere Week in Every Key Demo

It's the second-biggest adult 18-49 margin for any network in 11 years, the second-biggest debut-week 18-49 rating in six years and the most-watched premiere week in eight years. Sunday Night Football ranked No. 1 among Big 4 primetime shows for the week in nearly all key measures. Also ranking in the top 30 were The Voice, The Blacklist, Chicago Fire and SVU.

NBC has finished No. 1 in the key adult 18-49 demographic for premiere week of the 2014-15 primetime television season, with the network’s second biggest premiere-week rating in six years and most-watched premiere week in eight years. According to "live plus same day" viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research, NBC averaged a 3.0 rating, 10 share in adults 18-49 and 10.0 million viewers overall for the Sept. 22-28 week. NBC has now won premiere week in 18-49 three years in a row.

NBC won the week in 18-49 by 0.6 of a point (3.0 vs. a 2.4 for No. 2 CBS), the second biggest premiere-week margin for any network in 11 years, trailing since 2003-04 only last year’s 0.8 win for NBC.

The 3.0 rating in 18-49 is NBC’s second-best premiere week rating in six years, within just a tenth of a rating point of last year’s 3.1 and otherwise NBC’s best since a 3.3 for premiere week in 2008-09.

In total viewers, it’s NBC’s most-watched premiere week in eight years (since 11.0 million in 2006-07). NBC finished premiere week No. 2 in total viewers for a second year in a row, after having finished premiere week #3 or #4 for the prior eight years in a row.

NBC won this year’s premiere week among the Big 4 networks in every key demographic – adults, men and women 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54. NBC’s dominant win in adults 18-49 comes on the heels of the network’s No. 1 finish for the 2013-14 broadcast year in 18-49, the network’s first full-season win in 10 years.

NBC’s Sunday Night Football was premiere week’s No. 1 primetime telecast on the Big 4 networks in nearly every key ratings category, adults 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54; men 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54; women 18-34 and 18-49; and total viewers, plus kids 2-11 and teens 12-17.

Joining Sunday Night Football among top 30 primetime shows on the Big 4 in adults 18-49 last week were Tuesday’s The Voice (No. 6), Monday’s The Voice (tied for No. 7), Monday’s The Blacklist (No. 13), Tuesday’s Chicago Fire (tied for No. 20) and Wednesday’s Law & Order: SVU (tied for No. 26).

Primetime averages for the week of Sept. 22-28 in adults 18-49 are: NBC, 3.0/10; CBS, 2.4/8; ABC, 2.2/7; Fox, 2.0.6; and CW, 0.3/1. In overall total viewers, the weekly averages were: CBS, 10.9 million; NBC, 10.0 million; ABC, 8.3 million; Fox, 5.2 million; and CW, 0.8 million.