or


[03/08/06 - 12:00 AM]
Nothing Covert About "The Unit" Premiere
[via press release from CBS]

NOTHING COVERT ABOUT "THE UNIT" PREMIERE

"The Unit's" 18.2 Million Viewers Makes it the Most Watched Time Period Premiere of Any New Scripted Show on Any Network This Season and the Second Highest Rated Drama Premiere in Adults 18-49

"The Unit" Delivers CBS's Best Performance in the Time Period Since May 1999

"The Unit" Builds On Its Huge "NCIS" Lead-In By Double Digit Percentages in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54

"The Amazing Race 9" Wins Its New Time Period in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54

CBS's premiere of THE UNIT, the new drama about a covert military team and the wives that protect their identity, delivered 18.19 million viewers making it the most watched time period premiere of any new scripted show on any network this season and the second highest rated drama premiere in adults 18-49 and adults 25-54, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings for Tuesday, March 7.

At 9:00PM, THE UNIT premiered with an 11.4/17 and 18.19m viewers, 5.1/12 in adults 18-49 and 7.0/15 in adults 25-54. This is CBS's best delivery in the time period in households and viewers with a regularly scheduled program since 5/18/99 (CBS TUESDAY MOVIE: "Joan of Arc") and best adults 18-49 and adults 25-54 delivery since 5/10/05 ("The Amazing Race 7" finale).

THE UNIT built on its NCIS lead by +4% in households, +5% in viewers, +34% in adults 18-49 and +25% in adults 25-54. THE UNIT grew in its second half-hour by +3% in households (11.6/18 from 11.3/17), +4% in viewers (18.53m from 17.84m), +10% in adults 18-49 (5.3/13 from 4.8/12) and +7% in adults 25-54 (7.2/16 from 6.7/15).

At 8:00 PM, NCIS was a strong second (to "American Idol") in households (11.0/17), viewers (17.28m), adults 25-54 (5.6/13) and adults 18-49 (3.8/10). This is NCIS's best delivery in households and viewers since 1/17/06 and best adults 18-49 and adults 25-54 delivery since 1/24/06.

THE AMAZING RACE 9 (6.1/10, 9.37m) won its time period in adults 18-49 (3.7/10) and tied for first in adults 25-54 (4.6/11).

For the night, CBS was a strong second in households (9.5/15), viewers (14.94m), adults 25-54 (5.7/13) and adults 18-49 (4.2/11).

Final Tuesday ratings will be available this afternoon.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: What follows is the afternoon update with the final national Nielsen ratings.]

NOTHING COVERT ABOUT "THE UNIT" PREMIERE

"The Unit's" 18.5 Million Viewers Makes it the Most Watched Premiere of Any New Scripted Show on Any Network This Season and the Second Highest Rated Drama Premiere in Adults 18-49

"The Unit" Delivers CBS's Best Performance in the Time Period Since May 1997

"The Unit" Builds On Its Huge "NCIS" Lead-In By Double Digit Percentages in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54

CBS To Present an Encore Presentation of "The Unit" Premiere on Saturday, March 11, 8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT

"The Amazing Race 9" Wins Its New Time Period in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54

CBS's premiere of THE UNIT, the new drama about a covert military team and the wives who protect their identity, delivered 18.50 million viewers making it the most watched premiere of any new scripted show on any network this season and the second highest rated drama premiere in adults 18-49 and adults 25-54, according to Live Plus Same Day National Nielsen ratings for Tuesday, March 7.

At 9:00PM, THE UNIT premiered with an 11.6/17 and 18.50m viewers, 5.1/12 in adults 18-49 and 7.0/15 in adults 25-54. This is CBS's best delivery in the time period in viewers with a regularly scheduled program since 5/13/97 (CBS TUESDAY MOVIE: "The Last Don") and the best adults 18-49 and adults 25-54 delivery since 5/10/05 ("The Amazing Race 7" finale).

THE UNIT premiered with the highest household rating for a new series on any network this season, the best viewer delivery for a scripted program on any network and is the #2 new drama on any network in both adults 18-49 and adults 25-54.

THE UNIT built on its NCIS lead by +6% in households, +8% in viewers, +34% in adults 18-49 and +27% in adults 25-54. THE UNIT grew in its second half-hour by +4% in both households (11.8/18 from 11.4/17) and viewers (18.86m from 18.15m), +10% in adults 18-49 (5.3/13 from 4.8/12) and +6% in adults 25-54 (7.2/16 from 6.8/15).

CBS will present an encore broadcast of THE UNIT premiere on Saturday, March 11 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT).

At 8:00 PM, NCIS was a strong second (to "American Idol") in households (10.9/17), viewers (17.21m), adults 25-54 (5.5/13) and adults 18-49 (3.8/10). This is NCIS's best delivery in households and viewers since 1/17/06 and best adults 18-49 and adults 25-54 delivery since 1/24/06.

THE AMAZING RACE 9 (6.1/10, 9.46m) won its time period in adults 18-49 (3.8/10) and adults 25-54 (4.7/12).

For the night, CBS was a strong second in households (9.5/15), viewers (15.06m), adults 25-54 (5.7/13) and adults 18-49 (4.2/11). This is CBS's best Tuesday delivery this season with regularly-scheduled programming in both viewers and adults 25-54, the best delivery in adult 18-49 since 12/13/05, the night of THE AMAZING RACE 8 finale.





  [march 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· AMAZING RACE, THE (CBS)
· AMERICAN IDOL (ABC)
· NCIS (CBS)
· UNIT, THE (CBS)




[10/17/25 - 01:16 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Hits Season Highs with Best Audience Performance Since July
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 139 consecutive weeks across all key measures.
[10/17/25 - 10:38 AM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Continues Historic Hot Streak - Rising for Fourth Straight Week Since Premiere with 6 Million Total Viewers
Plus: "High Potential" dominated the 10 p.m. hour with 4.15 million Total Viewers and a 0.33 rating among Adults 18-49.
[10/17/25 - 10:01 AM]
51st Season of "Saturday Night Live" Continues with Three Back-to-Back Shows in November
Miles Teller is on tap to host on November 1, followed by Nikki Glaser on November 8, and Glen Powell on November 15.
[10/17/25 - 09:05 AM]
All-New Season of "The Last Woodsmen" Premieres Friday, November 14 at 9PM ET/PT on Discovery
Deep in the untamed wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, veteran logger Jared Douglas returns to put everything on the line in the new season.
[10/17/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Mob War: Philadelphia vs. The Mafia" - Sneak Peek - Netflix
A brutal mob war between John Stanfa and Joey Merlino plunges '90s Philadelphia into chaos and bloodshed in this captivating true-crime series.
[10/17/25 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "Me late que si" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A desperate, ordinary man, fed up with his misfortune, hatches a daring heist and assembles a very unusual group to attempt the impossible: stealing a live lottery jackpot.
[10/17/25 - 08:00 AM]
"Weapons" Begins Streaming Exclusively on HBO Max October 24
When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at 2:17 a.m., a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.
[10/17/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "My Secret Santa" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A vivacious single-mom (Alexandra Breckenridge) in need of a job decides to disguise herself as a man in order to get hired as the seasonal Santa at a luxury ski resort.
[10/17/25 - 07:01 AM]
"Euphoria" Season 3 Is Coming Spring 2026
Newly announced cast members include Gideon Adlon, Bill Bodner, Colleen Camp, Danielle Deadwyler, Homer Gere, Jessica Blair Herman, Natasha Lyonne, Hemky Madera, Kwame Patterson, Trisha Paytas, Rebecca Pidgeon, Bella Podaras, Cailyn Rice, Eli Roth, Madison Thompson, Jack Topalian, Sam Trammell, Matthew Willig.
[10/17/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Eloa the Hostage: Live on TV" - Official Trailer - Netflix
This gripping documentary explores the case of a teenage girl who was kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend in one of Brazil's most shocking hostage situations.
[10/17/25 - 06:01 AM]
Apple Is the Exclusive New Broadcast Partner for Formula 1 in the U.S.
Apple TV will deliver comprehensive coverage of Formula 1, with all practice, qualifying, Sprint sessions, and Grands Prix available to Apple TV subscribers.
[10/16/25 - 02:11 PM]
Video: National Geographic Unveils First Look at "Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip to Remember" - A Powerful and Heartfelt Special Featuring the Global Movie Star on His Most Personal Journey Yet
The one-hour documentary, from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Darren Aronofsky's Protozoa, Jane Root's Nutopia, and Chris Hemsworth and Ben Grayson's Wild State, premieres November 23 at 9:00/8:00c on National Geographic and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
[10/16/25 - 12:58 PM]
Lifetime Announces Annual "It's a Wonderful Lifetime" Holiday Movie Slate Kicking Off November 29th
Featured talent this year includes Brandy Norwood, Kane & Katelyn Brown, Loretta Devine, Debbi Morgan, Arielle Kebbel, Tyler Hilton, James Lafferty, Vivica A. Fox, Jackée Harry, Sy'Rai Smith, Nischelle Turner, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, and others.
[10/16/25 - 12:31 PM]
Video: "The Witcher" Season 4 - Character Trailer - Netflix
Scattered to fates unknown, Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri traverse the war-torn Continent and its countless enemies in the hope of finding each other again.
[10/16/25 - 11:32 AM]
A+E Global Media and Rachael Ray's Free Food Studios Cook Up Expanded Programming Partnership with Over 100 New Episodes Ordered
The network has ordered 110 new episodes of Ray's programming, including new episodes of "Meals in Minutes," that will continue to focus on her approachable and comforting cooking style.