or


[09/22/09 - 10:13 AM]
CBS Opens the New Season with a Big Bang "The Big Bang Theory" Premieres with Its Largest Audience Ever and Highest Adult 18-49 Rating
CBS spins the numbers for Monday, September 22.

[via press release from CBS]

CBS OPENS THE NEW SEASON WITH A BIG BANG "THE BIG BANG THEORY" PREMIERES WITH ITS LARGEST AUDIENCE EVER AND HIGHEST ADULT 18-49 RATING

"The Big Bang Theory" Builds on its Lead-In in Both Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54

The Season Premiere of "CSI: Miami" Tops NBC and ABC Combined in Adults 18-49

The Series Premiere of "Accidentally on Purpose" Retains 98% of its Viewer and Adult 25-54 Lead-in and 91% of Its Adult 18-49 Lead-in

CBS Places Second in Adults 18-49 on a Night of Two-Hour Premieres on the Competition

"Late Show with David Letterman" With Guest President Barack Obama Tops the Primetime "The Jay Leno Show" in Local Markets and Nearly Triples the Rating of "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien"

CBS launched the new season with a big bang as the third season premiere of THE BIG BANG THEORY in its new time period delivered its largest audience ever, series high ratings in adults 18-49 and adults 25-54 and built on its lead-in among key demos, according to Nielsen preliminary live plus same day ratings for Monday, Sept. 21, the first night of the 2009-2010 television season.

THE BIG BANG THEORY (P) (7.8/11, 12.83m) was second in adults 25-54 (5.7/12), adults 18-49 (4.6/10) and tied for second in adults 18-34 (2.9/07). THE BIG BANG THEORY was up +37% in households (from 5.7/09), +36% in adults 25-54 (from 4.2/11), +28% in adults 18-49 (from 3.6/10), +16% in adults 18-34 (from 2.5/08) and added +3.49m viewers (from 9.34m, +37%) from its 8PM premiere last year.

This was THE BIG BANG THEORY's best delivery in viewers, adults 25-54 and adults 18-49, matched the best ever households delivery. THE BIG BANG THEORY built on its TWO AND A HALF MEN lead-in by +2% in adults 25-54, +5% in adults 18-49 and +12% in adults 18-34.

At 10:00 PM, CSI: MIAMI (P) was first in households (8.7/14), viewers (13.73m), adults 25-54 (5.4/13) and adults 18-49 (4.3/11).

CSI: MIAMI beat the competition combined in adults 25-54 (5.4/13 vs. 5.1/12, +6%) and adults 18-49 (4.3/11 vs. 4.1/11, +5%) while more than doubling the audience of "The Jay Leno Show" (5.67m). CSI: MIAMI posted its best delivery in adults 25-54 since February 2, 2009, best adults 18-49 delivery since March 9, 2009.

Earlier in the night, at 8:00 PM, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (P) (5.7/09, 9.22m) was second in adults 18-34 (3.2/09) and averaged a 3.5/09 in adults 18-49 and 4.0/10 in adults 25-54.

At 8:30 PM, the series premiere of ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE (P) (5.7/08, 8.99m) averaged a 3.2/08 in adults 18-49 and 3.9/09 in adults 25-54. ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE retained 98% of its viewers and adult 25-54 lead-in and 91% of its adult 18-49 lead-in.

At 9:00 PM, the season premiere of TWO AND A HALF MEN (P) (8.5/12, 13.59m) was second in adults 25-54 (5.6/12), adults 18-49 (4.4/10).

For the night, CBS (7.5/12, 12.01m) was second in adults 25-54 (5.0/12) and adults 18-49 (4.0/10).

In late night, LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN (5.6/14) with guest President Barack Obama finished more than a rating point ahead of primetime "The Jay Leno Show" (4.4/07), according to ratings in the 56 metered markets. LATE SHOW also nearly tripled "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" (1.9/05).

Monday was the highest rated LATE SHOW broadcast since Dec. 1, 2005 (10.1/24, with Oprah Winfrey) and was the second highest rated broadcast of LATE SHOW on a premiere Monday since Sept. 20, 1993.

THE LATE LATE SHOW with CRAIG FERGUSON (2.5/09) more than doubled "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" (1.1/04).

Monday was the highest rated broadcast of THE LATE LATE SHOW since Dec. 1, 2005 (3.3/12) and was also the second highest rated telecast of the program since Craig Ferguson became the host. This was also the highest rating for a premiere Monday since Ferguson became host on Jan. 3, 2005.

Editor's Note: Nielsen preliminary fast national ratings for late night will be available this afternoon.

Updated primetime Monday ratings will be also available this afternoon.

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

CBS OPENS THE NEW SEASON WITH A BIG BANG

Editors: This updated primetime ratings release also includes updated Late Night ratings reflecting viewers and demographic ratings for "Late Show with David Letterman"

CBS OPENS THE NEW SEASON WITH A BIG BANG

"THE BIG BANG THEORY" PREMIERES WITH ITS LARGEST AUDIENCE EVER AND HIGHEST ADULT 18-49 RATING

"The Big Bang Theory" Builds on Its Lead-In in Both Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54

The Season Premiere of "CSI: Miami" Tops NBC and ABC Combined in Adults 18-49

The Series Premiere of "Accidentally on Purpose" Retains 98% of its Viewer, 95% of Its Adult 25-54 Lead-in and 92% of Its Adult 18-49 Lead-in

CBS Places Second in Adults 18-49 on a Night of Two-Hour Premieres on the Competition

"Late Show with David Letterman" With Guest President Barack Obama Delivers 7.22 Million Viewers, Most Watched Broadcast Since 2005

"Late Show" Tops Primetime "The Jay Leno Show" and "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" in Viewers and Key Demographics

CBS launched the new season with a big bang as the third season premiere of THE BIG BANG THEORY in its new time period delivered its largest audience ever, series high ratings in adults 18-49 and adults 25-54 and built on its lead-in among key demos, according to Nielsen live plus same day ratings for Monday, Sept. 21, the first night of the 2009-2010 television season.

THE BIG BANG THEORY (P) (7.9/11, 12.96m) was second in adults 25-54 (5.8/12), adults 18-49 (4.7/11) and adults 18-34 (3.0/08). THE BIG BANG THEORY was up +39% in households (from 5.7/09), +38% in adults 25-54 (from 4.2/11), +31% in adults 18-49 (from 3.6/10), +20% in adults 18-34 (from 2.5/08) and added +3.62m viewers (from 9.34m, +39%) from its 8PM premiere last year.

This was THE BIG BANG THEORY's best delivery in households, viewers, adults 25-54 and adults 18-49. THE BIG BANG THEORY built on its TWO AND A HALF MEN lead-in by +2% in adults 25-54, +4% in adults 18-49 and +15% in adults 18-34.

At 10:00 PM, CSI: MIAMI (P) was first in households (9.0/15), viewers (14.20m), adults 25-54 (5.5/13) and adults 18-49 (4.3/11).

CSI: MIAMI beat the competition combined in adults 25-54 (5.5/13 vs. 5.2/12, +6%) and adults 18-49 (4.3/11 vs. 4.1/11, +5%) while more than doubling the audience of "The Jay Leno Show" (5.81m). CSI: MIAMI posted its best delivery in adults 25-54 since February 2, 2009, best adults 18-49 delivery since March 9, 2009.

Earlier in the night, at 8:00 PM, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (P) (5.5/08, 9.09m) was second in adults 18-34 (3.3/09) and averaged a 3.6/10 in adults 18-49 and 4.0/10 in adults 25-54.

At 8:30 PM, the series premiere of ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE (P) (5.6/08, 8.91m) averaged a 3.3/08 in adults 18-49 and 3.9/09 in adults 25-54. ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE retained 98% of its viewers, 95% of its adult 25-54 lead-in and 92% of its adult 18-49 lead-in.

At 9:00 PM, the season premiere of TWO AND A HALF MEN (P) (8.5/12, 13.63m) was second in adults 25-54 (5.7/12), adults 18-49 (4.5/10).

For the night, CBS (7.6/12, 12.16m) was second in adults 25-54 (5.1/12) and adults 18-49 (4.1/10).

In late night, LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN with guest President Barack Obama, averaged a 5.0/13 with 7.218 million viewers, according to Nielsen fast affiliate ratings (11:30pm-12:30am).

Monday's broadcast was the highest rated and most watched telecast of LATE SHOW since a 9.2/23 with 13.455 mil viewers on Dec. 1, 2005 (Oprah Winfrey). LATE SHOW beat the primetime "Jay Leno Show" by +28% in households (5.0/13 vs. 3.9/6), by +1.41 mil viewers (7.22m vs. 5.81m), by +9% in adults 25-54 (2.4 vs. 2.2) and by +6% in adults 18-49 (1.9 vs. 1.8).

LATE SHOW topped "The Tonight Show" by +194% in households (5.0/13 vs. 1.7/5), by +4.78m viewers (7.22m vs. 2.44ml), by +118% in adults 25-54 (2.4 vs. 1.1), by +90% vs. in adults 18-49 (1.9 vs. 1.0) and by +63% in Adults 18-34 (1.3 vs. 0.8).





  [september 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE (CBS)
· BIG BANG THEORY, THE (CBS)
· CSI: MIAMI (CBS)
· HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (CBS)
· JAY LENO SHOW, THE (NBC)
· TWO AND A HALF MEN (CBS)





most recent ratings | view all posts
[05/22/25 - 12:18 PM]
"Survivor" Finale Is CBS' Most-Watched Wednesday in a Year
The three-hour season 48 finale was the #1 broadcast of the night among Adults 25-54 with 0.9.

[05/21/25 - 02:57 PM]
"60 Minutes" Closes Out 2024-25 Season on Top as America's #1 News Program
CBS' flagship news broadcast grew compared to the previous year, with 16 billion minutes watched across linear and streaming.

[05/21/25 - 09:14 AM]
NBC Delivers More Young NFL Viewers Than Any Media Partner, as "Sunday Night Football" Finishes TV Season as Primetime's No. 1 Show for Record 14th Consecutive Year
In addition, NBC delivered more NFL viewers under age 50 than any other NFL media partner across all game windows (minimum seven games), and topped all media partners in the coveted Adult 18-34 and Adult 18-49 demographics.

[05/20/25 - 12:00 PM]
Top 10 Week of May 12: "Nonnas" Feasts Again, with Second Week at No. 1
In English TV, "American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden" took the top spot in its first week, with 12.6 million views, followed by the grisly true story of two of the UK's most prolific murderers in "Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story," which premiered at No. 2 (8.3 million views).

[05/20/25 - 10:18 AM]
Peacock's "Poker Face" Season 2 Hits Nielsen Top 5
The series' sophomore season also debuted as the #2 streaming original based on average audience in that same week.

[05/20/25 - 09:00 AM]
2025 NBA Playoffs Viewership Up 12 Percent from Last Year on ESPN Platforms
Game 7 of the Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder series on ABC averaged 6,340,000 viewers, and peaked with 7,632,000 viewers at 5:15 p.m. ET.

[05/20/25 - 08:49 AM]
Most-Watched Edition of ESPN "Sunday Night Baseball" in Seven Years
The audience peaked with 3,018,000 viewers at 9:45 p.m. ET.

[05/20/25 - 08:34 AM]
ESPN Platforms Delivered Its Most-Watched WNBA Opening Weekend Doubleheader, Chicago Sky vs. Indiana Fever Averaged 2.7M Viewers
The Sky-Fever matchup, which peaked at 3.1 million viewers, was the most-watched WNBA game ever on ESPN platforms.

[05/19/25 - 04:00 PM]
"American Idol" Season Eight Finishes on High Note with Best Total Viewer Audience in Two Years
In addition, "American Idol" earned a 0.70 rating among Adults 18-49, rising over the previous week to deliver its best performance in the key Adult demo since the show's post-Oscars season premiere.

[05/16/25 - 11:48 AM]
"American Idol" Sunday and Monday "Disney" Nights Tower Over the Competition
Sunday's episode of "American Idol" earned 5.27 million Total Viewers and a 0.62 rating in Adults 18-49.

[05/15/25 - 02:07 PM]
"9-1-1" Hits Six-Month High as Show Builds Toward Season Finale
Standing as the No. 1 non-sports telecast of the night in the key Adult demo, "9-1-1" delivered 6.48 million Total Viewers and a 0.63 rating among Adults 18-49 on linear.

[05/13/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of May 5: "Nonnas" Cooked Over Mother's Day Weekend, Debuting at No. 1
"The Four Seasons" maintained its top spot on the English TV list for a second consecutive week, racking up a total of 24.4 million views across its first two weeks.

[05/12/25 - 02:29 PM]
ABC News Is No. 1 Network Across Broadcast and Cable to Cover the Papal Conclave Announcement of Pope Leo XIV - Led by "World News Tonight" Anchor David Muir from the Vatican
ABC News outdelivered its closest competitor, FOX News, by +5% in Total Viewers, by +5% in Adults 25-54 and by +11% in Adults 18-49.

[05/12/25 - 08:00 AM]
CBS Is #1 in Daytime for 39 Seasons and 1,500 Consecutive Weeks, The Longest Winning Streak on Record
CBS has been the most-watched daytime network for an impressive 39 consecutive seasons and has won every week during that time except for one.

[05/12/25 - 07:17 AM]
Food, Sports, Adventure and Relationship Content Drive 61 Percent Share for Warner Bros. Discovery's US Networks on Sunday, May 4
More than 31 million people watched one of the WBD networks that night.