or


[12/21/15 - 08:34 AM]
Sunday's Broadcast Ratings: NBC, "Sunday Night Football" Top Charts
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

Primetime Preliminary Fast National Nielsen Data
(includes all DVR playback through 3:00 am)

Here are the highlights of the 10 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (12/20/15):

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Due to the nature of live sports, Fast Nationals for CBS (7-8p) and NBC prime are approximate.]

NBC (14.014 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 4.8, #1) was once again the network to beat on Sunday with its mix of "Football Night in America #1" (5.697 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 1.6, #7), "Football Night in America #2" (6.514 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 2.0, #5), "Football Night in America #3" (12.298 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 4.1, #3) and "Sunday Night Football" (15.857 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 5.5, #2).

CBS (12.147 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 2.9, #2) then took home the silver with a full hour of "NFL Overrun" (23.712 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 6.4, #1) followed by an abbreviated lineup of "60 Minutes" (11.838 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 2.6, #4), the return of "Undercover Boss" (6.890 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.4, #8) and "CSI: Cyber" (6.148 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 1.1, #9).

Next up was FOX (6.158 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.7, #3) with its presentation of "The 64th Annual Miss Universe Pageant" (6.158 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.7, #6).

And finally, ABC (4.717 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.0, #4) closed out the evening with its annual "The Sound of Music: Sing-a-Long" (4.717 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.0, #10).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+62.50% - 60 Minutes
+37.50% - CSI: Cyber
-11.11% - Football Night in America #1
-11.29% - Sunday Night Football
-19.61% - Football Night in America #3
-35.48% - Football Night in America #2

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+5.77% - Sunday Night Football
-6.67% - Undercover Boss
-6.82% - Football Night in America #3
-10.34% - 60 Minutes
-21.43% - CSI: Cyber
-23.81% - Football Night in America #1
-35.48% - Football Night in America #2


Here are the highlights of the 16 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (12/21/14):

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Due to the nature of live sports, Fast Nationals for FOX (7-7:30p), CBS (7-8p) and NBC for the entire night are approximate.]

NBC (14.008 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 4.4, #1) was the top draw on Sunday with its penultimate week of "Football Night in America #1" (7.872 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 2.1, #6), "Football Night in America #2" (10.600 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 3.1, #4), "Football Night in America #3" (14.044 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 4.4, #3) and "Sunday Night Football" (15.910 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 5.2, #1).

CBS (11.145 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 2.2, #2) then claimed the silver with its mix of "NFL Overrun" (17.598 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 4.7, #2), "60 Minutes" (14.009 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 2.9, #5), "Undercover Boss" (9.217 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.5, #7), "The Mentalist" (8.595 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.4, #8) and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (7.926 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 1.3, #9).

Next up was ABC (5.578 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.2, #3) with its telecast of "The Sound of Music Sing-A-Long" (5.578 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.2, #T10).

And finally, FOX (2.580 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.1, #4) closed out the evening with "NFL Overrun/Mulaney" (3.707 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 1.2, #T10) and repeats of "Bob's Burgers" (2.079 million viewers, #16; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T15), "The Simpsons" (2.857 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T12), "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" (2.249 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T15), "Family Guy" (2.310 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T12) and "Bob's Burgers" (2.278 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T12).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+70.59% - 60 Minutes
+8.33% - CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
+7.69% - The Mentalist
-4.55% - Football Night in America #1
-8.82% - Football Night in America #2
-11.76% - Undercover Boss
-21.43% - Football Night in America #3
-32.47% - Sunday Night Football

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+85.71% - CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (vs. The Mentalist (Repeat))
+75.00% - The Mentalist (vs. The Good Wife (Repeat))
+40.91% - Football Night in America #2
+40.00% - Football Night in America #1
+7.32% - Football Night in America #3
-5.45% - Sunday Night Football
-16.67% - Undercover Boss (vs. 60 Minutes)
-45.28% - 60 Minutes (vs. NFL Overrun)

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [december 2015]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





most recent ratings | view all posts
[12/03/25 - 11:59 AM]
"9-1-1: Nashville" Season Premiere Catapults to Over 19 Million Total Viewers
Over 35 days, ABC's Thursday night drama premieres amassed impressive audiences based on competitive cross-platform broadcast series rankings, with all three dramas landing in the Top 10 among Adults 18-49.

[12/03/25 - 08:57 AM]
Record NFL Viewership Caps Thanksgiving Night on NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo
Bengals-Ravens is the most-watched Thanksgiving night NFL game ever with an average of 28.4 million viewers.

[12/03/25 - 08:55 AM]
"NFL on CBS" Shatters Record for Most-Watched Regular-Season Game in NFL History with More Than 57 Million Viewers
Viewership peaked with 61.357 million viewers for the game's thrilling conclusion (7:45-8:00 PM ET).

[12/03/25 - 08:49 AM]
FOX Sports Feasts on Thanksgiving Day with 47.7 Million Viewers for Packers-Lions
Viewership peaked with 57,957,000 viewers from 4:00-4:15 PM ET.

[12/03/25 - 08:47 AM]
Most-Watched NBA on ESPN Thanksgiving Eve in Six Years
The inaugural tripleheader averaged 2,099,000 viewers, up 54 percent from last year's Thanksgiving Eve doubleheader, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel.

[12/02/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of November 24 - "Stranger Things" Escapes the Upside Down to Take No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
The series returned last week with Volume 1 of its fifth and final season, touting the biggest premiere week ever for an English language show in the history of Netflix, amassing 59.6 million views and securing No. 1 on the English TV list.

[11/28/25 - 04:32 PM]
NBC's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Sets All-Time Viewership Record
The 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade delivered 34.3 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, its biggest combined audience on record, outperforming last year's parade by +8% (2.5 million viewers).

[11/28/25 - 01:59 PM]
Thanksgiving Day Hoops Scores FOX's Most-Watched CBB Game in History
Michigan State's Thanksgiving Day win over UNC in the Fort Myers Tip-Off scored 5,488,000 viewers on FOX - the most-watched college basketball game ever on the network.

[11/26/25 - 02:31 PM]
"20/20" Is the Most-Watched in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49 in Time Period vs. CBS and NBC
"20/20" posted substantial increases week to week across the board.

[11/26/25 - 02:30 PM]
With Largest Viewership in 7 Weeks, ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in All Key Demos
"Nightline" improved on the previous week in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, and Adults 18-49.

[11/26/25 - 02:21 PM]
"Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary" Is the Season's Most-Watched Primetime Entertainment Special
The telecast delivered 6.32 million viewers and was the most-watched entertainment program Monday night.

[11/26/25 - 02:15 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Caps Spectacular Season 34 with 9.24 Million Total Viewers - Drawing Largest Finale Audience in 9 Years
Among Adults 18-49, the show nearly doubled last season's finale episode (+89% - 2.15 rating vs. 1.14 rating), hitting its strongest finale result in 10 years.

[11/25/25 - 03:45 PM]
"Center Stage: Countdown to the CMA Awards - Special Edition of 20/20" Rises Over Last Year's Performance in All Key Measures
"Center Stage" (434,000 and 326,000, respectively) ranked No. 1 in its hour in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.

[11/25/25 - 03:05 PM]
ESPN Wins Week 13 with Stellar Showings for "College GameDay Built by The Home Depot," "SEC on ABC" and Friday College Football on ESPN
Texas Longhorns defeating the Arkansas Razorbacks 52-37 delivered 5.6 million viewers on November 22.

[11/25/25 - 02:57 PM]
"America's Game of the Week" on FOX Scores 27,816,000 Viewers in Week 12
The Dallas Cowboys win over the Philadelphia Eagles peaked with 28.4 million viewers from 7:30 PM - 7:45 PM ET.