Kicking off the Fall TV season, NBC won Premiere Week (Sept. 23-29) in both total viewers (averaging 6.2 million) and in the 18-49 demo, ahead of CBS’ full-force return with originals in mid-October.
NBC notes that was the sixth year in a row that the network has won Premiere Week in total viewers, and the 13th in a row it claimed the demo win.
Even subtracting out NBC Sunday Night Football, NBC was No. 1 for Premiere Week with entertainment programming only.
Among all programming, Sunday Night Football dominated Premiere Week with 20 million viewers (in Live+Same Day).
In entertainment programing only, NBC had six of the Top 10 shows in total viewers. The Voice (with 6 million viewers) trailed only CBS’ 60 Minutes, and was followed by Chicago Fire (5.6 million), America’s Got Talent (5.5 mil) and Chicago Med (5.5 mil). ABC claimed No. 6 and No. 7 with Dancing With the Stars (4.9 mil) and 9-1-1 (4.8 mil), and CBS’ Survivor ranked eighth. NBC then filled the last two spots in the Top 10 with Chicago P.D. (4.3 mil) and and America’s Got Talent special (4.3 mil).
Three freshman shows just barely got boxed out of Premiere Week’s Top 10: ABC’s Doctor Odyssey (4.1 mil), NBC’s Brilliant Minds (3.9 mil) and ABC’s High Potential (3.7 mil).
Thus far this season, CBS has only premiered 60 Minutes, Matlock (on a special night), 48 Hours and The Summit (on as special night). Scripted stalwarts such as NCIS, #TheFBIs, Fire Country, Ghosts, Elsbeth and Blue Bloods won’t launch their new seasons until the week of Oct. 14.
