NBC Wins Premiere Week in 18-49 by 2nd Biggest Margin

NBC has won premiere week in 18-49, with the network's second biggest opening-week rating in six years and most-watched premiere week in eight years. 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 #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. And note that #2 CBS was boosted this year by the addition of Thursday NFL football, which itself was boosted by NFL Network viewership (1.2 rating in 18-49, 2.8 million viewers overall Thursday night) that was added into CBS's averages.

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 #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 #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 #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" (#6), Monday's "The Voice" (tied for #7), Monday's "The Blacklist" (#13), Tuesday's "Chicago Fire" (tied for #20) and Wednesday's "Law & Order: SVU" (tied for #26).

WEEKLY RESULTS
Adults 18-49, L+SD
Net... Week 1, 2013-14... Week 1, 2014-15...Diff
NBC...3.1...3.0...Down 3%
CBS...2.2...2.4... Up 9%
ABC...2.3...2.2... Down 4%
Fox...2.2...2.0... Down 9%

Total Viewers, L+SD
Net... Week 1, 2013-14... Week 1, 2014-15...Diff
NBC...9.713 million ...10.032 million...Up 3%
CBS...10.377 million...10.863 million...Up 5%
ABC...7.993 million ...8.265 million ...Up 3%
Fox....6.030 million ...5.241 million...Down 13%

NOTE: All ratings are based on viewership data from Nielsen Media Research.

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