CBS Dominates Most-Watched List in Era of 'Peak TV'

In a crowded landscape of 409 scripted shows, CBS programming stands the tallest, dominating the most-watched list in an era of "peak TV."

Last month, FX issued an updated 2015 tally highlighting the explosion of original scripted content. This "peak TV" era now numbers 409 dramas, comedies and limited series spanning broadcast networks, basic and pay cable and OTT services.

Across all these platforms, among the shows whose ratings are readily available, CBS had television's two most-watched programs with THE BIG BANG THEORY (21.18m) and NCIS (20.83m). The Network delivered 6 of the top 10, 18 of the top 30 and 28 of the top 50 most-watched series.

The four broadcast networks collectively account for 47 of the top 50 (94%), with only AMC's "Walking Dead" (#3) and "Fear The Walking Dead" (#20) and HBO's "Game of Thrones" (#39) ranked among the top 50 programs.

Source: Nielsen NPM, LIVE+7 (01/01/2015 - 12/20/2015); LIVE+3 (12/21/2015 - 12/31/2015); LIVE+SD (12/26/2015 - 12/27/2015). Excludes non-English language. Includes mini/limited series.

Image courtesy of CBS

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