CBS Has A Massive Premiere Week Victory

CBS has opened the 2016/2017 season with a MASS-ive premiere week victory, winning for the eighth consecutive year with an average audience of 11 million viewers, the largest opening week audience by any network in five years (Nielsen preliminary live plus same day ratings, live + 3-day ratings and CBS Estimates). Updated ratings for the week ending Sept. 25 will be released tomorrow.

With 11 series averaging more than 10 million viewers (more than all the broadcast networks combined), CBS is on track to posts its largest premiere week margin of victory since 2012 (+2.05m).

CBS hit a ratings trifecta with its new series premieres as all three of its freshman series-BULL, KEVIN CAN WAIT and MACGYVER- delivered more than 10 million viewers with live plus same day viewing.

BULL will rank as television's #1 new drama with a live plus same day premiere audience of 15.5 million viewers, which jumped to 19.4 million viewers with live + 3-day viewing. KEVIN CAN WAIT will rank as television's #1 new comedy with a debut audience of 11 million viewers, which increased to 13 million viewers with live +3-day. MACGYVER opened with10.9 million viewers, CBS's best Friday (8:00-9:00 PM) premiere in 11 years.

Among the network's returning series, THE BIG BANG THEORY averaged 15.82 million viewers, increasing to 20.3 million viewers with live + 3-day viewing while NCIS (the week's #1 scripted program) opened with 16.00 million viewers, growing to 19.2 million viewers with live + 3-day.

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL, NCIS, THE BIG BANG THEORY, BULL, 60 MINUTES, NCIS: NEW ORLEANS, KEVIN CAN WAIT, MACGYVER, HAWAII FIVE-0, BLUE BLOODS and NCIS: LOS ANGELES will deliver more than 10 million viewers.

Image courtesy of CBS