LITTLE BIG SHOTS Helps NBC Win the Week in Total Viewers

By: Caryn Robbins Mar. 15, 2016

With "The Voice" and "Little Big Shots" accounting for four of the week's top five primetime shows on the Big 4 networks in both adults 18-49 and total viewers, NBC has won the week of March 7-13 by both measures, according to "live plus same day" results from Nielsen Media Research.

Sunday's regular-slot premiere of "Little Big Shots" ranked #1 for the week in total viewers, averaging 15.0 million persons, making it NBC's most-watched regularly scheduled Sunday entertainment telecast in 11 years.

NBC ranked #1 in 18-49 for five of the week's seven nights, including a tie (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday [tie] and Sunday), the most for NBC during a week without sports in 12 years (since the week of April 12-18, 2004). This matches NBC's most nightly wins in a week without sports since April 29-May 5, 2002, when NBC claimed six of seven, including the night of the network's 75thAnniversary special.

Ranking in the Top 20 primetime shows on ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX last week were: Monday's "Voice" (#2), Tuesday's "Voice" (#3), Tuesday's preview of "Little Big Shots" (#4), Sunday's regular-slot debut of "LBS" (#5), Wednesday's "Voice" encore recap (tied for #9), Monday's "Blindspot" (tied for #12) and Sunday's regular-slot premiere of "The Carmichael Show" (tied for #19).

It's NBC first weeklong win in total viewers in three months, since the week of Dec. 7-13. It's also NBC's top-scoring week in 18-49 and total viewers in eight weeks, since Jan. 11-17 (2.6 in 18-49, 9.6 million viewers overall, boosted by a primetime NFL playoff game).

NBC ranked #1 or tied for #1 for the week among the Big 4 networks in every key category - adults, men and women 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54, plus total viewers -- and matched or improved on the year-ago week in all those key measures.

Season to date, NBC is running within 0.2 of a rating point of #1 behind Super Bowl-boosted CBS in adults 18-49 and is tied for #1 among the Big 4 networks in adults 18-34 and women 18-34.

NBC's total-viewer average of 8.6 million is the network's highest at this point in a season without a SUPER BOWL or Olympic boost since 2006-07 (9.5 million).

Primetime averages for the week of March 7-13 in adults 18-49 are: NBC, 1.6 rating, 6 share; ABC, 1.2/4; CBS, 1.2/4; Fox, 1.0/4 and CW, 0.3/1. In overall total viewers, the weekly averages were: NBC, 7.3 million; CBS, 6.5 million; ABC, 4.7 million; Fox, 3.4 million; and CW, 1.1 million.

"Most current" averages for the season to date are: CBS, 2.5/8; NBC, 2.3/8; Fox, 2.0/7; ABC, 1.9/6; and CW, 0.8/3. In overall total viewers, the season averages are: CBS, 11.5 million; NBC, 8.6 million; ABC, 6.8 million; Fox, 6.2 million; and CW, 2.0 million.