NBC Completes Most Dominant Fall in 18-49 for Any Network in People Meter History

NBC has won the primetime ratings week of Dec. 19-25 in adults 18-49 and total viewers and all other key measures to conclude the Nielsen fourth quarter with a +29% margin over #2 FOX in adults 18-49, the biggest fall win for any network in people meter history.

For the fourth quarter, NBC has averaged a 2.7 rating in "most current" adult 18-49 results from Nielsen Media Research, to top FOX (2.1) by +29% or 0.6 of a point. On a percentage basis, that's the biggest fall win over the #2 network for any net in the history of Nielsen's current people meter sample, which dates back to 1987. On a rating-point basis, it's the biggest fourth-quarter win for any net since NBC prevailed by 0.7 in 2002.

It's NBC's fifth straight fourth-quarter win in 18-49, most in a row for any networks in 13 years, since NBC was completing a streak of nine-straight in 2003.

In total viewers, NBC has now won five weeks in a row, its longest in-season winning streak by that measure in 18 years (since a six-week streak covering the weeks of April 6 through May 11, 1998). NBC has won those five weeks by double-digit percentages over #2, the first time it's won five or more in-season weeks in a row with double-digit dominance in 27 years (since a nine-week stretch covering the weeks of March 27 through May 29, 1989).

For the fourth quarter, NBC has pulled within 227,000 viewers of perennial leader CBS (9.9 million vs. 10.1 million), its closest finish to CBS in 16 years, since NBC took first place in the fourth quarter of 2000.

NBC delivered its most-watched fourth quarter in 10 years, with its average 9.893 million being the network's best fall in total viewers since it generated 9.924 million in 2006.

For the fourth quarter, NBC also wins in entertainment programming averages that exclude live news and sports, for the network's first outright fourth-quarter win without sports in 13 years (after tying ABC in 2015). Excluding sports, NBC also wins the fourth quarter in adults 25-54, adults 18-34 (tie), all key adult-female demos and men 18-49 (tie).

For the week of Dec. 19-25, NBC dominated, ranking #1 among ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX in 18-49, total viewers and every other key ratings measure and growing versus the same week last year in all those categories. It's NBC's seventh consecutive weeklong win in 18-49 as well as its fifth in a row in total viewers.

NBC programs accounted for five of the week's 10 most-watched primetime shows on the Big 4 nets -- #1 "Sunday Night Football," #2 "Thursday Night Football," #4 "America's Got Talent: Holiday Spectacular" on Monday, #9 "Tony Bennett Celebrates 90: The Best Is Yet to Come" on Tuesday and #10 "The Wall" on Monday. Also ranking in the top 25 in total viewers were , #18 "Michael Bublé Sings and Swings" on Tuesday and the #24 encore of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" on Friday. Rankings exclude sports pre- and post-game shows.

NBC also won the week counting entertainment programming only, ranking #1 among the Big 4 nets and with gains versus the same week last year in every key ratings category when excluding sports.

The Broncos-Chiefs "Sunday Night Football" telecast and the Giants-Eagles "Thursday Night Football" game ranked #1-2 among all Big 4 primetime programs last week in every key ratings measure.

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