NBC Posts Most Competitive May Sweep in 9 Years

NBC is closing out the traditional 2012-13 Primetime TV season running within a tenth of a rating point of second place in adults 18-49, NBC's most competitive position at the end of a season in nine years.

With results for the Primetime week of May 13-19 bringing the networks within three days of the season's conclusion, NBC is running a tenth of a point behind #2 Fox, a dramatic improvement versus one year ago, when, even with the boost of the Super Bowl, NBC trailed then-#1 FOX by 0.7 of a point and #2 CBS by 0.5 of a point.

Excluding Olympic years, this is the first time since the 2005-06 season that a network has followed up a Super Bowl season with an 18-49 decline of just 0.1 of a rating point. NBC also finished down just a tenth during the 2009-10 season, the year after carrying the Super Bowl, but had Olympic help that season. Every other network that's carried a Super Bowl over the last seven years has declined The Following season by at least 0.3 of a rating point The Following season. In 2005-06, FOX broke even the year after carrying the Super Bowl and is the last network to do so.

NBC is #3 for the 2012-13 season and ahead of ABC outright for the first time in the nine years since NBC won the 2003-04 season. NBC tied ABC for #3 last season with help from the Super Bowl (rounding to a tie in "live plus seven day" ratings after edging ABC in initial "most current" results) and NBC also tied ABC for #3 during 2009-10 season with Olympic help. Note that this year, NBC is cleanly rating ahead of ABC with no Super Bowl or Olympic boost.

In the nine years since NBC won the 2003-04 season, the closest NBC had come to #2 before this season was five years ago, when the network finished 0.2 of a point behind the second-place tie of ABC and CBS during the strike season of 2007-08 (with a 2.8 vs. a 3.0 for ABC and CBS). Excluding the strike season, NBC hasn't finished closer than 0.4 of a point to second place over the last nine seasons.

Season to Date Adults 18-49 vs. Last Year, "Most Current"
Net...Season to Date 2011-12... Season to Date 2012-13...Difference
NBC...2.5...2.4...Down 4%
CBS...3.0...2.9...Down 3%
ABC...2.4...2.2...Down 8%
Fox...3.2...2.5...Down 22%

Season to Date Total Viewers vs. Last Year, "Most Current"
Net...Season to Date 2011-12... Season to Date 2012-13...Difference
NBC...7.407 million ...6.964 million...Down 6%
CBS...11.747 million...11.856 million...Up 1%
ABC...8.359 million ...7.846 million...Down 6%
Fox...8.880 million ...7.058 million...Down 21%

Highlights of NBC's 2012-13 season include:
- "Sunday Night Football" is television's #1 series in adults 18-49 for a second straight season after breaking the eight-year streak of Fox's "American Idol" last season. "SNF" is also #1 this season in total viewers, edging CBS's "NCIS," 21.4 million vs. 21.3 million (in averages that include "SNF's" three games that occurred prior to the official start of the 2012-13 television season). In 18-49, "SNF" averaged an 8.2 rating.

- The Monday edition of "The Voice" (5.2) is the #3 Primetime series on the broadcast networks this season in adults 18-49, the #2 entertainment series and the #1 reality series. It's the first time in 10 years Fox's "American Idol" has not ranked #1 among reality series in 18-49 (since the 2002-03 season, when Fox's "Joe Millionaire" rated higher).

- NBC is up this season versus last by 23 percent on Monday nights (to a 3.7 rating from last season's 3.0, boosted by "The Voice" and "Revolution"), 8 percent on Tuesday nights (2.7 vs. 2.5, led by "The Voice," "Parenthood" and "Grimm") and 18 percent on Wednesday nights (2.0 vs. 1.7, thanks to "Law & Order: SVU" and "Chicago Fire").

- NBC series that have grown this season versus last in 18-49 include Sunday's "Dateline NBC" (+8%, 1.3 vs. 1.2), "The Biggest Loser," (+8%, 2.8 vs. 2.6), "Parenthood" (+8%, 2.8 vs. 2.6) and "Grimm" (+14%, 2.4 vs. 2.1).

- "Chicago Fire" has matched or topped its premiere 1.9 rating in adults 18-49 a total of 11 times this season, while the only other new dramas on the broadcast networks to have done it even once are Fox's "The Following" and NBC's "Hannibal" (once each).

- NBC's Primetime audience for the 2012-13 season was significantly younger than ABC's and CBS's and NBC's viewership aged the least this season among the Big 4 Networks.

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