NBC Rules the Week in All Key Measures with NFC Wild Card & GOLDEN GLOBES

NBC has dominated the primetime ratings week of Jan. 2-8 among the Big 4 networks in adults 18-49, total viewers and all other key measures, led by the week's top two primetime telecasts in 18-49 and total viewers, Saturday's NFC Wild Card football coverage and Sunday's "74thAnnual Golden Globe Awards." Joining those high-rated telecasts in last week's top 20 among primetime Big 4 shows were NBC's "The Wall," "Chicago P.D." and "Chicago Fire."

According to "live plus same day" viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research, Saturday's Lions-Seahawks NFL Playoff game was the week's top primetime program on ABC, CBS, NBC or FOX in every key measure except women 18-49 and women 25-54, where Sunday's "Golden Globes" ranked #1.

NBC has now won nine weeks in a row in adults 18-49 and is leading the season by a +35% margin over #2 Fox, with a 2.7 rating versus Fox's 2.0 in "most current" Nielsens. On a percentage basis, that's the biggest advantage 16 weeks into the season 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, the 0.7 lead is the biggest margin for any network in 15 years, since NBC led by 0.7 at 16 weeks during the 2001-02 season. The last time any net led through 16 weeks by more than 0.7 of a point was 19 years ago (NBC, +1.3 during the 1997-98 season).

In total viewers, NBC has now won seven weeks in a row, its longest in-season winning streak by that measure in 21 years (since an eight-week streak covering the weeks of Jan. 1 through the week of Feb. 19, 1996.

For the season to date, NBC is running within 110,000 viewers of perennial total-viewer leader CBS (9.8 million vs. 9.9 million), the narrowest gap through 16 weeks between NBC and CBS in 16 years, since NBC held the lead at this point during the 2000-01 season.

Counting only entertainment programs season to date (excluding live news and sports), NBC ranks #1 among the Big 4 networks in adults 18-49 and is also #1 in adults 25-54, adults 18-34 and every key adult-female demo.

For the week, NBC grew versus the same week last year in all key categories. Even excluding sports, NBC led the week among those networks in every key demographic and equaled or improved on year-ago results in every key measure.

Ranking among the week's top-20 primetime shows on the Big 4 nets in 18-49 were Saturday's "NFC Wild Card" football #1; Sunday's "Golden Globes," #2; Tuesday's "The Wall," tied for #12; Tuesday's special "Chicago P.D.," tied for #12; and Tuesday's "Chicago Fire," tied for #19. Rankings exclude sports pre- and post-game shows.

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