NBC Tops Thanksgiving Week in Ratings

NBC has won the primetime week of November 19-25 in adults 18-49 and total viewers with the network's highest results for an in-season week since January 30-February 6, the week of the Super Bowl. It's the eighth time in the nine weeks so far this season that NBC has ranked #1 or tied for #1 in 18-49 (and the 11th time in 12 weeks overall), marking the first time in 10 years NBC has held a share of the lead for eight of the season's first nine weeks.

NBC's 3.2 rating for the week is up 60 percent versus the same week last year and its 9.5 million average in total viewers is up 59 percent. The network is up by double-digit percentages versus its year-ago results in all other key categories.

It's NBC's first in-season win in total viewers since January 30-February 5, Super Bowl week.

NBC won the week of November 19-25 among ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in all key ratings measures: adults, men and women 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54, plus total viewers.

Season to date, NBC is #1 in 18-49, marking the first time the network has ranked #1 outright at the point in the season in nine years (since 2003). NBC is up 23 percent in adults 18-49 (with a 3.2 average rating versus last year's 2.6). In total viewers, NBC is up versus one year ago by 22 percent (8.9 million vs. 7.3 million). NBC is ahead of its year-ago season average by double-digit percentages in every key ratings category.

NBC delivered four of the week's top six primetime programs on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in adults 18-49. "Sunday Night Football" ranked #1 for the week in adults 18-49, Thursday's Patriots-Jets NFL telecast was #2, Monday's "The Voice" was #4 and Tuesday's "Voice" was tied for #5 (rankings exclude sports pre- and post-game shows). "Revolution" (#16) was the #1 new drama of the week and "Go On" (#25) was the #1 new comedy.

"Sunday Night Football" was the #1 primetime show of the week on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in adults 18-49 and total viewers, and between NBC's Thursday and Sunday NFL coverage, the network accounted for the week's #1 telecast on those networks in adults, men and women 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54, total viewers, households and teens 12-17.

For the season to date, NBC's schedule features four of primetime's top seven programs on the broadcast nets ("Sunday Night Football," #1; Monday's "The Voice," #4; Tuesday's "The Voice," #6; and "Revolution" #7. NBC's schedule features the #1 show overall ("SNF"), the #1 new drama and #2 drama overall on the broadcast networks ("Revolution"), the #1 new comedy ("Go On") and #1 Friday series ("Grimm") (sports pre- and post-game shows are excluded from these rankings).

Primetime averages for the week of November 19-25 in adults 18-49 were: NBC, 3.2/9; Fox, 2.2/6; ABC, 2.1/6; CBS, 1.8/5; and CW, 0.4/1. In overall total viewers, the weekly averages were: NBC, 9.5 million; CBS, 8.3 million; ABC, 8.2 million; Fox, 6.2 million; and CW, 1.2 million.

Season to date averages through eight weeks are: NBC, 3.2/9; CBS, 2.8/8; ABC, 2.6/7; Fox, 2.5/7; and CW, 0.8/2. In overall total viewers, the season averages are: CBS, 11.5 million; ABC, 9.2 million; NBC, 8.9 million; Fox, 6.9 million; and CW, 1.8 million.

November Sweep: Last week's results included the conclusion of Nielsen's November Sweep, which NBC won in adults 18-49 for the first time in nine years, rising from #4 one year ago to #1 this year, and with NBC's highest November average since 2008. NBC's 17 percent margin of victory in 18-49 (2.8 vs. 2.4 for CBS) matches the biggest November advantage for any network since 2002. NBC also won November in "live plus same day" results for adults 25-54.

November Sweep, Live Plus Same Day, Adults 18-49
28 of 28 Nights
Net...November 2011... November 2012...Diff
NBC...2.4...2.8...Up 17%
CBS...2.8...2.4...Down 14%
ABC...2.5...2.1...Down 16%
Fox...3.1...2.2...Down 29%

November Sweep, Live Plus Same Day, Total Viewers
28 of 28 Nights
Net...November 2011... November 2012...Diff
NBC...6.857 million ...7.808 million...Up 14%
CBS...11.419 million...10.352 million...Down 9%
ABC...9.275 million ...7.988 million...Down 14%
Fox...8.642 million ...6.396 million...Down 26%

November Sweep, Live Plus Same Day, Adults 25-54
28 of 28 Nights
Net...November 2011... November 2012...Diff
NBC...2.8...3.3...Up 18%
CBS...3.8...3.2...Down 16%
ABC...3.2...2.7...Down 16%
Fox...3.5...2.5...Down 29%

NBC highlights for the week of November 19-25

Monday: NBC finished #1 among ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox for the night in 18-49, winning six of six half-hours among those networks to give NBC nine consecutive in-season Monday wins for the first time in the 25-year history of Nielsen's people meter sample.

"The Voice" (3.7 rating, 10 share in adults 18-49, 10.6 million viewers overall) delivered the #1 results of the night on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in adults 18-49, making it Monday's top entertainment telecast for an 11th week in a row. The second live Monday "Voice" of the current cycle matched the rating of last season's third live Monday (3.7 on April 16).

At 10:01 p.m. ET, "Revolution" (2.6/7 in adults 18-49, 7.0 million viewers overall) ranked #1 in the time period among ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.

Tuesday: "The Voice" (3.4/10 in 18-49, 9.5 million viewers overall) scored the #1 18-49 rating of the night and was up 3 percent versus its 18-49 rating for the comparable results show from the prior cycle (3.3 on April 17). From 9-10 p.m. ET, "Go On" (2.1/6 in 18-49, 6.0 million viewers overall) and "The New Normal" (1.5/4 in 18-49, 4.3 million in total viewers) finished #2 in their time periods among ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in adults 18-49 and total viewers. At 10:01 p.m. ET, "Parenthood" (1.7/5 in 18-49, 4.6 million in total viewers) ranked #1 in the hour among ABC, CBS and NBC in adults 18-34 (tie), women 18-34, women 18-49 and women 25-54.

Wednesday: Despite the week's holiday distractions, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1.3/4 in adults 18-49, 5.2 million viewers overall) topped NBC's time-period average last season by 30 percent in 18-49 rating (with a 1.3 vs. a 1.0, L+SD non-sports) and by 7 percent in total viewers (5.2 million vs. 4.9 million). At 10 p.m. ET, "Chicago Fire" (1.4/4 in adults 18-49, 5.5 million viewers overall) built on its lead-in by 8 percent in 18-49 rating and 7 percent in total viewers.

Thursday: NBC Sports coverage of the Thanksgiving Night NFL game between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets (7.1/23 in 18-49, 19.2 million viewers overall, 10.1/20 in households) won the night in every key ratings category with the highest Thursday 18-49 total-viewer and household averages for any network since the London Olympics.

Sunday: NBC led Sunday night among ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in all key categories: adults, men and women 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54, plus total viewers and households with Packers-Giants "Sunday Night Football" (7.6/18 in 18-49, 20.9 million viewers overall, 12.6/19 in households). It's the top-scoring week 12 "SNF" telecast in total viewers and households since 2007.

Ratings reflect "live plus same day" data from Nielsen Media Research unless otherwise noted. Season-to-date figures are averages of "live plus seven day" data except for the two most recent weeks, which are "live plus same day."