NBC's MEET THE PRESS is Most-Watched Sunday Public Affairs Hour for 3/17

"Meet the Press" was the most-watched Sunday morning public affairs hour on March 17, 2013, according to Nielsen Media Research data. The NBC broadcast drew 2.817 million viewers, topping This Week by +290,000, The Face the Nation hour by +834,000, and FOX News Sunday by +1,849,000.

MTP delivered an additional 1,098,000 total viewers and 461,000 A25-54 viewers with rebroadcasts - 490,000 total viewers and 178,000 viewers A25-54 on the network, and 608,000 total viewers and 283,000 viewers A25-54 on MSNBC.

In Washington, DC, MTP averaged 87,000 total viewers (3.0/9 HH), +164% more than FOX News Sunday's 33,000 viewers (1.0/3), +211% ahead of This Week's 28,000 (1.0/3), and +278% ahead of The Face the Nation hour's 23,000 (1.2/3).

Highlights:

MTP averaged 2.817 million total viewers, +11% (+290,000) ahead of This Week's 2.527 million, +42% (+834,000) ahead of The Face the Nation hour's 1.983 million, and +191% (+1,849,000) ahead of FOX News Sunday's 968,000.
In homes, MTP delivered a 2.1 rating and 6 share, ahead of This Week 's 1.9/6, The Face the Nation hour's 1.4/4, and FOX News Sunday's 0.8/2.
In rating A25-54, MTP delivered a 0.7 rating, +1 tenth more than This Week, +2 tenths more than The Face the Nation hour, and +3 tenths more than FOX News Sunday.
MTP averaged 786,000 A25-54 viewers, +12% (+82,000) ahead of This Week, +33% (+193,000) ahead of The Face the Nation hour, and +88% (+368,000) ahead of FOX News Sunday.

Sunday's edition of "Meet the Press" featured an interview with the Archbishop of Chicago and former President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Francis George; a debate between the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and the House Republican Whip, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA); and a roundtable discussion with MSNBC's Chris Matthews, former Gov. Frank Keating (R-OK), author and former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (D), Republican strategist Ana Navarro, and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R-WI).

David Gregory is the moderator of "Meet the Press." Betsy Fischer Martin is the senior executive producer, Adam Verdugo is the senior producer, and Chris Donovan and Ilana Marcus Drimmer are producers.

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