• by Wayne Friedman , May 26, 2016

Four of the top 10 most-viewed prime-time network shows among key 18-49 viewers in the 2015-2016 TV season were sports programming series -- including the top broadcast series, NBC's “Sunday Night Football.” 

As it has been for a number of years, NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” was again the top TV series overall, posting Nielsen live program-plus-same day time-shifted viewing of 21.4 million average viewers and a 7.5 rating/22 share among 18-49 viewers.

CBS’ “Big Bang Theory” came in at second place in total viewers -- 20.4 million -- and third place in 18-49 viewers, averaging a 5.8/21. CBS’s “NCIS” was in third place overall, with 20.2 million viewers and fourteenth place in 18-49 viewers, at a 3.1/11.

Fox’s “Empire” came in at second place in 18-49 viewers with a 6.4/20, and fifth place in overall viewers at 15.7 million.

Sports programming again occupied many key prime-time periods: CBS and the NFL Network’s “Thursday Night Football” came in at fourth place overall -- 17.1 million viewer -- and in 18-49 viewers 5.7/19.

Fox’s “The OT.” the post NFL Sunday afternoon show, was at a 4.4/14 in 18-49 and 12.7 million overall viewers; NBC’s pregame “Football Night in America” averaged a 4.0/12 among 18-49 viewers and 11.7 million overall viewers.

CBS had 10 of the top 20 shows in terms of overall average viewers; NBC had five; Fox, four; and ABC, one.

When it comes to most-viewed shows among 18-49 viewers, all broadcast networks showed a certain degree of parity -- each of the top four English-speaking broadcast networks had five of the top 20 shows.