NBC Posts Best Ratings Numbers, Fox Is Big Loser

After two weeks of the TV season, advertisers now have their first look at the only TV ratings that still matter to them -- commercial ratings. NBC posted the best numbers among key viewers, with CBS making the only improvement.

NBC has been earning an average 2.97 rating among 18-49 viewers, when looking at Nielsen’s average commercial ratings plus three days of time-shifting (C3), down 7% from a year ago when it was 3.18 for the first two weeks of the season.

Ratings results compared September 22 through October 5 of this year, versus September 23 through October 6 of a year ago.

CBS made the biggest gain -- in large part to NFL’s “Thursday Night Football” -- improving 16% to an average 18-49 rating of 2.58 from 2.23 of a year ago. ABC landed in third place at a 2.07 rating, slipping 7% from a 2.24.

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Fox is the biggest loser so far -- off 33% down to a 1.47 from 2.19. Analysts expect Fox losses to ease with Major League Baseball’s World Series still unaccounted for, as well as another season of “American Idol” coming in January.

Smaller broadcast networks also lost ground: CW is down 17% to a 0.34 18-39 C3 rating from 0.41; ION is off 21% to a 0.23 from a 0.29.

CBS continues its winning ways among all total viewers -- to a leading 3.76 C3 rating, up 9% from last year’s 3.44. NBC is in relatively close second place, at a 3.28 down 1% from a 3.30. ABC is at a 2.58, slipping 1% from a 2.59. Fox was further back, a 1.31, down a big 34%, from a 1.98.

CW is at a 0.31, losing 13% from a 0.36; ION is at a 0.32, slipping 10% to from a 0.35.

Overall the six broadcast networks are down 8% in 18-49 C3 ratings versus a year ago to a combined 9.66 rating. Ad-supported cable networks are down 10% to a 13.69. In looking at total viewers, six broadcast networks are down 4% to a combined 11.56 rating; ad supported cable lost 8% to 14.83.

This year, TV networks have pushed business trade publications to use live program plus time-shifting metrics that extends three and seven of viewing. Typically, many publications still use live program plus same day time-shifted ratings.

At this year’s upfront advertising marketplace, broadcast TV networks began making advertising deals based on C7 (commercials ratings plus seven days of time shifting) in addition to C3.

"Watching TV" photo from Shutterstock.

3 comments about "NBC Posts Best Ratings Numbers, Fox Is Big Loser".
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  1. Nicholas Schiavone from Nicholas P. Schiavone, LLC, October 24, 2014 at 4:27 p.m.

    Dear Wayne, Two weeks do not a TV Season make.
    For starters, you're using those "wibbly wobbly, timey wimey" (Tenth Doctor) Nielsen Ratings to source your story. They are likely to be revised in due course, as poor ABC found out last week. Any network could be next, even NBC. Further, there are a number of treatments one can use these days to avoid premature e-speculation during journalistic foreplay when it comes to covering electronic media like TV. Onwards and upwards. Regards, Nick

  2. Nicholas Schiavone from Nicholas P. Schiavone, LLC, October 27, 2014 at 4:37 p.m.

    Why is this story still third from the top on Monday?
    MediaPost featured this article on Friday.
    Lots has happen since then.
    There must be some new Nielsen data that you can gloss over.
    Do you have an agenda, Wayne? You seem to have scratched the surface deeply on this topic. So disappointing.

  3. Nicholas Schiavone from Nicholas P. Schiavone, LLC, October 29, 2014 at 10:39 a.m.

    What does this teach you, Wayne?

    Here we are ... Two days after your journalistic masterpiece on NBC's "outstanding" ratings performance this season ... Variety reported this morning (10.29):
    ____________________________________________________________________
    NBC WIN STREAK ENDS!
    ___________________________________________________________________ Weekly Ratings: Extra Sports Helpings Lift CBS,
    Fox As NBC Win Streak Comes to an End
    by Rick Kissell, Variety

    CBS and Fox, both benefiting from more sports help than usual, were last week's most popular networks among young adults — snapping NBC's four-week winning streak to start the season. The Eye's joint telecast of "Thursday Night Football" with NFL Network delivered the week's largest overall primetime audience for the first time (20.22 million), according […]

    Stop the panic! And why do you care about NBC's fate so much?

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