With only
two reporting days left of the 2014-2015 season, NBC and CBS will again make claims to be the best-performing TV networks.
NBC will, for the second year in a row, be the leading TV network this
season among the key 18-49 viewers that advertisers desire -- with 3.1 million 18-49 viewers (2.4 rating/ 8 share) through May 17, in analyzing Nielsen live program plus seven days of
viewing.
CBS is just a bit behind at 2.9 million 18-49 viewers (2.4/8), according to one report. For its part, CBS says it is just 120,000 behind NBC in the 18-49 category. ABC comes in at
third place with 2.8 million viewers in the 18-49 demographic (2.2/7), followed by Fox at 2.5 million (1.9/6) and CW with 1.1. million (0.8/3).
Only ABC and CW were able to avoid declines
versus a year ago among the English-language networks. ABC was up from a 2.1 rating for 18-49 viewers, while CW had the same results as a year ago.
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NBC was down 11% from a 2.7 rating a year
ago (up against the Winter Olympics in the 2013-2014 season), and CBS was off 4% from a 2.4 rating. Fox took the biggest hit, sinking 12% from its 2.5 rating of a year ago.
CBS also claims to
being the biggest draw in television when it comes to all viewers -- its seventh in a row and 12th in the 13 TV seasons -- pulling in some 11.3 million viewers. NBC was next at 8.6 million, followed
by ABC at 8.0 million, Fox with 5.8 million, and CW at 2.1 million.
CBS is still ahead of those 25-54 viewers at a 3.2/9, followed by NBC with a 3.0/8, ABC at a 2.7/7, and Fox with a
2.3/6.
Spanish-language networks -- excluding sports programming -- offered up a mixed picture among 18-49 viewers: Univision was down 9% to a Nielsen 1.38 million 18-49ers; Telemundo was up
5% to 731,000; UniMas lost 18% to 247,000; and Estrella TV gained a big 23% to 123,000.