• by Wayne Friedman , December 27, 2018

Three months into the 2018-2019 broadcast TV season, NBC is still on top among key 18-49 viewers for prime-time programming -- and it is just a tick behind CBS among total viewers.

All TV networks -- except for Fox -- have seen double-digit percentage declines versus a year ago.

Through December 23, NBC is earning a 2.1 among 18-49 viewers in the Nielsen live-plus-seven days of delayed viewing data.

Next among 18-49 viewers, Fox is at 1.9 (up 6%), followed by CBS at 1.4 (down 18%), ABC with 1.2 (losing  20%); and CW at 0.5 (falling 16%).

In terms of total viewers, CBS averages 8.9 million this year (down 7%), while NBC is just behind at 8.8 million (down 11%), followed by Fox with 6.7 million (up 14%); ABC at 5.6 million (down 10%); and CW with 1.5 million (down 21%).

Among both viewing metrics, only Fox has seen an improvement -- against a 1.8 rating in 18-49 viewers and 5.9 million viewers in mid-December a year ago. Fox has gained as a result of its exclusive broadcast airing of “Thursday Night Football,” which ran on CBS and then NBC.

A year ago, NBC was at a 2.4 18-49 rating (9.1 million viewers), followed by CBS with a 1.7 rating (9.6 million), ABC at a 1.5 rating (6.2 million), and CW with a 0.6 rating (1.9 million).

This year, NBC still commands the highest-rated show on broadcast network TV: “Sunday Night Football.” The most recent game, between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Seattle Seahawks, earned 19.5 million viewers.

For the season, the NFL franchise has been averaging around 19 million viewers, up 6% versus a year ago.