CBS Wins Linear Prime-Time 2022-2023 TV Season, HUTs Down 9%
- by Wayne Friedman , May 25, 2023
Amid continued overall linear TV industry viewership declines, CBS won another prime-time season -- averaging 5.92 million Nielsen-measured viewers.
CBS was down 5% from a year ago. It posted eight of the top ten and the top four entertainment series: “NCIS” followed by “FBI,” “Blue Bloods” and “Young Sheldon” -- all averaging more than 11 million viewers.
NBC landed in second place, down 13% to 5.27 million. Two of its shows -- “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago Med” -- were in fifth and eighth place, respectively.
A year ago, NBC had both the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics during the 2021-2022 TV season.
Fox, which slipped 1% to 4.45 million, aired the Super Bowl in the current season.
ABC dipped 2% to 4.14 million.
Overall, homes using television (HUTs) and Persons Using Television during prime time were both down 9% to 20.2%.
HUT/PUT represents homes using TV or persons using TV at a particular time.
These results are from September 29, 2022 to May 23, 2023 for Nielsen's “most current” data of all content, which includes 35-day windows where possible.
Other networks: Univision was down 14% to 1.28 million viewers; Telemundo, sinking 6% to 937,000 and CW 17% lower to 548,000.
6 million HUTs. You gotta be streamin'! Last one out turn out the lights.
Douglas, I believe that the numbers in the table represent average commercial minute "viewers" aged 2+ with ad zappers deleted. If that's correct then the number of program content viewers per minute would be considerably higher. As a basis of comparison, assuming a base of 1 million homes subscribing in the U.S.---if that's the latest figure---the Netflix AVOD service probably reaches about 55,000 viewers per minute during prime time----8-11PM , NY time.
Wayne, as an added clarification, the figures cited for prime time in its totality can't be for all viewing that takes place between 8-11PM, NYT. Also it's either a HUT or a PUT figure---the two aren't the same so I'm assuming that its PUT, not HUT/PUT. As for the real PUT figure for prime time, counting all program sources, that would be double the numbers in the table---so I assume that the current season's 20% figure is for the broadcast TV networks only not cable, indie stations, streaming, etc.