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    NBC tops premiere week Nielsens for TV’s broadcast networks

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1241 Views
    Green Bay Packers free safety Darnell Savage, right, defends a pass intended for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. This Sunday night football game topped the week's primetime ratings. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

    By David Bauder, Media Writer

    NEW YORK (AP) --

    NBC opened the new television season with a dominant week against its rivals, and it wasn't just football that was responsible.

    The network's Sunday night football franchise was by far last week's most-watched primetime program, as it traditionally is each fall. But NBC said it was the first time it won television's fall premiere week in 20 years when only entertainment programming — and not sports — is taken into account.

    NBC's Wednesday night slate of "Chicago" dramas is potent, particularly for younger viewers. The network also touted its new series "Ordinary Joe," which more than doubled its premiere night audience when delayed and digital viewing is taken into account.

    CBS' long-running favorite "NCIS" was the week's most popular scripted series, the Nielsen company said.

    With Broadway shows just opening up again after most were dark for more than a year because of COVID-19, Sunday night's Tony Awards tanked in the ratings with just 2.75 million viewers. The four-hour show was split between CBS and Viacom streaming service Paramount+.

    Total primetime viewership on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox was up 16% over the same week last year, which would ordinarily be cause for celebration. Yet because COVID-19 shut down television production for much of last year, there was little fresh programming for the traditional broadcast premiere week, and this year things were back to normal.

    NBC averaged 6.6 million viewers for the week in primetime, compared to second-place CBS' 4.4 million average. Fox had 3.4 million, ABC had 3 million, Univision had 1.5 million, Telemundo had 1.1 million and Ion Television had 920,000.

    ESPN led the cable networks with a primetime average of 2.66 million. Fox News Channel had 2.36 million, MSNBC had 1.3 million, HGTV had 958,000 and TLC had 837,000.

    ABC's "World News Tonight" led the evening news ratings race with an average of 8 million viewers. NBC's "Nightly News" had 6.7 million and the "CBS Evening News" had 4.8 million.

    For the week of Sept. 20-26, the top 20 primetime shows, their networks and viewerships:

    1. NFL Football: Green Bay at San Francisco, NBC, 19.69 million.
    2. "NFL Pregame" (Sunday), NBC, 13.85 million.
    3. NFL Football: Detroit at Green Bay, ESPN, 11.9 million.
    4. "The OT," Fox, 10.02 million.
    5. "Football Night in America, Part 3," NBC, 9.48 million.
    6. "NCIS," CBS, 8.45 million.
    7. NFL Football: Carolina at Houston, NFL Network, 7.39 million.
    8. "The Voice" (Tuesday), NBC, 7.35 million.
    9. "Chicago Fire," NBC, 7.28 million.
    10. "The Voice" (Monday), NBC, 7.22 million.
    11. "60 Minutes," CBS, 7.2 million.
    12. "FBI," CBS, 7.124 million.
    13. "FBI: Most Wanted," CBS, 7.119 million.
    14. "Chicago Med," NBC, 6.81 million.
    15. "NCIS: Hawai'i," CBS, 6.58 million.
    16. "Chicago PD," NBC, 6.54 million.
    17. "FBI: International," CBS, 6.43 million.
    18. "Survivor," CBS, 6.25 million.
    19. "The Sustainer," NFL Network, 5.98 million.
    20. "Law & Order: SVU," NBC, 5.58 million. 

    Tags:NBCNielsen



    DirecTV calls off acquisition of rival Dish, possibly ending a yearslong pursuit

    Friday, November 22, 2024
    Dish Network satellite dishes are shown at an apartment complex in Palo Alto, Calif., Feb. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

    DirecTV is calling off its planned acquisition of rival Dish after the offer was rejected by bond holders at that company.

    The deal was reliant on Dish bond holders agreeing to trade in the debt they held for debt in the new company, a swap that would have cost them about $1.6 billion, collectively.

    The retreat by DirecTV this week may end a years-long effort by the company to acquire both Dish and Sling after it announced the bid in September.

    DirecTV was looking to acquire Dish TV and Sling TV from its owner EchoStar in a debt exchange transaction that included a payment of $1, plus the assumption of approximately $9.8 billion in debt. The deal was contingent on several factors, including regulatory approvals and bondholders writing off debt related to Dish.

    "While we believed a combination of DirecTV and Dish would have benefited all stakeholders, we have terminated the transaction because the proposed exchange terms were necessary to protect DirecTV's balance sheet and our operational flexibility," DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow said in a statement.

    The prospect of a DirecTV-Dish combo has long been rumored, and reported talks resurfaced over the years. And the two almost merged more than two decades ago — but the Federal Communications Commission blocked the deal valued at the time at $18.5 billion deal, citing antitrust concerns.

    The pay-for-TV market has shifted significantly since. As more and more consumers tune into online streaming platforms, demand for more traditional satellite entertainment continues to shrink.

    DirecTV says that it will continue to invest in next-generation streaming platforms and offer new packaging options while integrating content from live TV alongside direct-to-consumer... Read More

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