By David Bauder, Media Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --CBS is finishing another television season atop the television ratings, but the network had to sweat a little this time.
The traditional TV season that started in September ends on Wednesday, and CBS will win bragging rights for the 10th year in a row, the Nielsen company said. CBS has won for 15 of the last 16 years, the only exception being Fox during the height of “American Idol.”
Nielsen says CBS averages 9 million viewers in primetime this season. NBC is averaging 8.9 million, but there’s not enough time to catch up. NBC made it particularly close this year because it televised both the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics, which let the network dominate in February.
But CBS withstood it with the strength of its regular schedule.
“This is an amazing accomplishment,” said Kelly Kahl, CBS entertainment president.
Still, it’s NBC’s closest finish to CBS in 16 years. NBC won among viewers aged 18-to-49-years-old, the demographic its advertisers care most about, for the fourth time in five years.
ABC is averaging 6.1 million viewers this season, and Fox is at 4.9 million, Nielsen said.
CBS won the last full week of the TV season, averaging 6.6 million viewers. NBC had 5 million viewers, ABC had 4.5 million, Fox had 2.5 million, Univision had 1.5 million, the CW and ION Television had 1.2 million and Telemundo had 1.1 million.
TNT was the week’s most popular cable network, averaging 3.06 million viewers in primetime. Fox News Channel had 2.34 million, ESPN had 2.28 million, MSNBC had 1.67 million and USA had 1.39 million.
ABC’s “World News Tonight” topped the evening newscasts with an average of 8.2 million viewers. NBC’s “Nightly News” was second with 7.8 million and the “CBS Evening News” had 5.7 million viewers.
Below are primetime viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for May 14-20. Listings include the week’s ranking and viewership.
1. “NCIS,” CBS, 12.71 million.
2. “Roseanne,” ABC, 10.74 million.
3. “NCIS: New Orleans,” CBS, 9.44 million.
4. NBA Conference Finals: Golden State at Houston, Game 1, TNT, 8.9 million.
5. “The Voice” (Monday), NBC, 8.7 million.
6. NBA Conference Finals: Cleveland at Boston, Game 2, ESPN, 8.42 million.
7. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 8.36 million.
8. “The Voice” (Tuesday), NBC, 8.16 million.
9. “Billboard Music Awards,” NBC, 7.87 million.
10. “NCIS: Los Angeles,” CBS, 7.82 million.
11. NBA Conference Finals: Houston at Golden State, Game 3, TNT, 7.8 million.
12. “Dancing With the Stars: Athletes,” ABC, 7.69 million.
13. “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC, 7.6 million.
14. NBA Conference Finals: Golden State at Houston, Game 2, TNT, 7.56 million.
15. “Survivor,” CBS, 7.54 million.
16. “American Idol” (Sunday), ABC, 7.47 million.
17. “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS, 7.18 million.
18. “Young Sheldon, CBS, 7.04 million.
19. NBA Conference Finals: Boston at Cleveland, Game 3, ESPN, 6.83 million.
20. “Hawaii Five-0,” CBS, 6.62 million.
ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co.; CBS is a division of CBS Corp.; Fox is owned by 21st Century Fox; NBC is owned by NBC Universal.
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More