By David Bauder, Media Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --CBS was television’s most popular network last week, but that status is no longer the slam-dunk that it has been for the last decade and a half.
It was CBS’ second weekly victory of the young television season, matching NBC’s two victories, the Nielsen company said Tuesday. NBC handily won among viewers aged 18 to 49, the demographic group that it cares the most about.
Sunday night football gives NBC a big boost in the fall, but series like “This Is Us,” ‘’Manifest” and Dick Wolf’s “Chicago” dramas make the network more competitive with scripted series than it has been in the past.
The premiere of ABC’s Roseanne-less sitcom “The Conners” reached more than 10.5 million viewers last week, and it was the most popular scripted series of the week among the youthful demographic. It will likely get fewer viewers this week; how big the drop is will be an important clue about the series’ long-term prospects.
For the week, CBS averaged 7.6 million viewers in prime time. NBC had 7.2 million viewers, ABC had 4.7 million, Fox had 4.3 million, Telemundo had 1.3 million, ION Television and Univision were tied with a 1.2 million viewer average and the CW had 1.1 million.
TBS was the week’s most popular cable network with the help of baseball playoffs, averaging 2.69 million viewers in primetime. ESPN had 2.57 million, Fox News Channel had 2.54 million, MSNBC had 1.43 million and TNT had 1.41 million.
ABC’s “World News Tonight” topped the evening newscasts with an average of 8 million viewers, NBC’s “Nightly News” had 7.8 million and the “CBS Evening News” had 5.8 million.
Below are primetime viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for Oct. 15-21. Listings include the week’s ranking and viewership.
1. NFL Football: Cincinnati at Kansas City, NBC, 16.02 million.
2. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 14.07 million.
3. “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS, 12.23 million.
4. NFL Football: San Francisco at Green Bay, ESPN, 12.17 million.
5. “NCIS,” CBS, 11.87 million.
6. “Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick,” NBC, 11.3 million.
7. “Young Sheldon,” CBS, 11 million.
8. “The Conners,” ABC, 10.57 million.
9. “The Voice” (Monday), NBC, 9.99 million.
10. “FBI,” CBS, 9.31 million.
11. NFL Football: Denver at Arizona, Fox, 9.13 million.
12. “The Voice” (Tuesday), NBC, 8.99 million.
13. “This Is Us,” NBC, 8.93 million.
14. “God Friended Me,” CBS, 8.86 million.
15. “Football Night in America,” NBC, 8.85 million.
16. “Blue Bloods,” CBS, 8.46 million.
17. “NCIS: Los Angeles,” CBS, 8.35 million.
18. “Mom,” CBS, 8.13 million.
19. “Chicago Fire,” NBC, 7.88 million.
20. “Chicago Med,” NBC, 7.74 million.
ABC and ESPN are 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.
Angelina Jolie To Receive Gothams Performer Tribute For “Marie”
The Gotham Film & Media Institute has announced that Academy Award®-winner Angelina Jolie will receive the Performer Tribute for her performance as Maria Callas in Pablo Larrain’s upcoming film Maria, at the 34th edition of The Gothams, taking place on Monday, December 2, at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. The tribute will honor Jolie’s rendition of legendary opera singer Callas.
“Like the legendary figure she portrays, Angelina Jolie transcends mere performance to craft something extraordinary. Her interpretation captures both Maria Callas’ complexity as an artist and the cultural resonance that defines an icon,” said Jeffrey Sharp, executive director of The Gotham. “We are thrilled to celebrate what is truly one of Ms. Jolie’s career-defining performances in the final installment of Pablo Larrain’s magnificent trilogy.”
Maria follows Callas, one of the most iconic performers of the 20th century, as she retreats to Paris after a glamorous and tumultuous life in the public eye. The film reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days as the diva reckons with her identity and life. Written by Steven Knight, with cinematography by Ed Lachman and costumes by Massimo Cantini Parrini, Maria has Jolie joined by a star-studded cast including Alba Rohrwacher (Hungry Hearts, Happy As Lazzaro), Pierfrancesco Favino (Padrenostro, Adagio), Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog, Dolemite Is My Name), and Valeria Golino (For Your Love, The Beautiful Game). Marie premiered to critical acclaim at the Venice Film Festival and Jolie’s performance continues to stun audiences at the New York Film Festival, London Film Festival and the AFI Fest. Maria will be in... Read More