By David Bauder, Media Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --With a feast of football, ESPN outpaced all of the broadcasters to be the most-watched network on television during holiday week.
The showcase was ESPN's college football championship semi-finals, which together averaged 19.3 million viewers and outpaced last year's games by 6%, the Nielsen company said. Credit goes primarily to the Clemson-Ohio State pairing, which matched two undefeated teams in a pulsating game not decided until the final minute.
Those games, plus a Monday night NFL contest between Minnesota and Green Bay, helped ESPN beat NBC to be the most popular network.
After all these years, NBC's showing of the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" on Christmas Eve is still a draw. Nielsen said 3.6 million people watched as Santa's trip neared.
Among the broadcast networks, NBC averaged 5.6 million viewers in primetime. CBS had 3.8 million, ABC had 3 million, Fox had 2.6 million, Univision had 1.31 million, ION Television reached 1.27 million, Telemundo had 760,000 and the CW had 590,000.
ESPN's average of 6.31 million in primetime outpaced everyone. Fox News Channel was second among cable networks, with an average of 1.72 million, Hallmark's slate of holiday shows reached 1.54 million, TBS had 1.03 million and TLC had 982,000.
ABC's "World News Tonight" averaged 8.1 million to top the network evening newcasts. NBC's "Nightly News" had 7.3 million and the "CBS Evening News" had 5 million.
For the week of Dec. 23-29, the top 20 programs, networks and viewerships were:
1. NFL Football: San Francisco at Seattle, NBC, 22.85 million.
2. College Football Championship Semifinal: Clemson vs. Ohio State, ESPN, 20.39 million.
3. "College Football Studio Show," ESPN, 17.3 million.
4. College Football Championship Semifinal: Oklahoma vs. LSU, ESPN, 16.68 million.
5. "NFL Pregame Show," NBC, 15.84 million.
6. NFL Football: Green Bay at Minnesota, ESPN, 13.97 million.
7. "Football Night in America, Part 3," NBC, 10.47 million.
8. "The OT," Fox, 9.91 million.
9. "60 Minutes," CBS, 8.12 million.
10. NBA Basketball: L.A. Clippers at L.A. Lakers, ABC, 7 million.
11. "Monday Night Kickoff," ESPN, 6.79 million.
12. "The Price is Right," CBS, 5.89 million.
13. "Young Sheldon," CBS, 5.3 million.
14. "Hawaii Five-0," CBS, 4.78 million.
15. "Blue Bloods," CBS, 4.76 million.
16. "NCIS," CBS, 4.69 million.
17. "Magnum P.I.," CBS, 4.47 million.
18. "Football Night in America, Part 2," NBC, 4.06 million.
19. "America's Funniest Home Videos," ABC, 4 million.
20. "FBI," CBS, 3.99 million.
Oscar and Emmy-Winning Composer Kris Bowers Joins Barking Owl For Advertising, Branded Content
Music, audio post and sonic branding house Barking Owl has taken on exclusive representation of Oscar and Emmy-winning composer Kris Bowers for advertising and branded content.
Bowers’ recent film scores include The Wild Robot and Bob Marley: One Love, alongside acclaimed past works such as The Color Purple (2023), King Richard and Green Book. His contributions to television are equally impressive, with scores for hit series like Bridgerton, When They See Us, Dear White People, and his Daytime Emmy Award-winning score for The Snowy Day.
In addition to his work as a composer, Bowers is a visionary director. He recently took home the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject for his directorial work on The Last Repair Shop. The emotionally touching short film spotlights four of the people responsible for repairing the musical instruments used by students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The Last Repair Shop reflects the positive influence that musical instruments have on the youngsters who play them, and the adults in the LAUSD free repair service who keep them working and in tune.
Barking Owl CEO Kirkland Alexander Lynch said of Bowers, “His artistry, diversity of style and depth of storytelling bring an unparalleled edge to the work we create for global brands. His presence on our roster reflects our continued commitment to pushing the boundaries of sound and music in advertising.”
Johanna Cranitch, creative director, Barking Owl, added, “Kris first caught my attention when he released his record ‘Heroes + Misfits’ where he fused together his jazz sensibility with a deeply ingrained aptitude for melody, so beautifully.... Read More