By David Bauder, Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --The 12-year-old singing sensation Grace VanderWaal’s $1 million prize capped a successful season for summer’s favorite television show, “America’s Got Talent,” and helped NBC to victory last week in the television ratings.
VanderWaal’s feel-good story and the return of Simon Cowell to a judge’s table led to a strong season for the summer favorite, which will now be shelved with the onset of television’s fall season. Last Wednesday’s season finale reached 14.4 million viewers, the Nielsen company said.
It was not such good news for the Emmy Awards, which brought 11.4 million viewers to ABC on Sunday. It was the smallest audience ever recorded for the TV awards show.
The Emmys were hurt by a NBC’s football game, which had 22.8 million viewers, and a CBS special on JonBenet Ramsey, with 10.4 million. Broadcasters once cleared the decks and left little competition for the Emmys. There’s little incentive to do that now, with cable networks and streaming services dominating the awards.
Nielsen’s top 20 last week was clogged with 9 football games or football-related shows.
NBC averaged 8.7 million viewers for the week in prime-time. CBS had 7.6 million, ABC had 5.1 million, Fox had 2.8 million, Telemundo had 1.8 million, Univision had 1.5 million, ION Television had 1.3 million and the CW had 1 million.
ESPN was the week’s most popular cable network, averaging 3.24 million viewers in prime-time. Fox had 2.39 million, TBS had 1.49 million, HGTV had 1.48 million and USA had 1.4 million.
NBC’s “Nightly News” topped the evening newscasts with an average of 7.8 million viewers. ABC’s “World News Tonight” was second with 7.7 million and the “CBS Evening News” had 6.3 million viewers.
Below are primetime viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for Sept. 12-18. Listings include the week’s ranking and viewership.
1. NFL Football: Green Bay at Minnesota, NBC, 22.75 million.
2. “NFL Pre-Kick,” NBC, 16.74 million.
3. NFL Football: N.Y. Jets at Buffalo, CBS, 15.39 million.
4. “America’s Got Talent” (Wednesday), NBC, 14.41 million.
5. “America’s Got Talent” (Tuesday), NBC, 13.97 million.
6. NFL Football: Pittsburgh at Washington, ESPN, 12.96 million.
7. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 12.7 million.
8. “Dancing With the Stars,” ABC, 12.19 million.
9. “Football Night in America” (Sunday, 7:55 p.m.), NBC, 11.86 million.
10. “Emmy Awards,” ABC, 11.38 million.
11. “JonBenet Ramsey: Part 1,” CBS, 10.42 million.
12. NFL Football: Los Angeles vs. San Francisco, ESPN, 10.25 million.
13. “NFL Pre-Kick,” CBS, 9.26 million.
14. “Better Late Than Never,” NBC, 7.64 million.
15. “Blindspot,” NBC, 7.1 million.
16. “Thursday Night Kickoff,” CBS, 6.89 million.
17. “NCIS,” CBS, 6.37 million.
18. “Big Brother” (Tuesday), CBS, 6.35 million.
19. “Football Night in America” (Sunday, 7:30 p.m.), NBC, 6.3 million.
20. “Big Brother” (Wednesday), CBS, 6.12 million.
“Dune: Part Two” and “House of the Dragon” Win 2 HPA Awards Apiece
Dune: Part Two and House of the Dragon each scored two HPA Awards during a gala ceremony at the Television Academy’s Wolf Theatre in North Hollywood, Calif. on Thursday night (11/7). The HPA Awards honor trailblazing talent in the postproduction industry, celebrating standout achievements in color grading, sound, editing, restoration, and visual effects across theatrical features, commercials, and episodics.
Dune: Part Two topped the Outstanding Color Grading--Live Action Theatrical Feature and the Outstanding Sound--Theatrical Feature categories.
House of the Dragon’s two wins were for “The Red Dragon and the Gold” episode which scored for Outstanding Visual Effects--Live Action Episode or Series Season, and Outstanding Editing--Episode or Non-Theatrical Feature (Over 30 Minutes). In the latter HPA Creative Category, House of the Dragon tied with the “Part Six: Far,l Far Away” episode of Ahsoka.
The HPA’s Judges Award for Creativity and Innovation honored Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour. This recognition celebrates the profound impact on both live and filmed entertainment that defined The Eras Tour, underscoring its exceptional impact on audiences and the industry. The jury issued a statement outlining their choice: “Celebrated as the cultural phenomenon of 2023, Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour set new records in box office sales, tour revenues, and attendance. The tour showcased exceptional artistry and innovation, making a profound impact on both live and filmed entertainment.”
This year, FotoKem was awarded the Charles S. Swartz Award for its role in supporting filmmakers, studios, cinematographers, and artists across diverse film and media landscapes. Also celebrated... Read More