By David Bauder, Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --Football season has begun, and it has already had an impact on the competition among television networks.
ABC narrowly won the primetime ratings race last week on the strength of its coverage of college football games involving Florida State and Alabama, and West Virginia and Virginia Tech. The network took the week’s crown from NBC, which usually wins in the summer on the strength of “America’s Got Talent.”
The Nielsen company said Wednesday that “Talent” was the most-watched show of the week, but the Florida St.-Alabama opener was close behind, and earned ABC its largest Saturday-night audience in 19 months.
For the week, ABC averaged 4.61 million viewers in primetime. NBC had 4.59 million, CBS had 3.9 million, Fox had 2.3 million, Univision and Telemundo were tied at 1.41 million, ION Television had 1.3 million and the CW had 850,000.
Fox News Channel was the most popular cable network, averaging 2.13 million viewers in primetime. ESPN had 1.78 million, MSNBC had 1.75 million, USA had 1.59 million and HGTV had 1.36 million.
NBC’s “Nightly News” (8.516 million) and ABC’s “World News Tonight” (8.514 million) were virtually tied in the evening news ratings race. The “CBS Evening News” had 6.2 million.
Below are primetime viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for Aug. 28-Sept. 3. Listings include the week’s ranking and viewership.
1. “America’s Got Talent” (Tuesday), NBC, 13.13 million.
2. College Football: Florida St. vs Alabama, ABC, 12.34 million.
3. “America’s Got Talent” (Wednesday), NBC, 11.09 million.
4. “College Football Pre-Game,” ABC, 7.4 million.
5. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 7.05 million.
6. “Big Brother” (Wednesday), CBS, 6.13 million.
7. “American Ninja Warrior,” NBC, 6.11 million.
8. “NCIS,” CBS, 5.85 million.
9. “Big Brother” (Sunday), CBS, 5.65 million.
10. College Football: Ohio St. vs Indiana, ESPN, 5.14 million.
11. “Bull,” CBS, 5.1 million.
12. “Blue Bloods,” CBS, 5.097 million.
13. “NCIS: New Orleans,” CBS, 5.08 million.
14. “Bachelor in Paradise,” ABC, 5.05 million.
15. “Big Brother” (Thursday), CBS, 4.89 million.
16. College Football: West Virginia vs Virginia Tech, ABC, 4.65 million.
17. “Marlon,” NBC, 4.56 million.
18. “Hollywood Game Night,” NBC, 4.41 million.
19. “Hawaii Five-O,” CBS, 4.39 million.
20. “Dateline Classic,” NBC, 4.25 million.
Object & Animal Signs Director Alana O’Herlihy To Its Global Roster
Object & Animal has added multidisciplinary artist, photographer and director Alana O’Herlihy to its roster for exclusive worldwide representation spanning commercials, branded content and music videos. This marks the first production house representation for O’Herlihy. Her portfolio encompasses a wide range of visual artistry, from directing films and music videos to creating photographic stills. Known for a unique blend of analog and digital mediums, O’Herlihy’s work includes leading brands and top-tier magazines, where her vision consistently sparks conversation and brings heightened visibility to her subjects. Her glamorous, campy style pushes the boundaries of conventional artistry. Among her notable directorial credits is the Miley Cyrus music video “Prisoner” featuring Dua Lipa. “Alana’s ability to seamlessly merge old mediums with cutting-edge processes is a testament to her boundless creativity,” said Emi Stewart, executive producer at Object & Animal. “Her work challenges conventions while celebrating the visual grandeur of both past and present.” Object & Animal maintains offices in London, Los Angeles and New York. Read More