CBS Claims 16th Straight Season as Most Watched Broadcaster in Primetime

Rick Porter
·2 min read

A broadcast TV season that began with cobbled-together schedules during dual labor strikes is ending the way every season in the recent past has — with CBS as the most watched network.

With a few weeks left in the September-to-May season, CBS will end up as No. 1 in primetime for the 16th straight season. The network is averaging 5.59 million viewers each night, according to Nielsen’s seven-day figures (through April 21). That’s about 580,000 more than second-place NBC (5.01 million); ABC sits in third with 4.29 million viewers, and Fox averages 3.35 million. The CW is back of the pack among English-language broadcasters with 462,000 primetime viewers.

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Those numbers may change a little in the remainder of the season, but the order of finish won’t. CBS is off by 6 percent in viewers versus the 2022-23 season, while NBC lost 5 percent year to year. ABC ticked up by about 4 percent — with a big assist from a full season’s worth of Monday Night Football — while Fox took the biggest hit, falling by almost 25 percent a year after having the Super Bowl and losing its most watched show, 911, to ABC. The CW slipped by 16 percent in its first season under Nexstar ownership.

CBS’ record-setting Super Bowl broadcast and strong performances from its scripted series following their returns in February — the network has eight of the 10 most watched shows (excluding sports) on broadcast TV, with rookie drama Tracker at No. 1 — helped it keep the top spot. The last time CBS didn’t lead the season among all viewers was in 2007-08, when Fox rode American Idol and the Super Bowl to victory.

The demographic race is tighter, but CBS holds a slight edge in both adults 18-49 and adults 25-54 over NBC. In the former, CBS draws 1.08 million viewers per night (equivalent to a 0.82 rating) to NBC’s 1.02 million (0.77). Fox is in third pace at 968,000/0.73, and ABC is fourth at 877,000/0.66. The CW brings in just 81,000 adults 18-49 in primetime, equivalent to a 0.06 rating.

Among adults 25-54, CBS’ 1.33 million primetime viewers just edges the 1.3 million for NBC. Fox averages 1.16 million 25-54 viewers, followed by ABC, 1.1 million, and The CW, 108,000.

CBS is also touting its engagement numbers for the first four months of 2024, noting that its programming has accounted for 456 billion minutes of viewing time since Jan. 1. That’s more than any other outlet’s original programming — Netflix originals rank second with 350.1 billion minutes, with NBC (215.1 billion), ABC (213 billion) and Fox (82.7 billion) completing the top five.

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