In the first week of the 2020-21 prime-time television season without an NFL game, “NCIS” became the season’s first entertainment program to be the week’s most-watched program, according to live-plus-same-day figures released by Nielsen Tuesday.
The action drama averaged 10.026 million viewers helping CBS to its second consecutive first-place finish in the network race and fourth during the 19-week-old season.
CBS also had both of the other prime-time programs between Jan. 25 and Sunday to average more than 8 million viewers. The news magazine “60 Minutes” averaged 9.356 million viewers and the crime drama “FBI” 8.278 million following “NCIS.”
NFL games topped the weekly ratings 14 times during the season’s first 18 weeks. Programs related to the 2020 presidential election finished first three times. ESPN’s coverage of Ohio State’s 49-28 upset of Clemson in a College Football Playoff semifinal New Year’s Day was the season’s other program to top the weekly ratings.
CBS averaged 4.66 million viewers for the week, despite airing three hours of reruns both Friday and Sunday, two hours Saturday and 90 minutes on Thursday.
ABC was second, averaging 3.62 million viewers with three hours of reruns. NBC was third, averaging 3.01 million with nine hours of reruns. The three networks each aired 22 hours of prime-time programming.
Fox was fourth for the week, averaging 2.63 million viewers for its 15 hours, 31 minutes of programming, including three hours of reruns, all on Sunday.
CBS also had the week’s most-watched comedy, “The Neighborhood,” eighth overall averaging 6.416 million viewers, and the most-watched 10 p.m. show, “FBI: Most Wanted,” which averaged 6.233 million viewers following “FBI,” ninth for the week.
“Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” was ABC’s most-watched program for the fourth time in the four weeks it has aired, averaging 6.61 million viewers, seventh for the week. Viewership was up 4.9 percent from the 6.304-million average the previous week.
ABC aired the week’s most-watched prime-time sporting event, the Los Angeles Lakers’ 96-95 victory over the Boston Celtics which averaged 2.743 million viewers, second among Saturday programs and 70th overall.
The three elements of the “Chicago” franchise were NBC’s most- watched programs. “Chicago Med” was fifth for the week, averaging 7.21 million. “Chicago Fire,” which followed, averaged 6.957 million viewers, sixth for the week. “Chicago P.D.” averaged 5.971 million viewers following “Chicago Fire,” second-most among 10 p.m. programs and 10th overall.
The Fox procedural drama “9-1-1” was the most watched non-CBS program for the second consecutive week, averaging 7.217 million viewers, fourth for the week.
The five broadcasts of the MSNBC news and opinion program “The Rachel Maddow Show” accounted for each of the week’s five most-watched cable programs, topped by the Monday edition which averaged 3.993 million viewers, 27th overall.
Fox News Channel was the most-watched cable network, averaging 2.555 million viewers, one week after finishing third during Inauguration Week when it averaged 2.56 million. MSNBC was second for the second consecutive week, averaging 2.233 million viewers, 16.2% less than its 2.665-million average the previous week.
CNN dropped to third, averaging 1.785 million viewers, 35.3% less than the previous week when it averaged 2.757 million, finishing first among cable networks.
For the fifth time in seven weeks, an episode of the Univision telenovela “Vencer el desamor” was the most-watched Spanish-language prime- time program, with the Wednesday episode averaging 1.84 million viewers, 74th among broadcast programs. Its overall rank was not available.
The only programs interrupting the streak were Univision’s New Year’s Eve special “Feliz 2021” and the Univision News special “Una Nueva Era” on President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
Univision was the most-watched Spanish-language network for the 61st consecutive week and 63rd time in 64 weeks, averaging 1.35 million viewers. Telemundo was second, averaging 1.12 million viewers followed by UniMas (490,000), Estrella TV (150,000) and Azteca America (50,000).
ABC’s “World News Tonight with David Muir” was the most-watched network nightly newscast for the 61st consecutive week, the 112th time in 113 weeks and the 164th time in 166 weeks, averaging 9.86 million viewers.
“NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” was second, averaging 8.268 million viewers, followed by the “CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell,” which averaged 6.172 million viewers.
The week’s 10 most-watched prime-time programs were CBS’ “NCIS,” “60 Minutes” and “FBI”; Fox’s “9-1-1”; NBC’s “Chicago Med” and “Chicago Fire”; “ABC’s “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune”; CBS’ “The Neighborhood”; CBS’ “FBI: Most Wanted”; and NBC’s “Chicago P.D.”
