NBC Is No. 1 Network Again After Fox’s Lone Week at the Top

The World Series bump has come and gone

The Voice

Well, that No. 1 slot for Fox was short-lived — the network’s Super Bowl 51 can’t come soon enough. The instant-classic seven-game 2016 World Series had catapulted Fox into first place in the key 18-49 demographic’s TV ratings season-to-date, overthrowing NBC. That ranking wouldn’t last, however.

NBC, which was at the top of the Nielsen sheets for the first seven weeks of the season, has since snatched that podium right back after just the one-week hiatus. Even a historical Chicago Cubs World Series win just couldn’t keep “Sunday Night Football” down, especially with “The Voice” and “This Is Us” on deck. That’s a baseball pun.

Elsewhere, CBS remains No. 1 among total viewers. Fox is now a close second in the main demo, and third among overall eyeballs. ABC is fourth by both measurements, with the young-skewing CW predictably bringing up the rear.

Below are the new rankings after eight weeks of the fall TV season. By the way, sans live sports and news — another, less-inclusive way to look at these things — NBC has stood alone at the top through all of this. Read those ratings here.

TV Ratings, Adults 18-49
N: 2.6
F: 2.5
CBS: 2.1
A: 1.9
CW: 0.6

Total Viewers
CBS: 10.6 million
N: 9.1 million
F: 8.0 million
A: 7.2 million
CW: 1.7 million

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