Nothing else on TV was a match for football on Thanksgiving. Surprise, surprise.
The New York Giants vs. Washington Redskins game helped NBC dominate the competition in Nielsen ratings for Thursday night primetime. The network won outright, claiming victories in both the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and among total viewers.
While NBC claimed gold overall, CBS came in second with a big win in the 8:30 p.m. slot, thanks to freshman comedy “Young Sheldon.”
With that strong “Thursday Night Football” game from 8 – 11 p.m., NBC finished first in ratings with a 4.2 rating/17 share in the 18-49 demographic and in total viewers with an average of 14.4 million, according to preliminary numbers.
CBS was second in ratings with a 1.8/7 and in viewers with 8.1 million. Following a rerun, at 8:30, “Young Sheldon” had a 2.6/11 and gobble, gobbled down 11.3 million in viewers. At 9, “Mom” received a 1.8/7 and 8 million viewers. At 9:30, “Life in Pieces” got a 1.3/5 and 5.9 million viewers. At 10, “S.W.A.T” had a 1.1/5 and 5.8 million viewers.
ABC and Fox tied for third in ratings, both with a 0.4. ABC was third in total viewers with 2.5 million, Fox was fourth with 1.5 million. Both networks aired only reruns.
The CW was fifth in ratings with a 0.3/1 and in viewers with 1.2 million. At 8, “Supernatural” received a 0.3/1 and 1.2 million viewers. At 9, “Arrow” had a 0.4/1 and 1.2 million viewers.