Ratings: CBS Wins Final Thursday of 2016

All things being equal, a “Big Bang Theory” rerun proved it had no equal.

CBS topped the final Thursday primetime of 2016, an evening in which every single English-language broadcast was a rerun. So, whatever.

CBS was first in ratings with a 1.0 rating in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and in total viewers with an average of 5.6 million, according to preliminary numbers.

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That’s where the mega-tie took over. NBC, ABC, Fox and Univision all tied for second in ratings, each with a 0.7. NBC was second in total viewers with 3.3 million; ABC was third with 2.8 million; Fox was fourth with 2 million; Univision was fifth with 1.9 million.

Telemundo was sixth with 1.6 million total viewers.

The CW was seventh in ratings with a 0.2 and in viewers with 881,000.

20 Most-Watched TV Specials of 2016: From Oscars to 'Hairspray Live' (Photos)

Click through the photos to find the Top 20 TV specials of 2016, ranked in descending order. All numbers in this slideshow are from Nielsen's Live + Same Day ratings.

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Rank: 1
Special: Academy Awards
Date: 02/28/2016
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: ABC
Total Viewers: 34.425 million

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ABC
Rank: 2
Special: Grammy Awards
Date: 02/15/2016
Day of Week: Monday
Network: CBS
Total Viewers: 24.927 million

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CBS
Rank: 3
Special: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Date: 11/24/2016
Day of Week: Thursday
Network: NBC
Total Viewers: 24.639 million

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NBC
Rank: 4
Special: Oscars Red Carpet Preview Show - Part 3
Date: 02/28/2016
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: ABC
Total Viewers: 22.284 million

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Getty
Rank: 5
Special: "Late Show" - Primetime Super Bowl
Date: 02/07/2016
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: CBS
Total Viewers: 20.552 million

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CBS
Rank: 6
Special: Golden Globe Awards
Date: 01/10/2016
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: NBC
Total Viewers: 18.511 million

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NBC
Rank: 7
Special: Oscars Red Carpet Preview Show - Part 2
Date: 02/28/2016
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: ABC
Total Viewers: 15.703 million

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Getty
Rank: 8
Special: "Little Big Shots" - special
Date: 03/08/2016
Day of Week: Tuesday
Network: NBC
Total Viewers: 12.814 million

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NBC
Rank: 9
Special: Country Music Awards
Date: 11/02/2016
Day of Week: Wednesday
Network: ABC
Total Viewers: 12.495 million

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ABC
Rank: 10
Special: "Grease: Live"
Date: 01/31/2016
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: Fox
Total Viewers: 12.206 million

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Fox
Rank: 11
Special: Oscars Red Carpet Preview Show - Part 1
Date: 02/28/2016
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: ABC
Total Viewers: 11.528 million

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ABC
Rank: 12
Special: "Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love"
Date: 11/30/2016
Day of Week: Wednesday
Network: NBC
Total Viewers: 11.519 million

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NBC
Rank: 13
Special: "Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials"
Date: 02/02/2016
Day of Week: Tuesday
Network: CBS
Total Viewers: 11.438 million

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CBS
Rank: 14
Special: Emmy Awards
Date: 09/18/2016
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: ABC
Total Viewers: 11.382 million

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ABC
Rank: 15
Special: ACM Awards
Date: 04/03/2016
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: CBS
Total Viewers: 11.203 million

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Getty
Rank: 16
Special: "Christmas in Rockefeller Center"
Date: 11/30/2016
Day of Week: Wednesday
Network: NBC
Total Viewers: 10.502 million

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Getty
Rank: 17
Special: JonBenet Ramsey - special
Date: 09/18/2016
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: CBS
Total Viewers: 10.422 million

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CBS
Rank: 18
Special: Billboard Music Awards
Date: 05/22/2016
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: ABC
Total Viewers: 9.762 million

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ABC
Rank: 19
Special: "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
Date: 11/29/2016
Day of Week: Tuesday
Network: CBS
Total Viewers: 9.394 million

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CBS
Rank: 20
Special: "Hairspray Live!"
Date: 12/07/2016
Day of Week: Wednesday
Network: NBC
Total Viewers: 9.045 million

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NBC
The 2017 Academy Awards will likely once-again easily top the year -- so mark your calendars for February 26.

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Here are the awards shows, red carpets, musicals, TV movies and other celebrations that dominated Nielsen’s year

Click through the photos to find the Top 20 TV specials of 2016, ranked in descending order. All numbers in this slideshow are from Nielsen's Live + Same Day ratings.

Also Read: ‘Gilmore Girls’ Revival Tops ‘Luke Cage,’ Not ‘Fuller House’ in TV Ratings

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20 Most-Watched TV Specials of 2016: From Oscars to 'Hairspray Live' (Photos)

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