NBC Weekly Ratings Release: February 3 - 9, 2020

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. — Feb. 11, 2020 — NBC has averaged a 0.7 rating in adults 18-49 and 4.1 million viewers overall for the primetime ratings week of Feb. 3-9, for week-to-week gains of +17% in 18-49 rating (0.7 vs. 0.6) and +19% in total viewers (4.1 million vs. 3.4 million), according to “live plus same day” figures from Nielsen Media Research.

Wednesday’s trio of “Chicago” dramas – “Chicago Med,” “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago P.D.” -- are the week’s #1-2-3 most-watched dramas, averaging 8.7 million, 8.2 million and 7.1 million viewers respectively.

In adults 18-49, the three are tied as the week’s #2 dramas.

Season to date, excluding sports, NBC is running within 1.235 million persons of #1 in total viewers behind CBS, the closest NBC has run to first place in total viewers at this point in the season, excluding sports, in 17 years, since the 2002-2003 season when NBC ranked within 561,000 viewers of #1 at this point.

Weekly ratings are “live plus same day” figures from Nielsen Media Research unless otherwise noted. Season-to-date ratings are averages of “live plus seven day” data except for the two most recent weeks, which are “live plus same day.”

Week 20 Averages
Adult 18-49 Rating, “live plus same day,” Feb. 3-9
ABC…1.6      FOX…0.8      NBC…0.7
CBS…0.5        CW…0.2

Total Viewers
ABC…7.7 million       CBS…4.8 million       NBC…4.1 million
FOX…3.2 million        CW…0.6 million

NBC highlights for the week of Feb. 3-9:

Monday
“America’s Got Talent: The Champions” (1.1 rating in 18-49, 6.7 million viewers overall from 8-10 p.m. ET) ranked as the #1 telecast of the night in total viewers, topping ABC’s “The Bachelor” by a +15% margin head to head from 8-10 p.m. (6.7 million vs. 5.9 million), while retaining 100% week to week in adult 18-49 rating (1.1 vs. 1.1).

“Manifest” (0.7 in 18-49, 3.5 million viewers overall from 10-11 p.m.) grew +17% week to week in 18-49 (0.7 vs. 0.6) to equal the show’s highest rating since its Jan. 6 season premiere (0.9). The Feb. 3 “Manifest” was also up +17% versus NBC’s average in the timeslot this season prior to “Manifest’s” debut in (0.7 vs. 0.6).

Tuesday
“Ellen’s Game of Games” (1.0 rating in 18-49, 4.8 million viewers overall from 8-9 p.m. ET) ranked as the night’s #1 entertainment show on the Big 4 networks in adults 18-49, adults 25-54, adults 18-34 and all key adult-female demographics, while maintaining a steady 1.0 in adults 18-49 for a fourth straight telecast to equal NBC’s highest 18-49 rating in the timeslot since Dec. 10 (1.2).

NBC News coverage of the State of the Union address and response earned a 0.9 in 18-49 and 4.5 million viewers overall from 10:25 to 10:32 p.m. ET and a 0.6 in 18-49 and 3.1 million viewers overall from 10:43 to 11 p.m. ET

Wednesday
NBC’s “Chicago” lineup finished #1 for the night in total viewers.

“Chicago Med” (1.1 rating in 18-49, 8.7 million viewers overall from 8-9 p.m. ET) beat “The Masked Singer,” “Bachelor” and “Survivor” to win the 8 p.m. hour in total viewers and rank as the #1 show of the night. “Med” retained100% of the show’s prior original in 18-49 (1.1 vs. 1.1 on Jan. 22) and increased by +3% in total viewers (8.6 million vs. 8.4 million) to deliver the show’s most-watched non-crossover episode since Feb. 6, 2019 (9.4 million).

“Chicago Fire” (1.1 rating in 18-49, 8.2 million viewers overall from 9-10 p.m. ET) finished as the #2 show of the night in total viewers, behind only “Chicago Med,” winning the 9-10 p.m. hour in total viewers ahead of Fox’s premiere of “Lego Masters,” ABC’s second hour of a special Wednesday “Bachelor” and CBS’ “Criminal Minds.” The Feb. 5 “Fire” maintained 100% of the show’s previous original in 18-49 (1.1 vs. 1.1 on Jan. 22), while growing in total viewers (8.2 million vs. 8.1 million). Social: with 117,000 Total Interactions, “Chicago Fire” was up +33% versus the prior episode’s 88,000 and up +24% versus the series-average 94,000.

“Chicago P.D.” (1.1 rating in 18-49, 7.1 million viewers overall from 10-11 p.m. ET) won the timeslot among ABC, CBS and NBC in 10 of 10 key measures – adults, men and women 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54, plus total viewers – and beat the combined rating of the hour’s ABC-CBS drama competition in adults 18-49 (1.1 vs. a combined 0.9 for “Criminal Minds” [0.5] and “Stumptown [0.4]). The Feb. 5 “P.D.” matched the show’s highest 18-49 rating for a non-crossover episode since Feb. 6, 2019 (1.2) and delivered its most-watched non-crossover episode .since Feb. 27, 2019 (7.152 million). “P.D.” has now won the timeslot or tied for #1 versus regular ABC and CBS competition with its last 73 straight original telecasts in adults 18-49 (L+SD), extending back to October 2016. Social: “Chicago P.D.’s” 113,000 Total Interactions were up +10% over the show’s season average (101,000) and up +70% over its series average (66,000).

Thursday
The Season 7 debut of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (0.7 rating in 18-49, 2.7 million viewers overall from 8-8:30 p.m. ET) was up +40% versus where the show concluded last season with its May 16, 2019 finale in 18-49 (0.7 vs. 0.5) and grew more than +1.1 million persons or +72% in total viewers (2.7 million vs. 1.5 million). The “B99” season debut captured the show’s highest 18-49 rating since Feb. 28, 2019 (0.7), topping figures for each of the show’s final 10 telecasts of last season, and locked up the show’s most-watched episode since Feb. 7, 2019 (3.020 million), topping figures for each of the show’s final 13 telecasts of last season.

Delayed Viewing: Last season, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” on average multiplied its next-day 18-49 rating by more than seven times with digital and linear delayed viewing to date (from a 0.71 in L+SD to a 5.45, +668%) and more than quadrupled its total viewership (from 2.3 million viewers overall to 10.2 million, +347%). “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” was NBC’s most digital series last season, generating 75% its viewership on digital platforms.

Social: “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” was the #1 most social scripted primetime comedy of the week, with 511,000 Total Interactions, up +17% from last season’s two-episode finale (426,000) (Source: Nielsen Social Content Ratings, 2/3/20-2/9/20, Percent Share, Primetime, Comedy). The show’s Instagram page had the post with the #1 most engagements (150,000) and the #1 most content responses (228,000) for all scripted primetime comedies, with a video of Andy Samberg declaring it “Brooklyn Nine-Nine time” (Source: Nielsen Social Content Ratings, 2/3/20-2/9/20, Percent Share, Primetime, Comedy; ListenFirst Media, LF // TV UNIVERSE // EPISODIC, 2/3/20-2/9/20, ListenFirst Content Shares [Instagram], Brand Type: TV Shows, Primetime, Broadcast, Comedy). A second telecast of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (0.5 rating in 18-49, 2.0 million viewers overall from 8:30-9 p.m. ET) maintained100% of NBC’s average in the timeslot so far this season in 18-49 (0.5 vs. 0.5).

“Will & Grace” (0.5 rating in 18-49, 2.4 million viewers overall from 9-9:30 p.m. ET) retained 100% of the show’s prior original in 18-49 (0.5 vs. 0.5 on Jan. 23) and grew in total viewers (2.4 million vs. 2.3 million), despite the prior week’s preemption, to equal the show’s highest 18-49 rating since Oct. 31 (0.6). Social: “Will & Grace,” with 174,000 Total Interactions, was up +60% from the previous airing (104,000) and up 34% from the series average (127,000).

The debut of “Indebted” (0.4 rating in 18-49, 2.1 million viewers overall from 9:30-10 p.m. ET), in a timeslot where NBC comedies last season averaged a 79% retention of lead-in in 18-49 and 86% in total viewers, retained 80% of its adult 18-49 lead-in from “Will & Grace” and 90% in total viewers, while rating within 0.1 of a point in the half-hour of CBS’ rival comedy “Carol’s Second Act” (0.4 vs. 0.5). “Indebted” equaled NBC’s best result in the timeslot with sitcom programing since Nov. 21, 2019 (0.5, excludes the prior week’s “Good Place” finale overrun into the half-hour) and earned NBC’s best sitcom result in the half-hour, excluding “The Good Place” finale, in total viewers since that same Nov. 21 telecast (2.186 million). “Indebted” maintained 100% of NBC’s average in the timeslot so far this season in 18-49 (0.4 vs. 0.4, L+SD excluding sports) and was up +4% in total viewers (2.117 million vs. 2.040 million).

“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (0.6 rating in 18-49, 3.3 million viewers overall from 10-11 p.m. ET) tied for #1 in the timeslot and outrated CBS’ series premiere of “Tommy” in the timeslot in nine of nine key demographics. “SVU” retained 100% week to week in 18-49 rating (0.6 vs. 0.6). Social: With 96,000 Total Interactions, “Law & Order: SVU” was up +38% versus the previous episode (69,000) and up +21% versus its season average (79,000).

Friday
“Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector” (0.4 rating in 18-49, 3.6 million viewers overall from 8-9 p.m. ET) maintained 100% week to week in 18-49 (0.4 vs. 0.4) and grew by +8% in total viewers (3.6 million vs. 3.4 million). Social: “Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector,” with 39,000 Total Interactions, increased by +68% versus the prior episode (23,000) and by +78% versus the season average (22,000), making this the most social episode of the series to date.

“Dateline NBC” (0.6 rating in adults 18-49, 0.9 in adults 25-54, 3.9 million viewers overall from 9-11 p.m. ET) increased +20% week to week in adults 18-49 (0.6 vs. 0.5 from 10-11 p.m. on Jan. 31), +29% in adults 25-54 (0.9 vs. 0.7) and +1.3 million persons or +50% in total viewers (3.9 million vs. 2.6 million). “Dateline” reported the show’s top results since Jan. 10 (0.7 in 18-49, 1.0 in 25-54, 4.1 million viewers overall). Delayed Viewing: In L+7 Nielsens, “Dateline” is growing this season by +53% going from L+SD to L+7 Nielsens in 18-49 rating (from a 0.53 to a 0.81) and +1.2 million viewers overall (3.5 million to 4.7 million).