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For the first time since 2008, a network other than CBS can claim the title of most-watched broadcaster in prime time. NBC will win the 2025-2026 season first in terms of total viewers — the first time that has happened since the final days of Must-See TV.
As the September-May television season comes to a close, NBC will finish with an overall win among all viewers, adults 18-49 and adults 25-54. That victory goes in large part to more than two weeks in February, when the second-most-watched Super Bowl of all time and a revamped Winter Olympics put NBC beyond the reach of fellow broadcast networks.
Through May 17, NBC is averaging 5.83 million viewers in prime time this season, up about 14 percent from 2024-25. CBS — which has won every season since 2008-09 in total viewers — is second with 4.63 million (down 19 percent), slightly ahead of ABC’s 4.33 million (up 1 percent). Fox rounds out the big four networks with 3.41 million viewers (down 11 percent). Unless otherwise noted, all numbers in this story are Nielsen linear ratings only and do not include broadcast (which would increase the averages for all four networks by a significant amount).
The total viewership win for the season is NBC’s first since the 2001–02 season, when friends and er They were two of the top three programs on television. The network also had the best show of the season in Sunday Night Footballwhich extended its record of consecutive first-place finishes to 15 seasons. Snf It averaged 21 million viewers on NBC and 23.5 million viewers including streaming on Peacock and other digital platforms.
CBS fell the most, partly due to some declines in individual shows. But the network also rested most of its scripted series, including strong performers like Tracker, NCIS and Georgie and Mandy’s first marriagein January and most of February, are among the most TV-intensive months of the year.
ABC is up, and measuring only entertainment programming (i.e. not sports and news), it is the only network to grow year over year in total viewers. Fox has had some successes with shows like The best medicine, document and Fear Factor: House of Fear; Her year-to-year decline is mostly explained by her getting the Super Bowl last season and not this season.
NBC also led the key demographics of ad sales in adults 18-49 and 25-54. In the 18-49 demo, it posted a 1.01 rating (equivalent to about 1.37 million viewers in that age group) in primetime for NBC’s first win by that metric since the 2021-22 season (also a Super Bowl/Winter Olympics year). Fox was second with a rating of 0.64/871,000 viewers, followed by ABC (0.57/776,000) and CBS (0.45/613,000).
Among adults 25-54, NBC earned a 1.32 rating, equivalent to 1.66 million viewers. Fox (0.83/1.04 million) edged ABC (0.77/968,000) into second place, and CBS was fourth with a 0.64/804,000.
