NBC continues its winning streak, dominating the broadcast premiere week for the fifth consecutive year, surpassing rivals ABC, CBS, and Fox. Notably, this marks NBC’s twelfth straight win in the crucial 18-49 demographic.
With an average of 6.8 million viewers during the week commencing September 25, NBC enjoyed its highest total viewership for a premiere week since 2019. In contrast, ABC secured 4.6 million viewers, CBS trailed with 2.9 million, and Fox garnered 2.5 million across the same period.
Impressively, NBC saw a 13% increase in total viewers compared to the previous year, while ABC experienced a 1% uptick, CBS faced a 25% decline, and Fox dropped by 36%.
Deadline notes that NBC’s success was bolstered by the launch of The Irrational, one of the few new scripted series in the lineup. In contrast, other networks predominantly featured reality programming. ABC focused on shows like The Golden Bachelor and Dancing with the Stars, while CBS aired the first season of Yellowstone and postponed scripted premieres.

Fox similarly relied on unscripted series like The Masked Singer and Gordon Ramsay’s shows, deviating from its traditional scripted content.
Within the top 12 programs for the week, only two non-sports and non-news shows made the cut: The Voice and America’s Got Talent, both on NBC. These talent competitions ranked ninth to twelfth, while the list was predominantly led by NFL broadcasts across NBC, Fox, and ABC, along with CBS’ 60 Minutes.
In the critical 18-49 demographic, NBC witnessed a 15% increase, achieving a rating of 1.26. ABC saw a 5% decrease to 0.9, Fox experienced a 32% dip to 0.61, and CBS had a 35% drop, earning a 0.28 rating.
As the other networks begin to introduce new shows, they hope for improved numbers in the coming weeks, but for now, NBC stands triumphant as the premiere week champion.