NBC Finishes Year as Top Network

NBC did something they haven't done since 2004, the Peacock celebrated its first primetime victory in the 18-49 demo for a full television year in a decade.

NBC which had won the September-May broadcast season in the demo, clinched its 52-week crown with a strong summer. Led by “America’s Got Talent,” the rising “American Ninja Warrior” and rookie scripted success “The Night Shift,” NBC won in adults 18-49 to make it four straight summers on top.

According to Nielsen estimates through Sunday (51 of 52 weeks in the full 2013-14 television season), NBC leads in adults 18-49 with a 2.4 rating — up 14% from the previous season. It is followed by Fox (2.1), CBS (2.0) and ABC (1.9).

NBC benefited from 18 nights of Winter Olympics coverage, but even with the Sochi Games removed from its average, it still finished ahead of Super Bowl-boosted Fox (2.2 to 2.1).

In total viewers, NBC averaged 8.27 million and was up by 25% over 2012-13 — the biggest year-over-year improvement delivered by any Big Four network in the last 25 years — to place second to CBS (9.27 million).

Now that the new TV season is kicking off, it will be interesting to see if NBC can hold on to the crown. 

H/T Variety