In 2023, NBC was the leading ad-supported television network in the United States, with an average viewership of 4.54 million, surpassing the viewership number of CBS. The latter recorded 4.51 people watchig the TV channel.
Spotlight on CBS
CBS is among the oldest and most popular commercial broadcast television and radio networks in the United States. Founded in 1927, the company now operates as a subsidiary of Paramount, with all of its original programming available on the Paramount+ streaming platform. A closer look at the network's recent performance reveals that it ranked fourth among the leading television networks among U.S. adults in 2023. CBS reported an average of 676 thousand viewers between the ages of 18 to 49 that year and was only outperformed by NBC, Fox, and ABC. So what are audiences watching?
Popular television shows
According to the latest data, NFL Sunday Night Football was the most watched TV program in the United States during the 2022-2023 season. The sports broadcast, which aired on NBC, scored a respective 18.14 million viewers during that period. The three most popular fictional programs to make it into the top five were "Yellowstone", "NCIS," and "FBI" broadcast on Paramount Network and CBS.
Leading ad-supported broadcast and cable networks in the United States in 2023, by average number of viewers
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Variety. (December 28, 2023). Leading ad-supported broadcast and cable networks in the United States in 2023, by average number of viewers (in millions) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved August 25, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/530119/tv-networks-viewers-usa/
Variety. "Leading ad-supported broadcast and cable networks in the United States in 2023, by average number of viewers (in millions)." Chart. December 28, 2023. Statista. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/530119/tv-networks-viewers-usa/
Variety. (2023). Leading ad-supported broadcast and cable networks in the United States in 2023, by average number of viewers (in millions). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/530119/tv-networks-viewers-usa/
Variety. "Leading Ad-supported Broadcast and Cable Networks in The United States in 2023, by Average Number of Viewers (in Millions)." Statista, Statista Inc., 28 Dec 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/530119/tv-networks-viewers-usa/
Variety, Leading ad-supported broadcast and cable networks in the United States in 2023, by average number of viewers (in millions) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/530119/tv-networks-viewers-usa/ (last visited August 25, 2024)
Leading ad-supported broadcast and cable networks in the United States in 2023, by average number of viewers (in millions) [Graph], Variety, December 28, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/530119/tv-networks-viewers-usa/