CBS WILL FINISH THE 2021-2022 SEASON AS AMERICA'S MOST-WATCHED NETWORK FOR 14th STRAIGHT YEAR

News provided by

Paramount Global

May 03, 2022, 11:45 ET

Network Has Been #1 for 19 of Last 20 Seasons

CBS Has the Top Series/Drama, Top Comedy, Top New Drama, Top New Comedy and Top Primetime News Program

NEW YORK, May 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Network research projections, CBS will finish the 2021-2022 season as "America's Most-Watched Network" in primetime for the 14th straight season. This will be CBS' 19th win in the last 20 years. The Network is also #1 in late night for the sixth consecutive season and in daytime for 36 consecutive years.

CBS' winning season features the top broadcast series/drama (NCIS), top comedy (YOUNG SHELDON), top primetime news program (60 MINUTES), top new drama (NCIS: HAWAI'I) and top new comedy (GHOSTS).

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The Network is currently averaging 6.35 million viewers, +100,000 ahead of second-place NBC (versus 6.25m), third-place Fox (4.68m) and ABC (4.19m). All numbers are according to Nielsen most current ratings through Sunday, May 1. This marks the second time CBS has won the season during the current winning streak while competing against a network that had both the Super Bowl and Olympics.

"The strength and depth of our core CBS series, the top new comedies and dramas on television, our iconic alternative programming, world-class sports franchises, plus the finest news program in the history of television, provided us with the power to surge to the top of the broadcast landscape for the 14th consecutive season. That's a huge testament to our talent, producers and the CBS team," said Kelly Kahl, president, CBS Entertainment. "Additionally, these incredibly popular series have been a key driver in the growth and success of our streaming service, Paramount+."

"A winning streak of this scale is quite unprecedented in the history of media, linear or digital," said Radha Subramanyam, chief research and analytics officer, CBS, and president, CBS Vision. "While consumers have an increasing range of options to choose from, CBS continues to engage the broadest range of audiences and delivers sustained levels of viewership year after year across linear and streaming."

The following are some key highlights of CBS' winning 2021-2022 season:

Genre leadership

  • NCIS is once again the top scripted series and top drama, for the fourth consecutive season (and 12th time in 13 seasons). In the 21st century, CBS has had the #1 drama 19 out of 21 seasons.
  • 60 MINUTES is the #1 news program.
  • NCIS: HAWAI'I is the #1 new drama.
  • GHOSTS is the #1 new series and comedy.
  • CBS has the top 9 comedies, with rebroadcasts/encores of YOUNG SHELDON and THE NEIGHBORHOOD beating every original comedy on the competition.
  • CBS has had the top comedy since the final season of "Friends" – the past 18 years.

Schedule strength

  • CBS has incredible depth with 13 of the top 20 "most-watched" broadcast series.
  • CBS has the only two non-sports series averaging 10+ million viewers – NCIS (11.1m) and FBI (10.3m).
  • CBS has 10 time-period-winning programs, leading all networks.

Late night

  • In late night, the Network has been #1 in the daypart with Stephen Colbert and James Corden for five consecutive seasons. THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT has dominated its time period for the past six years.

Daytime

  • In daytime, CBS has the top program (THE PRICE IS RIGHT) and the top daytime drama (THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS). The Network has been #1 in the daypart for 36 consecutive seasons.

Streaming

  • In addition to being the most-watched network in America, CBS continues to be a powerful driver of Paramount's streaming services. This season, CBS has been the source for 17 of the top 30 titles on Paramount+, including NCIS, FBI, GHOSTS and SURVIVOR. And on Pluto TV, CBS content accounts for 10 of the top 30 series in the first quarter of 2022.

SOURCE Paramount Global