Brace Yourselves: NBC Was the Top-Rated Network on Sunday Night
Yes, You Read That Correctly—N-B-C
This is an actual blog post, not a joke or a half-hearted attempt at trickery. According to Nielsen Media Research (a company that is really, really good at measuring this type of stuff, you know; so much so that they have a stranglehold on the market and indirectly determine everything we get to see on the small screen), NBC did something it rarely does anymore when it attracted audiences larger than every other network during primetime on Sunday night. That’s right—on Father’s Day, June 17, the Peacock Network was Number One in the ratings for the critical 18–49 group that advertisers adore.
I won’t emphasize, of course, that viewership was relatively low overall at that time, given that this is the summer, and Sunday nights aren’t exactly a cornucopia of blockbuster television events during the season of long-awaited vacations, inevitable heat waves, and general malaise.
According to Broadcasting & Cable, “NBC led or tied every half-hour time period except for 8–8:30, when it was beaten by Fox’s The Simpsons.” And to think that such a rare achievement was accomplished with repeats and aging Dateline, peppered with a little golf that ran overtime from the afternoon.
What a feat for the fourth-rated network, which is regularly called out for its swift and painful decline from the apex of the TV-network hierarchy back in its 1990s heyday to its current, seemingly permanent perch in the cellar. Baseless prediction: Just wait until the Peacock’s fabulous new sci-fi-heavy roster takes over the tube come next fall, and this type of news will become common and not so newsworthy anymore. Here’s to dreaming…
Related News: NBC’s 2007–2008 Primetime Schedule Heavy on Sci-Fi
