NFL lifts NBC to first for week

Two prime- time NFL games helped NBC to its f irst ratings victory of the 7week- old prime- time television season, while thirdplace ABC had its mostwatched week thanks in large measure to the CMA Awards.

NBC averaged 8.13 million viewers for its primetime programming between Nov. 6 and Sunday, according to live- plus- same- day figures released Tuesday by Nielsen.

CBS was second for the third consecutive week after winning each of the first four weeks of the 2017- 18 season, averaging 7.56 million viewers.

ABC was third, averaging 6.21 million. Fox averaged 3.96 million viewers to finish fourth following its back- toback victories when it aired the World Series.

NBC had a one- two finish from “Sunday Night Football” and its 11- minute pregame show. The New England Patriots’ 41- 16 victory over the Denver Broncos on “Sunday Night Football” averaged 17.51 million viewers and its 11- minute pregame show 14.56 million.

Country music’s CMA Awards on ABC was third for the week and first among entertainment programs, averaging 14.28 million viewers, its most since 2014.

NBC also got a boost from its f irst “Thursday Night Football” game of the television season, with the Seattle Seahawks’ 22- 16 victory over the Arizona Cardinals averaging 13.11 million viewers to finish sixth for the week.

NBC’s most- watched entertainment programs were “This Is Us,” 14th for the week and eighth among nonfootball programs, averaging 9.89 million viewers, and the Monday and Tuesday editions of “The Voice.”

Here are the combined rankings for national prime- time network and cable television last week ( Nov. 6- 12), as compiled by Nielsen. They are based on the average number of people who watched a program from start to finish during its scheduled telecast or on a playback device the same day. Nielsen estimates there are 289 million potential viewers in the U. S. ages 2 and older. Viewership is listed in millions.