NFL, Capitol Insurrection Lead 3-Day Ratings for Week 16
Live events dominate Nielsen's three-day ratings for the week of Jan. 4-10, with a pair of NFL playoff games and news coverage of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol capturing the top spots.
Even though sports and news telecasts don't typically benefit much from delayed viewing, the NFL contests and news coverage, especially on Wednesday, drew such large initial audiences that they outdistanced most entertainment programs.
NBC's broadcast of the NFL wild card game between the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers tops the primetime charts in both adults 18-49 (7.37 rating) and total viewers (25.01 million). A Saturday game (Tampa Bay-Washington) finished second in both measures (6.0 in 18-49, 21.62 million viewers).
News coverage of the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 occupied six spots in the top 20. CNN's Cuomo Prime Time had the highest 18-49 rating (2.17) that night, while Anderson Cooper 36 (8.87 million viewers) drew the largest total audience.
NBC's This Is Us had the highest demo rating of any entertainment show at 1.76. CBS' Blue Bloods scored the largest viewership for entertainment programming at just under 10 million. The two shows also posted the biggest three-day gains in those two measures.
The top 20 primetime shows (including ties) in Nielsen's three-day ratings for Jan. 4-10 are below.
Adults 18-49
| Show | Network | Live +3 18-49 rating |
Change vs. live + SD |
% change vs. live + SD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFL Wild Card - Sun. | NBC | 7.37 | 0.01 | -- |
| NFL Wild Card - Sat. | NBC | 6.0 | 0.01 | -- |
| 60 Minutes | CBS | 2.22 | 0.11 | 5% |
| Cuomo Prime Time - Weds. | CNN | 2.17 | 0.0 | -- |
| Anderson Cooper 360 - Weds. | CNN | 2.14 | 0.0 | -- |
| CNN Tonight - Weds. | CNN | 1.98 | 0.0 | -- |
| This Is us | NBC | 1.77 | 0.76 | 80% |
| The Bachelor | ABC | 1.66 | 0.31 | 31% |
| Special Coverage - Weds. | MSNBC | 1.34 | 0.01 | -- |
| Celebrity Wheel of Fortune | ABC | 1.3 | 0.15 | 8% |
| The Rachel Maddow Show - Weds. | MSNBC | 1.21 | 0.01 | -- |
| Law & Order: SVU | NBC | 1.19 | 0.53 | 71% |
| The Chase | ABC | 1.1 | 0.15 | 22% |
| Last Word w/Lawrence O'Donnell - Weds. | MSNBC | 1.1 | 0.0 | -- |
| Anderson Cooper 360 - Thurs. | CNN | 1.05 | 0.0 | -- |
| Call Me Kat | FOX | 1.03 | 0.34 | 43% |
| Shark Tank | ABC | 1.02 | 0.21 | 25% |
| Hell's Kitchen | FOX | 1.01 | 0.24 | 25% |
| The Masked Dancer - Sat. | FOX | 0.99 | 0.0 | -- |
| The Neighborhood | CBS | 0.99 | 0.2 | 25% |
| Cuomo Prime Time - Thurs. | CNN | 0.99 | 0.0 | -- |
Total Viewers
| Show | Network | Live +3 viewers (000s) |
Change vs. live + SD |
% change vs. live + SD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFL Wild Card - Sun. | NBC | 25,012 | 122 | 0% |
| NFL Wild Card - Sat. | NBC | 21,615 | 135 | 1% |
| 60 Minutes | CBS | 15,579 | 758 | 5% |
| Blue Bloods | CBS | 9,560 | 2,991 | 46% |
| Anderson Cooper 360 - Weds. | CNN | 8,871 | 4 | -- |
| Cuomo Prime Time - Weds. | CNN | 8,819 | 34 | -- |
| Celebrity Wheel of Fortune | ABC | 8,734 | 585 | 7% |
| Special Coverage - Weds. | MSNBC | 8,505 | 18 | -- |
| Bull | CBS | 8,448 | 2,820 | 50% |
| This Is Us | NBC | 8,075 | 2,869 | 55% |
| The Rachel Maddow Show - Weds. | MSNBC | 7,827 | 57 | 1% |
| CNN Tonight - Weds. | CNN | 7,819 | 18 | -- |
| NCIS: Los Angeles | CBS | 7,536 | 1,637 | 28% |
| Magnum P.I. | CBS | 7,493 | 1,621 | 28% |
| The Chase | ABC | 7,254 | 769 | 12% |
| The Neighborhood | CBS | 7,179 | 970 | 16% |
| Last Word w/Lawrence O'Donnell - Weds. | MSNBC | 6,797 | 8 | -- |
| NCIS: New Orleans | CBS | 6,605 | 1,931 | 41% |
| Bob Hearts Abishola | CBS | 6,552 | 922 | 16% |
| Mr. Mayor - 8 p.m. | NBC | 6,352 | 1,306 | 26% |