Fox, boosted by the addition to Thursday Night Football, is set to take the top ratings spot for the fall portion of the 2019-20 broadcast season. It marks the newly stand-alone network’s first No. 1 finish in the adults 18-49 demographic in ten years.
Additionally, fueled by the success of The Masked Singer and the top new series Prodigal Son, Fox for the first time ever is expected to rank as the #1 broadcast network in the fall with entertainment programming only (excluding sports).
NBC, meanwhile, is poised to finish as the most-watched network in the fourth quarter for the first time in 20 years, snapping CBS’ 18-year winning streak in total sets of eyeballs.
With a week to go, Fox’s strong quarter (a 13-week stretch from September 23-December 22) included becoming the only network to chart year-over-year gains in both total viewers (up +9%) and the demo (up +5%). It finished first in nine of the season’s 13 weeks among 18-49 (also a network first), and ranked No. 1 on four nights (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday).
Among shows, Fox’s singing competition The Masked Singer and NBC’s This Is Us tied as the fall’s No. 1-rated entertainment programs (3.0 adults 18-49 in L+7).
NBC, paced by the broadcasters’ most-watched and top-rated show overall in and competition staple The Voice, will snap CBS’ total-viewer streak that began in 2000.
Overall, CBS saw the most slippage year over year, dipping 12% in viewers and 21% in the demo year-over-year.