CBS's George Cheeks Concedes TV Ratings Crown to NBC: 'Legendary February' Sports Events Decided It
CBS executive George Cheeks admitted his network will lose the TV ratings crown to NBC this year. He blamed NBC's big sports events in February for tipping the scales. CBS had been America's most-watched network for 16 straight years.
CBS executive George Cheeks publicly conceded that his network will end its historic 16-year run as America's most-watched broadcast network. NBC will take the crown this year thanks to what Cheeks called their "Legendary February."
"In full transparency, while this year is undeniably strong for CBS, CBS is not going to be number one in total viewers," Cheeks said. He pointed to NBC's February programming as the deciding factor in the ratings battle.
CBS has dominated TV ratings since 2008, building its success on popular shows like procedural dramas and comedies. This season alone, CBS claims eight of the top 10 prime-time shows on network television. The network added new hits like "Tracker," "Fire Country," "Ghosts," and "Elsbeth."
Despite losing the overall crown, CBS saw a 7% increase in viewers this year. Cheeks noted the network remains strong and continues delivering results for its new ownership structure under Paramount.
The ratings battle matters because it determines which network can charge advertisers the most money for commercial time during popular shows.
This breaks CBS's record streak as America's top TV network. It shows how major sports events like the Olympics or Super Bowl can shift millions of viewers and determine which networks advertisers pay the most to reach audiences.
Final TV season ratings will be released when the broadcast year officially ends this month.
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