TV Ratings : NBC Gets Its First Win of the Season

NBC and Fox, the dark horses in the prime-time ratings race when the season began, gained significant momentum last week. NBC finished first in TV households for the first time this season, as its Thursday trio of “Seinfeld,” “ER” and a repeat episode of “Mad About You,” with Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt, took win, place and show with all-time ratings highs.

In addition, NBC was the highest-rated network for the third straight week in adults 18 to 49, a demographic advertisers pay a premium to reach.

Fox, meanwhile, finished second in adults 18 to 49, with record performances last Monday by a two-hour “Melrose Place,” and last Tuesday by a two-hour figure skating special.

A.C. Nielsen Co. figures released Tuesday showed that NBC’s Thursday juggernaut, which included “Friends” (at No. 6), was the top-rated night on any network this season. “Seinfeld” was seen in 22.4 million homes, or 36% of the homes watching television, giving NBC its highest rating in the time period with regular programming since an episode of “Cheers” in 1991.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Southland Ratings

Here are A. C. Nielsen’s Top 10 prime-time programs in the Los Angeles area during the same week. Each rating point equals 50,064 households.

Program Network Rating 1. Seinfeld KNBC 24.4 2. ER KNBC 20.9 3. Star Trek: Voyager KCOP 20.8 4. Mad About You (9:30 p.m.) KNBC 18.4 5. Friends KNBC 18.3 6. Home Improvement KABC 18.1 7. Mad About You KNBC 17.1 8. Grace Under Fire KABC 16.9 9. Melrose Place KTTV 15.9 10. 20/20 KABC 15.8 The Simpsons KTTV 15.8

Weekly Averages NBC: 11.5 CBS: 11.4 ABC: 11.2 FOX: 8.9 WB : 1.9

Season to Date ABC: 12.0 CBS: 11.5 NBC: 11.4 FOX: 7.7 WB : 1.9 Source: A. C. Nelson Co.