Network Also Places First in Adults 25-54 and
Will Finish Within Just 120,000 Viewers Behind NBC in Adults 18-49

CBS Audience Grows +5% Over Year Ago

CBS Has More Top 30 Programs in Viewers, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54
Than Any Other Network

“NCIS: New Orleans” Leads the Best Freshman Class, Which Also Includes
“Madam Secretary,” “Scorpion,” “The Odd Couple” and “CSI: Cyber”

“The Big Bang Theory” Is the Season's Most-Watched Scripted Series in
Viewers and the Top-Rated Comedy in Adults 18-49

“NCIS” Remains the #1 Drama for the Sixth Consecutive Year

CBS.com Ranks as the Season's #1 Network Property

            CBS will win the 2014-2015 season in viewers for the seventh consecutive year, its 12th win out of the last 13 seasons, according to Nielsen most current ratings through May 17.

With three nights remaining, CBS leads second-place NBC by +2.6 million viewers (11.25m vs. 8.63m, +30%), winning the last 12 weeks in viewers (every week since the Academy Awards).

Among adults 25-54, CBS will finish first in its target demo of adults 25-54 with a 3.2 rating, while averaging a 2.3 in adults 18-49.  Compared to last season, CBS grew its audience by +5% in viewers and finished unchanged in adults 25-54. CBS is projected to finish within just 120,000 viewers of NBC in adults 18-49 in a year in which they had the Super Bowl.

In a sign of the Network's broad reach and demographic strength across the schedule, CBS finishes the season with more programs ranked among the top 30 in viewers (18), adults 18-49 (13) and adults 25-54 (15) than any other network.

            CBS finishes the season with the #1 new show NCIS: NEW ORLEANS,  the most-watched new series in 10 years,  leading network television's best freshman class alongside MADAM SECRETARY, Sunday's most-watched scripted broadcast, SCORPION, CSI: CYBER and THE ODD COUPLE, the #1 new comedy.

CBS has the #1 scripted broadcast in viewers on Tuesday (NCIS); Thursday (THE BIG BANG THEORY), Friday (BLUE BLOODS) and Sunday (MADAM SECRETARY).

THE BIG BANG THEORY ends the season as the most-watched scripted broadcast and the highest-rated comedy in adults 18-49.  CBS has now had the #1 comedy for 11 consecutive years, beginning in 2004-2005 with “Everybody Loves Raymond.”

NCIS is the season's #1 drama for the sixth consecutive season.  CBS has now had the #1 drama in 13 of the last 14 seasons, while also having the top scripted program for 12 of the last 13.

60 MINUTES is once again the #1 news program.

                CBS had moretime period winners in viewers (21) than all other networks combined, as well as more time period winners in adults 25-54 (14)  and adults 18-49 (10) than any other network.

Live +7 Day DVR Lift

•  CBS is the #1 network in L+7-Day DVR lift, averaging +1.98 million viewers.

•  CBS has four of the top 10 and 11 of the top 20 gainers in viewers (more than any network) including:

#3      THE BIG BANG THEORY (+ 4.39m)    

#4      CRIMINAL MINDS (+4.01)   

#5      ELEMENTARY (+ 3.98m)  

#10    SCORPION (+ 3.51m)

#11    PERSON OF INTEREST (+ 3.33m)

#13    BLUE BLOODS (+ 3.26m)

#15    CSI: CYBER (+3.20m)

#16    NCIS: LOS ANGELES (+ 3.11m)

#18    NCIS  (+ 3.03m) 

#19    NCIS: NEW ORLEANS (+3.03m)

#20    CSI (+2.99m)

            On the interactive front, traffic to CBS.com was up year over year, and streams across CBS.com and the CBS Audience Network grew double-digit percentage points. 

According to comScore MediaMetrix, CBS.com was also the #1 network property for the season, while CBS was home to the season's most social broadcast special of the 2014-2015 season, the GRAMMY Awards, with 13.4m tweets and more than 1 billion social impressions, according to Nielsen Social. 

NATIONAL NIELSEN SUMMARY - PRIMETIME      

SEASON-TO-DATE RATINGS REPORT (9/22/14-5/17/15, most current)   

VIEWERS        

        (000)   

CBS  11,252   

NBC  8,632   

ABC  7,961   

FOX  5,827         

A25-54         

         Rtg   Sh  

CBS  3.2   9  

NBC  3.0   8  

ABC  2.7   7  

FOX  2.3   6       

A18-49         

         Rtg   Sh  

CBS  2.3   7  

NBC  2.4   8  

ABC  2.2   7  

FOX  2.0   6  

#    #    #

Press Contacts:             Ed Harrison             818-655-1584       ed.harrison@cbs.com

                                     David Pepose         212-975-1929       david.pepose@cbs.com