NBC Set To End CBS's 18-Year Reign As Most-Watched Broadcast Network

NBC is poised to claim the most-watched broadcast network title for the 2025-26 season, ending CBS's 18-year winning streak. The shift is driven largely by NBC's "legendary February" lineup, which included the Milan-Cortina Olympics, Super Bowl LX, and the NBA All-Star Game, boosting primetime sports viewership on the network by 82 percent.

According to Nielsen Most Current data, NBC will surpass CBS in total viewers when the broadcast season concludes in May, marking the first time since the 2007-08 season that CBS has not finished first in this metric. Paramount Entertainment Chief George Cheeks acknowledged the shift during a press briefing on April 15, stating: "In full transparency, while this year is undeniably strong for CBS, it'll be the first time since '07-'08 that CBS is not going to be number one in total viewers. 'Legendary February' and NBC will be the reason for that."

Despite losing the top spot, CBS maintains a strong position in the broader television landscape. The network has six shows among the top 20 most-watched series across broadcast and streaming platforms. "Marshals" leads CBS's lineup with 26.5 million viewers accumulated over 28 days, while "Tracker" secured 16.4 million viewers in its midseason return. "CIA," "Matlock," "Sheriff Country," and "Ghosts" also rank in the top 20, with "Survivor 50" and "NCIS" each drawing over 10 million viewers for their season premieres.

The broadcast season officially runs through May, meaning final rankings remain subject to change as series conclude their runs. CBS's previous total viewers victory last season broke broadcast television's longest winning streak on record, with CBS holding the top spot for 22 seasons across the past 24 years.

Context

CBS has dominated broadcast viewership for nearly two decades, a dominance that exceeded even the network's historic run from 1955 to 1970, when it held the top position for 16 consecutive seasons. The network's consistency in drawing the largest aggregate audience reflected both its scripted drama portfolio and its ability to retain older viewers who remain loyal to traditional broadcast television as streaming services have fragmented the audience.

NBC's path to the top this season relied on a specific advantage: major sports events that draw massive, one-time audiences. The combination of the Olympics, Super Bowl, and All-Star Game created viewing spikes that, when aggregated across the full season, tipped the overall average in NBC's favor. This underscores how broadcast networks increasingly depend on tentpole events to compete in an era when streaming platforms have eroded traditional appointment viewing.

What's Next

The final determination will come in late May when the full 2025-26 season data is compiled, though NBC's lead appears substantial enough to withstand shifts in the remaining weeks. More immediately, the result signals that CBS's strategy of building a consistent slate of scripted dramas—while successful in maintaining top-20 placements—may not be sufficient to reclaim the viewership crown without comparable major events on the schedule. Networks will likely factor this outcome into their 2026-27 sports rights negotiations and programming strategy decisions.