CBS Concedes Total Viewers Crown to NBC for 2026 Season

Network chair George Cheeks cites NBC's 'Legendary February' of major sports events as the reason for the ratings win.

Apr. 15, 2026 at 10:03pm

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An extreme close-up photograph of shattered glass and glittering shards in high-contrast studio lighting, creating an abstract, high-fashion aesthetic that conceptually represents the competitive nature of the broadcast TV industry.The competitive broadcast TV landscape is reflected in the dramatic textures of shattered glass and glittering fragments.Boston Today

CBS chair George Cheeks has acknowledged that CBS will not finish the 2026 TV season as the most-watched broadcast network in total viewers, conceding the crown to NBC. Cheeks cited NBC's strong performance during its 'Legendary February' that included the Super Bowl, Winter Olympics, and NBA All-Star Game as the primary reason for the ratings shift.

Why it matters

CBS has dominated the total viewers ratings for nearly two decades, so this marks a significant shift in the broadcast landscape. The rise of NBC's sports programming, particularly high-profile events like the Super Bowl, has helped the network overtake CBS in overall viewership for the first time in years.

The details

According to Nielsen data through April 12, 2026, NBC is leading the total viewers race with 6.1 million, followed by CBS (4.5 million), ABC (4.4 million), and Fox (3.7 million). Cheeks acknowledged that CBS had won the total viewers crown every year since the 2007-2008 TV season, though Variety's own network rankings sometimes showed NBC edging out CBS in certain years due to the inclusion of live+7 ratings data.

  • CBS has won the total viewers crown every year since the 2007-2008 TV season.
  • In the 2024-2025 TV season, CBS led with 4.443 million viewers compared to NBC's 4.243 million.
  • In the 2023-2024 TV season, CBS led with 5.055 million viewers compared to NBC's 4.990 million.

The players

George Cheeks

The chair of TV media at Paramount, who previously held roles at NBCUniversal including co-chairman of NBC Entertainment.

Amy Reisenbach

The president of CBS Entertainment.

NBC

The broadcast network that is poised to overtake CBS as the most-watched network in total viewers for the 2026 TV season.

CBS

The broadcast network that has dominated the total viewers ratings for nearly two decades but is conceding the crown to NBC for the 2026 season.

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What they’re saying

“In full transparency, while this year is undeniably strong for CBS… CBS is not going to be number one in total viewers. 'Legendary February,' and NBC, will be the reason for that. With more than 120 hours of Olympics and NFL, including the Super Bowl, primetime sports for this season on NBC is up 82% year over year.”

— George Cheeks, Paramount chair of TV media

“Congrats to my former colleagues at NBC”

— George Cheeks, Paramount chair of TV media

The takeaway

This shift in the total viewers ratings crown highlights the growing importance of sports programming, particularly high-profile events like the Super Bowl, in driving viewership for broadcast networks. While CBS has long dominated in entertainment programming, NBC's investment in sports has helped it overtake the Eye network for the first time in nearly two decades.