‘Big Bang Theory’ tops ‘Game of Thrones’ in weekly ratings

By: Lynn Elber, The Associated Press Posted: Last Modified:

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LOS ANGELES - In the ratings battle between titans "The Big Bang Theory" and "Game of Thrones," laughs won out.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/05/2019 (2710 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LOS ANGELES – In the ratings battle between titans “The Big Bang Theory” and “Game of Thrones,” laughs won out.

CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” was last week’s top-rated program, with 12.5 million viewers tuning in to the sitcom in its home stretch. The final episode of its 12-season run will air Thursday, May 16.

HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” also nearing the end after eight seasons, placed second, according to Nielsen figures released Tuesday.

FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2019, file photo, Kunal Nayyar, from left, Mayim Bialik, Melissa Rauch, Jim Parsons, Simon Helberg, Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki, from the cast of
FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2019, file photo, Kunal Nayyar, from left, Mayim Bialik, Melissa Rauch, Jim Parsons, Simon Helberg, Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki, from the cast of "The Big Bang Theory," present the creative achievement award at the 24th annual Critics' Choice Awards at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. Hugs and tears punctuated the final taping of "The Big Bang Theory," a lovefest for its stars, crew and audience alike. There were plenty of punchlines as well, as the true-to-form hit comedy about scientists and those who love them wrapped the two-part, hour-long finale that will air in mid-May on CBS. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

The fantasy drama drew 11.8 million viewers to the episode that debuted last Sunday, edged out by the sitcom it had bested the week before.

“Game of Thrones,” which ends May 19, reached a total 17.2 million viewers with figures for streaming, on-demand and a Sunday rerun included. That’s a slight dip from the big battle episode that aired April 28 and drew 17.8 million across HBO’s platforms.

A 2 per cent uptick in viewership for NBC’s “Billboard Music Awards” was small but meaningful: most major music awards shows have seen double-digit, year-to-year losses, with the Grammys and its 1 per cent increase reflecting a rare exception.

With eight of the 10 most-watched shows, CBS cruised to an overall weekly ratings victory with an average 5.96 million viewers. ABC had 4.64 million, NBC had 4.55 million viewers, Fox had 2.64 million, Telemundo had 1.36 million, Univision had 1.31 million, ION Television had 1.24 million and the CW had 740,000.

Fox News Channel was the week’s most popular cable network, averaging 2.4 million viewers in prime time. TNT had 2.36 million, MSNBC had 1.7 million, ESPN had 1.58 million and HGTV had 1.2 million.

ABC’s “World News Tonight” topped the evening newscasts with an average of 8.4 million viewers, with NBC’s “Nightly News” second with 7.6 million. “CBS Evening News,” which will be replacing anchor Jeff Glor with Norah O’Donnell this summer, averaged 5.7 million viewers.

For the week of April 29-May 5, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships:

1. “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS, 12.5 million.

2. “Game of Thrones,” HBO, 11.8 million.

3. “NCIS,” CBS, 11.7 million.

4. “Young Sheldon,” CBS, 10.7 million.

5. “FBI,” CBS, 8.9 million.

6. “Blue Bloods,” CBS, 8.1 million.

7. “Billboard Music Awards,” NBC, 8 million.

8. “Mom,” CBS, 7.89 million.

9. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 7.6 million.

10. “American Idol” (Sunday), ABC, 7.5 million.

___

ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co. CBS is owned by CBS Corp. CW is a joint venture of Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corp. Fox is owned by 21st Century Fox. NBC and Telemundo are owned by Comcast Corp. ION Television is owned by ION Media Networks.

___

Online:

http://www.nielsen.com

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