Nbc Ends Week At Top Of Ratings

NBC’s Thursday night “Must See TV” lineup helped the network break out of a slump and win the prime-time ratings last week.

NBC had a 10.1 rating and 17 share, easily outdistancing second-place CBS, Nielsen Media Research reported Tuesday.

Thursday’s powerhouses “ER,” “Seinfeld” and “Veronica’s Closet” were the three most-watched programs of the week.

The network is still leading in Nielsen’s season-to-date rankings but has shown some weakness. It dropped to third in the previous week, and CBS narrowly won the important November “sweeps” period, when ratings are used to set local advertising rates.

For the week, CBS had a 9.2 rating and 15 share, ABC an 8.8 rating and 15 share, and Fox a 7.3 rating and 12 share.

Listings include the week’s ranking, with rating for the week, season-to-date rankings in parentheses, and total homes. A rating measures the percentage of the nation’s estimated 97 million TV homes. Each ratings point represents 980,000 households.

1. (1) “E.R.,” NBC, 21.8, 21.1 million homes.

2. (2) “Seinfeld,” NBC, 20.6, 20.0 million homes.

3. (3) “Veronica’s Closet,” NBC, 17.1, 16.6 million homes.

4. (7) “CBS Sunday Movie: Ellen Foster,” CBS, 16.5, 16.0 million homes.

5. (4) “Friends,” NBC, 16.1, 15.6 million homes.

6. (6) “NFL Monday Night Football: Carolina At Dallas,” ABC, 15.3, 14.8 million homes.

7. (9) “60 Minutes,” CBS, 14.4, 14.0 million homes.

8. (9) “Union Square,” NBC, 13.5, 13.1 million homes.

9. (5) “Touched By An Angel,” CBS, 13.3, 12.9 million homes.

10. (14) “NYPD Blue,” ABC, 12.9, 12.5 million homes.