Triple Punch Wins Nielsen Race For Nbc

The much-hyped live episode of “ER” and a record-setting “Seinfeld” helped NBC begin the new television season where it left off: on top in the ratings.

NBC estimated Tuesday that 61 million people watched at least part of the season-opening episode of “ER.” NBC’s “Seinfeld” attracted its largest audience ever for a single episode - 38 million people.

Kirstie Alley’s new comedy, “Veronica’s Closet,” in the can’t-miss time slot between “Seinfeld” and “ER,” was the week’s third most-watched show.

Among the other strong performers in first-week Nielsen Media Research ratings: the freshman sitcom “Dharma & Greg,” ABC’s top-rated show besides football, and two “Home Improvement” episodes; NBC’s “Caroline in the City,” which whipped CBS’s “Cybill” in head-to-head competition; and CBS’s new Steven Bochco drama, “Brooklyn South,” which finished 19th.

Among the losers: ABC’s “Nothing Sacred” drama; Jenny McCarthy’s NBC series, “Jenny”; and ABC’s new Saturday dramas, “C-16” and “Total Security.”

For the week, NBC finished with an 11.6 rating and 19 share, CBS was second with a 10.4 rating and 17 share, ABC was third with a 9.0 rating and 15 share, and Fox fourth with a 6.4 rating and 10 share. WPN had a 3.1 rating and 5 share, while the WB had a 2.9 rating and 5 share.

The excitement of a new season couldn’t hide the continued defection of viewers away from the broadcast networks.

The four top broadcast networks had an estimated 1.2 million fewer viewers last week than they did for premiere week of the 1996-97 season. While CBS and Fox gained viewers from last year, they couldn’t offset the drops by NBC and especially ABC.

Basic cable networks claimed a 33.7 share of the prime-time viewing audience, their highest-ever for a premiere week for the major networks.

NBC claimed that “NBC Nightly News” was the top-rated evening news program for the 1996-97 television season. Its last two season wins were in 1986-87 and 1966-67.

During last week’s evening news race, NBC had a 7.8 rating and 17 share, ABC a 7.5 rating and 17 share, and CBS a 6.8 rating and 15 share.

Prime-time ratings as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for Sept. 22-28. Top 10 listings include the week’s ranking, with rating for the week, season-to-date rankings in parentheses, and total homes.

An “X” in parentheses denotes one-time-only presentation. A rating measures the percentage of the nation’s 98 million TV homes. Each ratings point represents 980,000 households.

1. (1) “ER,” NBC, 28.5, 28.0 million homes.

2. (2) “Seinfeld,” NBC, 24.6, 24.1 million homes.

3. (3) “Veronica’s Closet,” NBC, 23.3, 22.8 million homes.

4. (4) “Friends,” NBC, 19.5, 19.1 million homes.

5. (5) “Union Square,” NBC, 17.3, 17.0 million homes.

6. (6) “Mad About You,” NBC, 17.1, 16.8 million homes.

7. (7) “Home Improvement,” ABC, 16.4, 16.1 million homes.

8. (8) “Touched By An Angel,” CBS, 15.1, 14.8 million homes.

9. (8) “NFL Monday Night Football: Pittsburgh at Jacksonville,” ABC, 15.0, 14.7 million homes.

10. (10) “Frasier,” NBC, 14.8, 14.5 million homes.

11. (11) “Dateline NBC,” (Tuesday) NBC, 13.7, 13.4 million homes.

12. (12) “CBS Sunday Movie: Get To The Heart: Barbara Mandrell,” CBS, 13.6, 13.3 million homes.

13. (X) “Home Improvement,” ABC, 13.4, 13.1 million homes.

14. (X) “31st Annual CMA Awards,” CBS, 13.3, 13.0 million homes.

15. (14) “Law and Order,” NBC, 12.9, 12.7 million homes.

16. (15) “Caroline In The City,” NBC, 12.7, 12.4 million homes.

17. (12) “60 Minutes,” CBS, 12.6, 12.3 million homes.

18. (16) “Just Shoot Me,” NBC, 12.4, 12.2 million homes.

19. (17) “Brooklyn South,” CBS, 12.2, 12.0 million homes.

20. (18) “NewsRadio,” NBC, 12.0, 11.8 million.