Ratings Sweeps Victory Getting Closer For Nbc

NBC, with the six most-watched shows last week, was cruising toward victory in the May ratings sweeps while CBS and ABC wrestled for the privilege of being second.

NBC’s mighty Thursday night lineup, led by “ER” and the Tom Cruise movie “A Few Good Men,” gave the network a first-place finish for the week ending May 12. This is the third consecutive week that NBC has aired the six top-rated programs, a trick no network had managed in at least 22 years, according to NBC records.

NBC posted a 12.3 average rating and a 21 share. CBS was second with a 9.9 rating and 17 share, followed by ABC with a 9.0 rating and 16 share. Fox Broadcasting Co. posted a 7.8 rating and 14 share.

Prime-time ratings as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for May 6-12. 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 95.9 million TV homes. Each ratings point represents 959,000 households.

1. (1) “ER,” NBC, 22.8, 21.9 million homes.

2. (2) “Seinfeld,” NBC, 20.4, 19.6 million homes.

3. (3) “Friends,” NBC, 18.1, 17.4 million homes.

4. (4) “Caroline in the City,” NBC, 17.4, 16.7 million homes.

5. (22) “NBC Sunday Night Movie: A Few Good Men,” NBC, 16.0, 15.3 million homes.

5. (6) “Single Guy,” NBC, 16.0, 15.3 million homes.

7. (18) “Roseanne,” ABC, 15.6, 15.0 million homes.

8. (15) “NBC Monday Night Movies: No One Would Tell,” NBC, 15.5, 14.9 million homes .

9. (9) “NYPD Blue,” ABC, 15.3, 14.7 million homes.

10. (X) “Home Improvement,” ABC, 14.1, 13.5 million homes.