It’s become a bit of a cliché to say “broadcast’s back,” since, of course, it never really left. Just ask the fans of “NCIS,” “Law & Order: SVU” or “Grey’s Anatomy,” shows that have been on the air for decades — and launched when Netflix was only known for mailing DVDs to your house.
But there’s also some truth to this year’s network TV rebirth. This was a strong season for the traditional linear outlets — two of the most-watched new shows, period, were ABC’s “High Potential” and CBS’ “Matlock.” And the third-most-watched program overall was the Eye’s “Tracker,” beaten only by Netflix phenomena “Squid Game” and “Adolescence.”
We know all of this because Nielsen’s multiplatform ratings are finally here, and for the first time since the dawn of the streaming revolution, we can see apples-to-apples comparisons of how shows across the TV landscape are doing. Thanks to these new measurements, we get a full snapshot of what people are watching on linear and streaming — or both. And for those who like to rank the most-watched series on TV, this has changed the game.
These Nielsen multiplatform numbers, which include 35 days of linear and streaming viewing, show that “High Potential” started with 8.2 million viewers on linear TV (ABC), then nearly doubled that with 7.9 million viewers on streaming (Hulu) — bringing it to a total average of 16.1 million viewers. “Matlock” started with 10.5 million viewers on CBS, then added 5.5 million via Paramount+.
If you look at younger demos, the imbalance is more striking, as it’s clear that viewers under 50 are more often watching broadcast shows on their streaming partners.
The stats also confirm that Netflix is a behemoth, just as we’ve long known. Variety’s annual rankings of the TV season’s most-watched series have traditionally looked at just the linear broadcast and cable networks. This year, we’re proud to showcase a more comprehensive list of all of the most-watched series during the 2024-25 TV frame.
Well, not quite all. This list doesn’t include sports, which means NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” ABC/ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” and Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” aren’t here. But you already knew the NFL really rules TV, so let’s focus on the entertainment fare.
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And also, since this looks out at 35 days, the cut off was early April for this chart — and we know a lot of TV happens in late April and early May, so that’s a big asterisk. Besides “High Potential” and “Matlock,” here are a few more winners (OK, and a few losers too) of the just-completed TV season.
WINNERS
Netflix
The Nielsen multiplatform numbers show that Netflix dominates viewing: Five of the season’s top 10 shows (we’re excluding sports here) are on Netflix. Season 2 of “Squid Game” was the most-watched series of the season by far, averaging 27.1 million viewers, while at No. 2 was surprise-hit limited series “Adolescence,” with 19 million. Netflix also had the most-watched comedy of the year, with “Nobody Wants This.” Speaking of which…
Comedy
It’s probably safe to say that laughs are finally back on TV. Besides “Nobody Wants This,” the top 20 includes “Running Point” and “A Man on the Inside,” also from Netflix, as well as CBS’ “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” and “Ghosts.” Among these shows, all are in their first season, except “Ghosts” — which means they will be around for a while. And “Ghosts” just received a two-season renewal. In demos, “Abbott Elementary” remains a massive hit as well.
‘Ms. Rachel’
Who? What? The YouTube personality, known for her preschool-oriented videos inspiring singing, dancing and play, averages 11.5 million viewers for her programs, which can also be seen on Netflix. Sorry “Bluey,” you’ve got some competition.
‘Survivor,’ ‘American Idol,’ ‘The Voice,’ ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ ‘The Amazing Race’
The reality veterans still got it. Both “Survivor” Season 48 and Season 47 were among the most-watched reality series of the season, while “The Voice,” “American Idol,” “Dancing With the Stars” and “The Amazing Race” also make it into the top 100. (Not bad for shows that have been on the air for decades!) “American Idol,” for example, posted its best number in two years for its recent finale, according to ABC. Meanwhile, shout-out to more recent standouts including “The Floor,” “Is It Cake? Holiday,” “Beast Games,” “Love is Blind” and “Love on the Spectrum U.S.,” all of which also made it to the chart.
LOSERS
Basic Cable
It feels almost cruel to kick cable while it’s down, but the only basic cable show to make it into the top 100 was Paramount Network’s “Yellowstone,” and that was with an assist from CBS.
“FBI: Most Wanted,” “FBI: International” and “Equalizer”
CBS cleared the decks a bit this year, canceling three dramas that were still performing well enough to make the top 30 broadcast-only multiplatform list. Also there: ABC’s “Dr. Odyssey,” which is still awaiting its fate despite a solid viewership number.
Linear viewing among younger demos
Broadcast may be back, but don’t confuse that with “linear.” In total viewers, sure, linear is still playing a large part in the success of the broadcast networks — but look at the demos. It’s a very different story: “High Potential,” the No. 1 broadcast show this season in 18-49, averages 5.2 million viewers in the demo — 4.2 million from streaming, 1 million from linear. In premium cable, the difference is even more stark: HBO’s “The White Lotus” is the No. 5 show of the year, with 6.5 million viewers. Of that number, 325,000 came from linear TV and 6.2 million came from streaming. (For “The Penguin,” for its 4.7 million average in 18-49, just 165,000 was linear.)
America’s most-watched series of the 2024-2025 season are …
HISTORICAL CHART RECORDS:
TOP 100 SHOWS OF 2024-25, TOTAL VIEWERS
From Variety US