Tops “20/20” For Third Consecutive May Sweep
Grows In All Key Measurements Vs. February Sweep
May 21, 2019 – Dateline NBC is the #1 Friday newsmagazine during the May sweep period, beating ABC’s 20/20 across the board in all key measurements, including total viewers, A25-54 and A18-49. This marks Dateline’s third consecutive May sweep win.
Dateline averages 3.8 million total viewers, topping ABC by +1.1 million (+41%). Among the A25-54 demo, Dateline averages 1.01 million viewers, +168,000 (+20%) more than ABC.
The broadcast also notches 715,000 in A18-49, leading 20/20 by +138,000 (+24%). Additionally, Dateline posts across-the-board growth versus the prior sweep, while 20/20 loses viewers across the board since the February sweep.
Last week, Dateline expanded the franchise onto a new platform with its first-ever original podcast series, 13 Alibis, marking the beginning of the newsmagazine’s major push into podcasts. All seven episodes of 13 Alibis are now available for download and streaming on Apple Podcasts, which is currently #3 on the company’s Top Podcasts Chart.
May Sweep Highlights:
- Dateline averages 3.8 million total viewers, leading ABC’s 20/20 by +1.1 million (+41%).
- Dateline averages 1.01 million A25-54 viewers, leading ABC by +168,000 (+20%).
- Among A18-49, Dateline averages 715,000 viewers, topping ABC by 138,000 (+24%).
- The newsmagazine grew across-the-board versus the February sweep.
Dateline NBC is the longest-running series in NBC primetime history and is now in its 27th season. Anchored by Lester Holt and featuring correspondents Andrea Canning, Josh Mankiewicz, Keith Morrison and Dennis Murphy, Dateline is the #1 most-watched Friday newsmagazine for the last two straight seasons and reaches millions of people every week through its broadcast and social media platforms. This year, the series will be inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame. David Corvo is the senior executive producer, and Liz Cole is the executive producer. Follow Dateline on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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Dominique Cuce
NBC News
212-664-6192
dominique.cuce@nbcuni.com
