After playing second fiddle in 2018-2019, Dateline NBC is now the No. 1 Friday night newsmagazine for the 2019-2020 prime-time broadcast season.
According to the most current data from Nielsen, Dateline averaged 4.97 million total viewers in its 28th season, topping ABC’s 20/20 by +667,000 (+16%).
Dateline also averaged 1.52 million A25-54 viewers, leading 20/20 by +136,000 (+10%). The broadcast also averaged 1.13 million A18-49 viewers, ahead of 20/20 by +138,000 (+14%).
These figures include rebroadcasts, specials and retitles for both shows.
Compared to the 2018-2019 broadcast season, Dateline was +5% in total viewers, +3% in adults 25-54 and +2% in adults 18-49 this past season.
ABC’s 20/20 was not able to match its impressive 2018-2019 performance in 2019-2020. Including rebroadcasts and specials, 20/20 was -12% in Total Viewers, -12% in A25-54 viewers and -13% in the prime-time entertainment demo of A18-49.
That said, 20/20 has been on a hot streak in recent weeks. In fact, it closed out the season by winning nine of its last 11 airings in Adults 18-49 and 10 of 11 in Adults 25-54. So the broadcast can take some solace in that.
After airing from 9-11 p.m. in recent years, Dateline aired exclusively in the 10 p.m. hour in 2018-2019. After losing 2018-2019 to 20/20, the NBC newsmagazine returned to its usual 9-11 p.m. broadcast this season. 20/20, on the other hand, extended its broadcast by an hour in 2018-2019 and continued to air from 9-11 p.m. in 2019-2020.
The two broadcasts went head-to-head in the 9-11 p.m. time period this season, and Dateline returned to No. 1.
Nielsen numbers for the 2019-2020 broadcast season:
ABC (9-11 p.m.) | NBC (9-11 p.m.) | |
---|---|---|
• Total Viewers: | 4,299,000 | 4,966,000 |
• A25-54: | 1,381,000 | 1,517,000 |
• A18-49: | 994,000 | 1,132,000 |
Source: Nielsen, Most Current, 9/23/2019-5/15/2020 vs. comparable year ago period. Average audience, Dateline Friday vs. 20/20 Friday, including all repeats, specials, and re-titles.
If you exclude the repeats, specials and re-titles, Dateline still comes out on top for the 2019-2020 season, though the margin of victory is tighter. Dateline beats 20/20 in Total Viewers by +12%, by +5% in the A25-54 demo, and by +8% in the A18-49 demo.
ABC (9-11 p.m.) | NBC (9-11 p.m.) | |
---|---|---|
• Total Viewers: | 4,533,000 | 5,093,000 |
• A25-54: | 1,488,000 | 1,556,000 |
• A18-49: | 1,074,000 | 1,159,000 |
Source: Nielsen, Most Current, 9/23/2019-5/15/2020 vs. comparable year ago period. Average audience, Dateline Friday vs. 20/20 Friday, excluding repeats, specials, and re-titles.