The week of February 23, 2026 (roughly February 23–March 1, encompassing the tail end of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics), saw continued strong performance from NBC in primetime due to Olympics coverage wrapping up around that period.
This boosted NBC significantly compared to regular programming weeks, while ABC and CBS relied more on standard scripted series, news, and specials (including potential State of the Union coverage impacts around late February).
Here's a summary based on reported figures from Nielsen (via Big Data + Panel), industry sources, and network notes:
Broadcast Networks Primetime (ABC, NBC, CBS)NBC dominated primetime during this late-February stretch, largely thanks to the closing days of the Winter Olympics (Milano Cortina 2026). The games averaged high viewership in primetime slots, with peaks from events like hockey and closing ceremonies. For the broader February 2026 weekday primetime:
Cable was led by news and sports, with Fox News Channel frequently topping overall cable (and even surpassing CBS in primetime for February). Key February 2026 cable highlights:
Fox News: Primetime averaged 2.6 million viewers (Monday-Sunday), with weekday primetime around 3.1 million. It outpaced CBS in primetime for the month (2.6M vs. CBS's 2.4M) and dominated cable news, accounting for all top 100 cable news telecasts. Strong gains in total day (1.7 million).
- NBC averaged around 6.88 million total viewers (heavily Olympics-driven), far outpacing competitors. Olympics coverage delivered some of the highest Winter Games audiences since 2014, nearly doubling 2022 Beijing numbers in key periods. Regular shows like The Voice, Stumble, and others benefited from lead-ins or occasional crossovers.
- ABC held steady in the middle tier, with weekday primetime averaging about 3.23 million total viewers for February 2026 overall. Hits like American Idol (strong on Mondays, e.g., around 6 million viewers in some slots), High Potential, and news specials performed well, but without major live events, it trailed NBC. Shows like 20/20 and dramas saw modest gains in some nights.
- CBS struggled relatively, averaging around 1.96 million in weekday primetime for February (noted as historically low for the month). FBI, The Neighborhood, Survivor, NCIS, and Tracker provided solid anchors (e.g., FBI surging on Mondays), but overall primetime was down year-over-year, with CBS posting its weakest February since 2000 in some metrics. Multiplatform (including streaming) helped series like Tracker rank high for non-sports broadcast.
Note: Evening news (often leading into primetime) showed ABC's World News Tonight leading (8-9 million weekly averages in early 2026 periods), followed by NBC Nightly News (7-8 million, boosted by Olympics), and CBS Evening News (~4-5 million, at historic lows).
Top Cable Channels
Fox News: Primetime averaged 2.6 million viewers (Monday-Sunday), with weekday primetime around 3.1 million. It outpaced CBS in primetime for the month (2.6M vs. CBS's 2.4M) and dominated cable news, accounting for all top 100 cable news telecasts. Strong gains in total day (1.7 million).
Other notables:
- MS NOW: Primetime ~1.1-1.14 million, trailing Fox but ahead of CNN in total viewers.
- CNN: Primetime ~800,000-900,000, with some demo strength but overall lower.
- ESPN: Solid when sports aired (e.g., college basketball, NBA), but post-Olympics dips; ranked high in some weekly snapshots but not as dominant as during peak events.
- Entertainment cable (e.g., USA, TNT, TBS): Typically in the 200,000-500,000 range for averages, with reruns and dramas steady but not topping charts amid Olympics/news competition.