Analysis of Nielsen Rankings for the 2023-2024 TV Season: CBS’ “Tracker” Emerges as No. 1 Entertainment Show

CBS’ freshman drama “Tracker” has taken the crown as the No. 1 entertainment show for the 2023-2024 TV season in total viewers and adults 18-49. The show, starring Justin Hartley as a survivalist who helps solve tough cases, premiered in February behind Super Bowl LVIII, giving it a significant boost. This marks the first time a first-year TV series has been ranked as the No. 1 show since “Survivor” premiered in 2000.

According to CBS, “Tracker” is the most-watched new series since “Desperate Housewives” in the 2004-05 TV season, averaging 19 million multiplatform viewers over its first seven episodes. The show’s success was also attributed to the unusual, truncated TV season due to Hollywood strikes, which limited episodic orders for most programs.

In addition to “Tracker,” football led the season rankers, with NFL Sunday Night Football on NBC taking the top spot, followed by the return of Monday Night Football on ABC. Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football also performed well, thanks to Nielsen’s unique measurement of the franchise as a linear telecast.

Other winners of the TV season include CBS’ “Young Sheldon” as the most-watched comedy, “The Voice” beating “American Idol” in viewers, and “60 Minutes” maintaining its top 10 streak. However, there were also some losers, such as the cancellation of “NCIS Hawai’i” despite its high viewership and the decline of basic cable networks like AMC and Paramount.

Overall, CBS was the most-watched network of the season, followed by NBC, ABC, and Fox. CBS also topped the list of networks by adults 18-49 rating/share, showing an 18% increase compared to the previous year. The success of “Tracker” and other top shows demonstrates the changing landscape of television viewership and the continued popularity of engaging and compelling content.