NCIS (Still) Cannot Be Denied

by

America has a deep affection for the long-running TV series NCIS, and this love is not just a fleeting sentiment but a genuine passion. Contrary to common belief, it’s not just grandparents who tune in; the show is a hit across various generations and platforms. The show’s success isn’t limited to traditional television broadcasting. It has also made waves on streaming services, demonstrating its enduring popularity. Interestingly, according to Nielsen, the CBS drama recently achieved an impressive milestone – it appeared on their weekly overall streaming top 10 list for the 200th time, making it the first show of any kind to reach this significant mark. This achievement was backed by some remarkable viewership statistics.

Over the past 200 weeks, as the latest ranker is released today, Nielsen reports that NCIS amassed approximately 136.5 billion minutes of viewership, which equates to an astounding 259,643 years’ worth of time spent watching these intriguing military investigators pursue villains.

In terms of streaming data for the year 2024 alone, NCIS was the fifth most popular show (including both new releases and existing titles), accumulating nearly 36 million minutes of watch time.

In contrast to popular belief that older viewers dominate the audience, it’s worth noting that in the year 2024, nearly half (42%) of the streaming audience for NCIS were adults under the age of 50. Moreover, slightly over half (53%) of the viewership could qualify for AARP membership, while a small percentage (5%) were under the age of 18.

Over the past 20 years, the combined watch time of all the different spin-offs of NCIS, whether they’re old or new, on broadcast, cable, or syndication, adds up to an astonishing 4.58 trillion minutes, as reported by CBS Studios and Nielsen. (Now that’s something to talk about, Dick Wolf!)

It’s clear that the NCIS series has numerous advantages that have contributed to its impressive 200 appearances on Nielsen’s chart. Unlike traditional linear broadcasts, Nielsen’s ratings giant measures streaming data based on overall consumption rather than average viewership per episode. Given the vast number of episodes in the NCIS library and each being roughly forty-six minutes long, viewers have ample opportunity to watch multiple episodes before revisiting the same ones. This is also applicable to shows like Friends, Grey’s Anatomy, or most Law & Order series by Mr. Wolf.

In contrast to some companies that restrict popular shows like The Office on Peacock or Friends on Max to a single platform, Paramount Global and CBS Studios wisely license the original NCIS to multiple streaming platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, and their own Paramount+. This approach ensures a larger audience can access these shows, making a significant difference compared to smaller platforms like Peacock. Additionally, this strategy generates substantial revenue for Paramount Global and the show’s creative partners instead of using NCIS as a loss leader to build a subscriber base for Paramount+.

Notably, some of the money earned from selling NCIS to other streamers is being invested in creating new franchise spin-offs, such as NCIS: Tony & Ziva, which can then be offered as exclusive content on Paramount+. Although the NCIS series may not seem “hip” or “trendy,” its financial success has earned it the fitting label of “cash cow.

Read More

2025-03-06 23:57