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State of the Screens

‘Big Bang Theory’ Series Finale Scores 3-Year High in Viewers

By May 23, 2019No Comments
Curtain call: The Big Bang Theory drew 18.5M viewers for the final episode of a 12-year run that became CBS’s longest-running sitcom ever.

The Big Bang Theory viewers per season according to Wikipedia:
1)
2007–08–8.3M
2)
2008–09–10.0M (↑ 21%)
3) 2009–10–14.2M (↑ 42%)
4) 2010–11–13.2M (↓ 7%)
5) 2011–12–15.8M (↑ 20%)
6) 2012–13–18.7M (↑ 18%)
7) 2013–14–20.0M (↑ 7%)
8) 2014–15–19.1M (↓ 5%)
9) 2015–16–20.4M (↑ 7%)
10) 2016–17–19.0M (↓ 7%)
11) 2017–18–18.6M (↓ 2%)

The Big Bang Theory ranking by year for non-sports programming:
1) 2009–10 — #13
2) 2010–11 — #13
3) 2011–12 — #2
4) 2012–13 — #2
5) 2013–14 — #2
6) 2014–15 — #1
7) 2015–16 — #2
8) 2016–17 — #1
9) 2017–18 — #1

The big question: Who will get the streaming rights? TBS currently owns the rights for re-runs with a no streaming clause in their contract.

The Big Bang Theory cost per ad spot during season 12:
1)
Episodes 1–23 — $259K
2) Series finale — $1.5M

More #1: How the salaries of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ actors compare with TV’s highest-paid stars

More #2: ‘Big Bang Theory’ Bosses Reflect on Road to Series End: ‘It Feels Not Like a Finale So Much as a Transition’

More #3: ‘The Big Bang Theory’ makes history doing what no other TV cast has done

Michael Beach

Michael Beach is the Chief Executive Officer of Cross Screen Media, a media analytics and software company that enables marketers to plan, activate, and measure CTV and linear TV at the local level. Michael is also the founder and editor of State of the Screens, a weekly newsletter focused on video advertising that is a must-read for thought leaders in the advertising industry. He has appeared in such publications as PBS Frontline, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Axios, CNBC and Bloomberg, and on NPR’s Planet Money podcast.