Universal Television Entertainment Delivers Strong Results Across Linear and Streaming Platforms

Across broadcast, cable, and streaming, Universal Television Entertainment is growing franchises, breaking premiere records, and re-committing to pilot development at scale, showcasing its investment in the future of premium content.

NBC leads broadcast

NBC is the No. 1 network in primetime programming and the definitive broadcast leader of the 2025-26 season, powered by a lineup that consistently engages viewers across all demos.

One Chicago continues to dominate Wednesday nights, with Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D. regularly ranking as the night’s top three shows in broadcast. The March 4 crossover event drove season-high viewership, and all three series have been renewed for the 2026-27 season.

The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins pilot drew 5.8 million viewers, making it the No. 1 most-watched comedy telecast of the season, and it has since been viewed by over 13 million viewers cross-platform.

Plus, St. Denis Medical and Happy's Place have both been renewed for third seasons.

Saturday Night Live is the highest-rated comedy on broadcast in the 18-49 demo for the 2025-26 season. And the SNL global brand has expanded: the premiere episode of Saturday Night Live UK (from Universal Television Alternative Studio and Broadway Video) doubled its audience in its first week, surpassing 500,000 viewers and delivering Sky 1's most-watched program since the platform's relaunch. Two of the episode's popular sketches, the cold open and "The Last Supper," have generated a combined total of more than 3 million views on YouTube to date.

NBCUniversal is all-in on pilot season

NBC is leading the return of pilot season in 2026 with eight pilot orders across drama and comedy, creating 4,000 jobs and reaffirming its commitment to the development model that built franchise hits like Friends, ER, and Cheers. The pilots include a Rockford Files reboot starring David Boreanaz and four other crime procedurals, a multi-cam romantic comedy starring Téa Leoni, a comedy set in a private investigator's office and a buddy comedy with Katey Sagal and Jane Lynch.

The network's intentional return to pilots – at a scale the industry hasn't seen since pre-pandemic – reflects a strategic decision to take smart, creative swings, pressure-test ideas and refine storytelling before series commitments. Production is underway, with cuts set to be delivered ahead of next month's Upfront presentation.

^{BELOW DECK DOWN UNDER -- Pictured: (l-r) Joao Franco, Ben Robinson, Daisy Kelliher, Captain Jason Chambers -- (Photo by: Fred Jagueneau/Bravo)}

Q1 2026 marked Bravo’s biggest quarter ever on Peacock

An average of half of cross-platform viewing of Bravo's current series comes from Peacock – with Q1 2026 marking Bravo’s biggest quarter on the streamer to date. Bravo remains a top cable entertainment network among key female demos, with nearly every recently returning Bravo show seeing season-over-season growth on Peacock. 

The season 23 launch of Top Chef opened with 2.4 million total viewers across platforms to date (14 days Peacock / 7 days linear) and ranks No. 1 among all food show premiere episodes across streaming year-to-date, according to Nielsen.

The season four premiere of Below Deck Down Under drew 4.7 million total viewers across platforms after 35 days, growing 63% above season three's premiere, making it the most-watched episode in franchise history.

^{THE TRAITORS -- "Let the Cards Fall as they Will" Episode 401 -- Pictured: (l-r) Rob Rausch, Mark Ballas, Colton Underwood, Eric Nam, Stephen Colletti, Lisa Rinna, Donna Kelce, Dorinda Medley, Porsha Williams, Natalie Anderson, Candiace Dillard Bassett, Tara Lipinski, Michael Rapaport, Rob Cesternino, Kristen Kish, Monét X Change, Ian Terry, Caroline Stanbury, Ron Funches, Johnny Weir -- (Photo by: Euan Cherry/PEACOCK)}

Peacock powers ahead with must‑see original hits

Peacock continues to grow its commanding role as a destination for must-see streaming originals. The Traitors emerged as the No. 1 streaming original reality title for five consecutive weeks, garnering over 6.4 billion minutes viewed since season four launched. Season four saw +72% growth compared to season three and boasted over 366 million video views across social.

The Traitors Official Podcast ranks as the No. 1 video podcast among all television companion podcasts available through the first 25 days, and it is currently the No. 1 SVOD show ahead of all other podcasts. Additionally, it launched as the No. 1 podcast in the After Show genre on Apple Podcasts and has also consistently been in the Top 10 in the TV/Film category since its launch on Jan. 8.

The ’Burbs, starring and executive produced by Keke Palmer, has been renewed for a second season just two months after its Super Bowl Sunday debut on Feb. 8. The series delivered Peacock’s highest Day 1 ever for an original, ranked in Nielsen’s U.S. Originals Top 10 for four straight weeks, and has surpassed 1.7 billion viewing minutes on the platform. It has been sold to more than 100 territories around the world.

Following the launch of its second season, Ted became the No. 1 most-streamed original comedy for three consecutive weeks.

^{TOP CHEF -- "Going Whole Hog" Episode 2306 -- Pictured: (l-r) Sieger Bayer, Oscar Diaz, Jonathan Dearden, Justin Tootla, Jennifer Jackson, Laurence Louie, Sherry Cardoso, Duyen Ha, Brandon Dearden, Anthony Jackson -- (Photo by: Paul Cheney/Bravo)}

Emmy‑winning series and new originals on NBC, Bravo, and Peacock

NBCUniversal's current and upcoming content sets the stage for unmatched scale and dominance for the rest of the year. On television and streaming, recent highlights include Peacock's Emmy Award-winning The Traitors (S4), PONIES, The 'Burbs, and Ted (S2); NBC's The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, The Hunting Party (S2), and The Voice: Battle of Champions; and Bravo's The Valley: Persian Style, The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, and Emmy Award-winning Top Chef (S23). Upcoming titles include The Five-Star Weekend, Dig, In the City, and Love Island USA (S8).

With broadcast dominance, cable leadership, and a streaming lineup that's capturing audiences at an unprecedented pace, Universal Television Entertainment continues raising the standard on what a powerful content ecosystem like NBCUniversal can deliver.