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NBC’s “Dateline” has emerged as the most-watched newsmagazine of the 2nd quarter of 2023, TheWrap can reveal exclusively.
The Lester Holt-hosted program drew in over 90.1 million total viewers, making “Dateline” the most-watched newsmagazine and true-crime franchise in the 2nd quarter, according to Nielsen figures. The program also logged over 39.6 billion minutes across NBC’s linear channel, broadcast syndication and digital platforms, with the show’s streaming network, Dateline 24/7, securing its strongest quarterly ratings to date as its growth was up 50% as compared to the first quarter of 2023.
Friday airings of “Dateline” also scored wins across all typical ratings categories in the second quarter when compared to ABC’s “20/20,” with “Dateline” scoring an average total viewership of 3.54 million while “20/20” averaged 3.46 million viewers, according to Nielsen.
The NBC program also secured wins across key demographics as “Dateline” received an average rating of 0.72 among adults 25-54 while “20/20” averaged a 0.66 rating. Among adults 18-49, “Dateline” averaged a rating of 0.45, marking a victory against the 0.42 rating for “20/20.”
On digital platforms, “Dateline” locked down its strongest quarter to date with over 190 million video views across platforms, with May and June 2023 tracking to become the program’s two strongest months on record.
The program’s showcast, which delivers “Dateline” broadcasts in a podcast format, also saw success for the franchise after hitting its second consecutive record quarter with over 100 million downloads. After surpassing 1 billion downloads to date at the onset of the 2nd quarter of 2023, the showcast remains the top true-crime podcast and is on track to grow for its fourth consecutive year.
“Dateline,” which features correspondents Andrea Canning, Josh Mankiewicz, Keith Morrison and Dennis Murphy, currently stands as the longest-running series in NBC primetime history in its 31st season. David Corvo serves as the senior executive producer while Liz Cole is the show’s executive producer.
“Dateline” premieres Fridays at 9 p.m. ET and Sundays at 7 p.m. ET on NBC and can be found on cable and in broadcast syndication, as well as Peacock’s Dateline 24/7 channel.
