ABC Dominates Linear Top 10 With Presidential Debate, Emmys and AI | Chart

This week’s Samba TV Weekly Wrap Report is a tale of two couples. First is the adversarial duo of Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, who faced off for the first (and likely last) time in a debate topped the linear chart this week.

The debate was seen in 28.3 million U.S. households on Sept. 10, according to Samba TV data. That makes it the most-watched TV event of the year, aside from the Super Bowl. This was must-see TV for undecided voters as well, as 53% of this audience tuned into a presidential debate for the first time this year (meaning they skipped the June debate between Trump and then-candidate President Joe Biden).

The other chart-topping pair was over on the streaming chart in the form of “The Perfect Couple,” the Netflix limited series that is the most-watched streaming program for the second week in a row.

Sticking with the streaming chart, the action flick “Rebel Ridge” is No. 2 this week, moving up one spot from last week. “Emily in Paris,” Netflix’s hit romantic comedy series, rises up the chart to the No. 3 spot as the second half of its fourth season hit the streamer on Sept. 12.

At No. 4 is the hotly discussed “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” on Hulu, which makes its first appearance on the chart this week. The series premiered on Sept. 6 and has clearly grown its audience as it becomes the topic of controversy and social media chatter. No surprise, as several of the show’s cast are social media mavens.

Netflix’s latest true-crime tale, “Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter,” comes in fifth this week. It’s followed by Amazon Prime Video’s big-budget “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” for its third consecutive week, dropping from No. 5 last week to No. 6 this week.

The HBO / Max hit of the moment “Industry” is No. 9. “Uglies,” a YA adaptation about a superficial dystopia from Netflix, lands at No. 8. “Only Murders in the Building” remains a breakout hit for Hulu, with its fourth season coming in at No. 9 this week. Finally, the reality show “Selling Sunset” is No. 10.

While the presidential debate loomed high over other linear programming this week, the rest of the linear chart is full of awards, debuts, Oprah, and AI with ABC winning 70% of the ranking and MTV making its first appearance.

The “76th Emmy Awards” comes in second to the debate after handing out trophies to the shows and stars that so often dominate these charts, including “Shōgun,” “Hacks,” “Baby Reindeer,” and “The Bear.” This week’s other award show, the “2024 MTV Video Music Awards,” were dominated by Taylor Swift, who took home seven of the cable network’s moonman statues.

Helping propel ABC’s win this week was Ryan Seacrest’s debut as host of “Wheel of Fortune” on Sept. 9. Seacrest’s first week on “Wheel” was a good one, as his premiere episode was the fourth most-watched show on linear, with three more airings making the Top 10.

The normal linear leader, NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” falls to No. 3 this week, bumped by the debate and the Emmys (a second “AGT” airing lands in fifth). The show’s Season 19 finale aired on Sept. 17 – check back next week to see if it was enough to propel it back to the top.

Finally, amid the acrimony and uncertainty, the nation turned to one of its most trusted voices to understand one of the fastest-growing trends in technology: “AI and the Future of Us: An Oprah Winfrey Special” comes in at No. 10 this week.

The Wrap Report provides an exclusive first look at the most watched movies and TV series from the past week across both streaming and linear television sourced from viewership trends collected from Samba TV’s panel of more than 3 million households, balanced to the U.S. Census.

Cole Strain is VP and Head of R&D at Samba TV, a WrapPRO partner. Click here for more data and analysis  from Samba TV. 

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