NBC takes season's first week

NBC was the big winner of the first week of the new season.

The network won the delayed first week of the 2001-2002 season in both adults
18-49 (5.6 rating/15 share) and in total viewers (13.5 million), according to
Nielsen Media Research.

NBC rode the season premiere episodes of veteran series Friends (31.7 million viewers and a 15.8/43 in adults 18-49), Law & Order (20.7 million and a 7.5/20), Frasier (19.6 million and an 8.4/20) and ER (28.2 million and a 14.6/36) to victory.

NBC was up 33% in adults 18-49 and 25% in total viewers from the first week of the season last season, a week that featured Major League Baseball playoff games, a Vice Presidential debate and a Presidential debate.

ABC finished the week in second place in adults 18-49
with a 4.7/13 and CBS came in second in total viewers with a 12.5 million
average.

ABC finished the week third in total viewers with an 11.8 million average.

Fox was fourth with 6.9 million, followed by UPN at 5.7 million and The WB at 3.0 million. - Joe Schlosser