Top networks hit record low level for viewership

Broadcast viewership hits record low

NEW YORK — The biggest television networks have a new record they’d probably like to forget.

Together CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox had the smallest number of viewers in prime-time last week in two decades of record-keeping by the Nielsen Co. You’d probably have to go back to the early days of television to find such small numbers for the big broadcast networks.

The first week of July tends to be among the slowest weeks of the year in television anyway, with families more engaged in barbecues and fireworks. The problem was magnified because July Fourth came on a Sunday, taking more people away from TV on what is typically a big night for viewing.

It was a good week for the Spanish-language network Univision, fueled by their popular telenovelas.