“NCIS,” which has been the most popular U.S. drama for five straight seasons, is now king of the world.
On Wednesday, CBS’ global hit series received the prestigious International Television Audience Award for a Drama TV Series at the 54th Monte-Carlo Television Festival. “NCIS” is distributed worldwide by CBS Studios International.
The annual International Audience Award is presented jointly by the Monte-Carlo Television Festival and Eurodata TV Worldwide to reward programs who delivered the highest ratings worldwide in 2013 across five continents in three categories: Drama TV Series, Comedy TV Series and Telenovelas/Soap Operas.
International Audience Award nominees were pre-selected among the 15 top imported fiction programs in 66 countries, representing nearly 3 billion potential viewers. NCIS garnered more than 57.6 million viewers worldwide in 2013.
Stateside, “NCIS” averaged 18.51 million viewers for its original episodes during the 2013-14 season, with that number swelling to 22.39 million with a full week’s worth of DVR playback included, according to Nielsen.
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NCIS star and executive producer Mark Harmon and executive producer Gary Glasberg said in a statement: “As ‘NCIS’ enters its 12th season, we couldn’t be happier to learn we’re now the #1 drama in the world. It’s no secret that determination and teamwork have allowed our cast and crew to continue to deliver a show we’re truly proud of.
“We also know we wouldn’t be here without the support and loyalty of the best fans in television. Thanks to our worldwide audience for helping us start the new season off right.”
