The 2015-2016 television season is the 70th network season in United States television history. It began on Monday, September 21, 2015 and ended on Sunday, May 29, 2016. The effective start date of the 2015-16 season for the purposes of audience measurement was Saturday, September 26, 2015 through Friday, September 23, 2016.
Top 10 ranking of the highest achieved rating by programs during the span of the 2015-16 TV season. See the extended list of the 2015-16 top-rated shows.
| Rank | Program | Network | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | Low | |||
| 1 | Wheel of Fortune | SYN | 3.35 | 3.35 |
| 2 | Jeopardy | SYN | 3.26 | 3.26 |
| 3 | Judge Judy | SYN | 3.23 | 3.23 |
| 4 | Weekend Adventure | SYN | 3.13 | 3.13 |
| 5 | Family Feud | SYN | 2.97 | 2.97 |
| 6 | Big Bang Theory | SYN | 2.79 | 2.79 |
| 7 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | SYN | 2.10 | 2.10 |
| 8 | Young and the Restless | CBS | 1.69 | 1.57 |
| 9 | Modern Family | SYN | 1.60 | 1.60 |
| 10 | Entertainment Tonight | SYN | 1.43 | 1.43 |
Top 10 ranking of designated market areas by number of television homes for the 2015-2016 TV season. See the complete 2015-2016 Nielsen DMA ranking.
| Rank | Market | TV Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | 7,368,320 | 6.503% |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 5,489,810 | 4.845% |
| 3 | Chicago | 3,475,220 | 3.067% |
| 4 | Philadelphia | 2,917,920 | 2.575% |
| 5 | Dallas-Fort Worth | 2,646,370 | 2.335% |
| 6 | San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose | 2,484,690 | 2.193% |
| 7 | Washington-Hagerstown | 2,443,640 | 2.157% |
| 8 | Boston-Manchester | 2,411,250 | 2.128% |
| 9 | Atlanta | 2,385,730 | 2.105% |
| 10 | Houston | 2,373,700 | 2.095% |
Universe estimates used to calculate a program or network's rating within that particular demographic for the 2015-16 TV season. See the extended 2015-2016 universe estimates.
| Demographic | Population | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Households | 113,314,340 | |
| Persons 2+ | 296,830,000 | |
| Persons 2-11 | 38,970,000 | 13.1% |
| Persons 6-11 | 23,550,000 | 7.93% |
| Persons 12-17 | 24,300,000 | 8.19% |
| Persons 12-34 | 92,430,000 | 31.1% |
| Persons 18+ | 233,560,000 | 78.7% |
| Persons 18-24 | 28,920,000 | 9.74% |
| Persons 18-34 | 68,130,000 | 23.0% |
| Persons 18-49 | 126,810,000 | 42.7% |