Nielsens: An estimated 76 million watched final 'Seinfeld'
<Picture: Seinfeld ratings>
NEW YORK (AP) -- Based on early ratings from major cities, NBC is estimating that 76 million people watched Jerry and the gang go to prison in the final episode of "Seinfeld."
The "Seinfeld" episode Thursday night had a 43.2 rating and 57 share in Nielsen Media Research's overnight ratings of 39 major markets, NBC said. Full national ratings will be released later in the day. They are generally lower than the ratings for major cities alone.
The final episode of "Cheers" in 1993 had a 45.9 rating and 72 share in the national ratings, with an estimated 80 million viewers.
The all-time champ of final series episodes is "M*A*S*H," which had a 60.2 rating and 77 share, with an estimated 105 million viewers, when it went off the air in 1983.
Nielsen calculations do not include an estimate of viewers who watch somewhere other than their homes, such as at parties or in bars.
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