With ABC resting two of its dramas, CBS comes out on top among households and viewers led by stronger than average performances by Cold Case and Without a Trace. Fox though was able to come out on top among adults 18-49, thanks to strong ratings for their comedies and an hour of NASCAR coverage.
CBS finished in first place for the evening with an 8.2/14 household rating and 13.15 million total viewers but had to settle for second place among adults 18-49 with a 3.4/9 rating.
- Last Week
- 8.1/13 HH Rating [#2]
- 12.91M Viewers [#2]
- 3.3/8 A18-49 Rating [#2]
- 7:00 p.m.: 60 Minutes (6.6/12 HH rating, 10.08M viewers, 2.0/7 A18-49 rating) started off the evening for CBS and was down somewhat from last week, losing nearly 3M total viewers (2.91M), 21% of its total household audience and 20% of its adult 18-49 demo. Not sure what triggered the steep losses.
- Week-to-week numbers:
- Households – 8.4/14 to 6.6/12
- Viewers – 12.99M to 10.08M
- Adults 18-49 – 2.5/7 to 2.0/7
- Week-to-week numbers:
- 8:00 p.m.: The Amazing Race: All-Stars (5.9/10 HH rating, 10.00M viewers, 3.3/9 A18-49 rating) was also down some from last week, though definitely not as severely as its lead-in. Speaking of lead-ins, growth of 65% in the key demo (despite the week-to-week loss) is significant and very promising.
- Week-to-week numbers:
- Households – 6.3/10 to 5.9/10
- Viewers – 10.74M to 10.00M
- Adults 18-49 – 3.7/9 to 3.3/9
- Week-to-week numbers:
- 9:00 p.m.: Without a new edition of Desperate Housewives to face off against, Cold Case (9.4/15 HH rating, 15.31M viewers, 4.1/10 A18-49 rating) shined. Increasing a strong 2.11M viewers, 13% among households and 24% among adults 18-49.
- Week-to-week numbers:
- Households – 8.3/12 to 9.4/15
- Viewers – 13.20M to 15.31M
- Adults 18-49 – 3.3/8 to 4.1/10
- Week-to-week numbers:
- 10:00 p.m.: Without a Trace (10.8/18 HH rating, 17.21M viewers, 4.4/12 A18-49 rating) also benefited greatly (perhaps because of reduced competition in the hour), growing upon its lead-in and increasing an impressive 2.51M viewers, 12.5% among households and 13% among adults 18-49.
- Week-to-week numbers:
- Households – 9.6/16 to 10.8/18
- Viewers – 14.70M to 17.21M
- Adults 18-49 – 3.9/10 to 4.4/12
- Week-to-week numbers:
ABC followed in second place for the evening with a 5.5/9 household rating and 8.76 million total viewers but was third among adults 18-49 with a 2.9/8 rating.
- Last Week:
- 8.5/13 HH Rating [#1]
- 13.59M Viewers [#1]
- 5.1/13 A18-49 Rating [#1]
- 7:00 p.m.: America’s Funniest Home Videos (4.7/8 HH rating, 7.96M viewers, 2.3/7 A18-49 rating) began the evening for ABC down week-to-week.
- Week-to-week numbers:
- Households – 5.7/10 to 4.7/8
- Viewers – 9.68M to 7.96M
- Adults 18-49 – 2.9/9 to 2.3/7
- Week-to-week numbers:
- 8:00 p.m.: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (7.9/13 HH rating, 13.71M viewers, 4.9/13 A18-49 rating) also declined from the week prior, but still drew a solid overall audience, first place for the hour.
- Week-to-week numbers:
- Households – 8.6/13 to 7.9/13
- Viewers – 14.63M to 13.71M
- Adults 18-49 – 5.3/13 to 4.9/13
- Week-to-week numbers:
- Repeats of Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters ended the evening for ABC, with on par repeat performances.
- 9:00: A repeat of Desperate Housewives (5.3/9 HH rating, 7.88M viewers, 2.9/7 A18-49 rating).
- 10:00: A repeat of Brothers & Sisters (4.0/7 HH rating, 5.46M viewers, 1.8/5 A18-49 rating).
Fox followed in fourth place for the evening with a 5.1/8 household rating and 8.57 million total viewers but was a stronger third among adults 18-49 with a 3.9/11 rating.
- Last Week:
- 3.9/6 HH Rating [#4]
- 6.48M Viewers [#4]
- 3.1/8 A18-49 Rating [#3]
- 7:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.: An hour of NASCAR Overrun (6.4/12 HH rating, 11.06M viewers, 4.3/14 A18-49 rating) helped push FOX towards a A18-49 win for the evening. The racing coverage was first for the hour in that key demo, as well as among total viewers.
- 8:00 & 8:30 p.m.: The Simpsons (5.3/8 HH rating, 8.98M viewers, 4.2/12 A18-49 rating) was followed by The Winner (4.1/6 HH rating, 6.81M viewers, 3.4/9 A18-49 rating) provided solid returns for the network, especially among the key A18-49 rating. The Winner performed okay in its second week dipping only in the single digits and remaining solid in terms of retention (strongest among adults 18-49 with 81% retention in that demo).
- Week-to-week numbers (The Simpsons):
- Households – 5.3/8 to 5.3/8
- Viewers – 9.09M to 8.98M
- Adults 18-49 – 4.2/11 to 4.2/12
- Week-to-week numbers (The Winner):
- Households – 4.3/7 to 4.1/6
- Viewers – 7.10M to 6.81M
- Adults 18-49 – 3.5/8 to 3.4/9
- Week-to-week numbers (The Simpsons):
- 9:00 & 9:30 p.m.: Family Guy (4.8/7 HH rating, 7.88M viewers, 4.1/10 A18-49 rating) led into another new episode of The Winner (3.6/6 HH rating, 5.64M viewers, 2.9/7 A18-49 rating) provided a solid hour for Fox. I do question why Fox is so quick to burn off all these episodes of The Winner.
- Week-to-week numbers (Family Guy):
- Households – 5.2/8 to 4.8/7
- Viewers – 8.52M to 7.88M
- Adults 18-49 – 4.4/10 to 4.1/10
- Week-to-week numbers (The Winner):
- Households – 3.8/6 to 3.6/6
- Viewers – 6.07M to 5.64M
- Adults 18-49 – 3.1/7 to 2.9/7
- Week-to-week numbers (Family Guy):
NBC finished in third place for the evening with a 5.1/8 household rating and 8.07 million total viewers, but was a weaker fourth among adults 18-49 with a 2.4/7 rating.
- Last Week:
- 4.8/8 HH Rating [#3]
- 7.47M Viewers [#3]
- 2.4/6 A18-49 Rating [#4]
- 7:00 p.m.: Dateline NBC (3.8/7 HH rating, 5.59M viewers, 1.2/4 A18-49 rating) again failed to provide a solid enough opening for the evening for NBC. The loss in adult 18-49 viewers week-to-week is most concerning (29%).
- Week-to-week numbers:
- Households – 4.1/7 to 3.8/7
- Viewers – 5.82M to 5.59M
- Adults 18-49 – 1.7/5 to 1.2/4
- Week-to-week numbers:
- 8:00 p.m.: Grease: You’re the One That I Want (4.1/7 HH rating, 6.46M viewers, 1.7/5 A18-49 rating) remained flat from the week prior as this reality competition comes to a close next week.
- Week-to-week numbers:
- Households -4.2/6 to 4.1/7
- Viewers – 6.21M to 6.46M
- A18-49 – 1.8/5 to 1.7/5
- Week-to-week numbers:
- 9:00 p.m.: Deal or No Deal (7.6/12 HH rating, 12.67M viewers, 3.7/9 A18-49 rating) continues to be one of NBC’s most solid performers, growing nicely from the week prior and providing a good lead-in for The Apprentice.
- Week-to-week numbers:
- Households – 6.7/10 to 7.6/12
- Viewers – 10.99M to 12.67M
- Adults 18-49 – 3.3/7 to 3.7/9
- Week-to-week numbers:
- 10:00 p.m.: The Apprentice: Los Angeles (4.9/8 HH rating, 7.59M viewers, 2.7/7 A18-49 rating) is benefiting from its new Deal or No Deal lead-in. The show was up 1.03M viewers and 14% among total households week-to-week.
- Week-to-week numbers:
- Households – 4.3/7 to 4.9/8
- Viewers – 6.56M to 7.59M
- A18-49 – 2.7/7 to 2.7/7
- Week-to-week numbers:
The CW was left then in fifth place with a 1.3/2 household rating, 1.85 million total viewers and a 0.7/2 rating among adults 18-49.
- Last Week:
- 1.6/3 HH Rating [#5]
- 2.31M Viewers [#5]
- 0.9/2 A18-49 Rating [#5]
- The CW programmed repeats for the entire evening.
- 7:00 p.m.: A repeat of the series premiere of Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll (1.1/2 HH rating, 1.45M viewers, 0.6/2 A18-49 rating) failed to show any promise for the network in terms of repeat performances. The CW would be better served to just continue airing repeats of Reba.
- Week-to-week time slot numbers (vs. an hour of Reba Repeats):
- Households – 1.7/3 to 1.1/2
- Viewers – 2.52M to 1.45M
- Adults 18-49 – 0.9/3 to 0.6/2
- Week-to-week time slot numbers (vs. an hour of Reba Repeats):
- 8:00 p.m.: A repeat of 7th Heaven (1.3/2 HH rating, 1.78M viewers, 0.6/2 A18-49 rating) was weak.
- 9:00 p.m.: And an encore of America’s Next Top Model (1.6/3 HH rating, 2.31M viewers, 1.0/2 A18-49 rating) ended another terribly low rated Sunday night.
- Week-to-week numbers:
- Households – 1.6/2 to 1.6/3
- Viewers – 2.21M to 2.31M
- Adults 18-49 – 0.9/2 to 1.0/2
- Week-to-week numbers:
Note: Fast Nationals are used when comparing week-to-week numbers, while Final Nationals are used when comparing year-to-year/episode-to-episode numbers, unless otherwise specified.
Source: Fast/Final National Ratings Data from Nielsen Media Research and PIFeedback.com