Fast National ratings for Sunday, December 28, 2014.
A key season-ending matchup between the Bengals and Steelers helped carry NBC to its normal Sunday rout, holding off NFL-overrun-boosted nights for FOX and CBS.
Otherwise, there wasn't much excitement on Sunday. So let's get down to business…
Among adults 18-49, NBC averaged a 4.7 rating for Sunday night, easily tops in the key demographic. Football-bumped FOX was second with a 3.1 key demo rating, followed by CBS' 1.7 key demo rating. ABC averaged a 0.5 key demo rating for fourth on the night.
Overall, NBC averaged an estimated 14.96 million viewers and an 8.6 rating/14 share for Sunday night. CBS was second for the night with 9.27 million viewers and a 5.6/9, followed closely by FOX's 5.1/8 and 9.08 million viewers. ABC averaged 2.75 million viewers and a 1.7/3 for the night.
7 p.m. – FOX's NFL overrun and postgame led the 7 p.m. hour with 20 million viewers and a 6.1 rating among adults 18-49. CBS had a half-hour of NFL overrun and a half-hour of “60 Minutes” to finish second with 10 million viewers and a 2.0 key demo rating. [The “60 Minutes” breakout estimate was 10.79 million viewers and a 1.8 key demo rating.] “Football Night in America” averaged 6.58 million viewers and a 1.9 key demo rating for third, still far ahead of the 5.89 million viewers and 1.1 key demo rating for ABC's “America's Funniest Home Videos.”
8 p.m. – Twenty minutes of “Football Night in America” and the start of the Cincinnati-Pittsburgh game averaged 16.71 million viewers and a 5.2 rating among adults 18-49 to run the 8 p.m. hour for NBC. CBS' “60 Minutes” and “Undercover Boss” averaged 10.21 million viewers for second and a 1.7 key demo rating for third for the hour. [The “Undercover Boss” breakout estimate was 9.39 million viewers and a 1.7 key demo rating.] FOX's football-bumped repeats of “The Simpsons” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” averaged 4.3 million viewers for third and a 1.8 key demo rating for second on the hour. The first of three “Revenge” repeats averaged 1.94 million viewers and a 0.3 key demo rating on ABC.
9 p.m. – Football rose to 19.45 million viewers and a 6.0 rating among adults 18-49 for NBC in the 9 p.m. hour. CBS' “Undercover Boss” and “The Mentalist” averaged 8.95 million viewers and a 1.6 key demo rating both good for second. [The “Mentalist” breakout estimate was 8.14 million viewers and a 1.4 key demo rating.] Repeats of “Family Guy” and “Bob's Burgers” averaged 2.81 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo rating for FOX, ahead of the 1.54 million viewers and 0.3 key demo rating for a “Revenge” repeat on ABC.
10 p.m. – NBC's football coverage averaged 17.08 million viewers and a 5.6 rating among adults 18-49 for the 10 p.m. hour. CBS' “The Mentalist” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” averaged 7.91 million viewers and a 1.4 key demo rating for second, with ABC's “Revenge” repeat a distant third with 1.64 million viewers and a 0.3 key demo rating. [The “CSI” breakout estimate was 7.69 million viewers and a 1.5 key demo rating.]
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change, particularly in the case of live events.