Fast National ratings for Sunday, August 12, 2012.
NBC’s heavily edited and frequently interrupted taped coverage of the London Olympics Closing Ceremony, featuring a Spice Girls reunion and performances by the likes of George Michael and Eric Idle, dominated primetime on Sunday night and provided a big lead-in for a sneak of “Animal Practice” at 10:58.
Everything can now return to normal for NBC on Monday evening.
For Sunday night, NBC averaged a 7.8 rating among adults 18-49, far ahead of FOX’s 1.3 rating in the key demographic. CBS averaged a 1.2 rating for third, while ABC averaged a 0.9 key demo rating.
Overall, NBC averaged an estimated 26.92 million viewers to go with a 15.1 rating/25 share. CBS was second with a 3.1/5 and 4.71 million viewers, beating ABC’s 2.2/4 and 3.47 million viewers for Sunday primetime. FOX trailed with 2.81 million viewers and a 1.6/3 for the night.
7 p.m. – Olympics coverage started primetime with 18.45 million viewers and a 5.0 rating among adults 18-49. CBS’ “60 Minutes” got new juice from an interview with Republican candidates Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, averaging 5.98 million viewers and a 1.0 key demo rating. ABC’s repeat of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” averaged 4.24 million viewers and a 0.9 key demo rating, compared to the 1.99 million viewers and 0.9 key demo rating for FOX’s repeats of “American Dad” and “The Cleveland Show.”
8 p.m. – NBC stayed in first for the 8 p.m. hour with 28.19 million viewers and a 7.9 rating among adults 18-49 for Olympics coverage. CBS’ “Big Brother” averaged 5.65 million viewers and a 1.9 key demo rating to give itself a bit of a cushion for second. ABC’s “Secret Millionaire” was third with 3.97 million viewers and fourth with a 1.0 key demo rating. FOX’s repeats of “The Simpsons” and “The Cleveland Show” finished fourth with 2.955 million viewers and third with a 1.5 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – NBC’s Olympics telecast averaged 32.47 million viewers for the 9 p.m. portion of the Closing Ceremonies, also rising to a 9.5 rating among adults 18-49. CBS was second overall with 3.565 million viewers for a repeat of “Criminal Minds,” which was third with a 1.0 key demo rating. FOX’s repeats of “Family Guy” and “American Dad” averaged 3.48 million viewers for third and a 1.7 key demo rating for second. ABC was fourth with the 2.6 million viewers and 0.8 key demo rating for “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition.”
10 p.m. – With 58 minutes of Olympics coverage and two minutes of “Animal Practice,” NBC won the 10 p.m. hour with 28.57 million viewers and an 8.9 rating among adults 18-49. CBS’ repeat of “The Mentality” averaged 3.66 million viewers and a 0.7 key demo rating, compared with ABC’s 3.055 million viewers and 1.0 key demo rating for “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition.”
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.