Fast National ratings for Sunday, October 2, 2011.
As per usual, NBC dominated Sunday night with coverage of the NFL showdown between the Jets and Ravens.
Beyond that, the night’s most notable ratings highlight (or lowlight) was a large Week 2 drop for ABC’s “Pan Am,” which still managed to hold of “CSI: Miami” among young viewers.
Among adults 18-49, NBC averaged a 5.9 rating for the night, easily winning the key demographic. CBS, boosted by NFL overrun, averaged a 3.1 key demo rating for second, beating FOX’s 2.7 rating and the 2.3 rating for ABC.
Overall, NBC averaged an estimated 14.62 million viewers and an 8.9 rating/14 share in primetime to win the night. CBS was a close-ish second with an 8.0/13 and an average of 12.93 million viewers. There was a big drop to ABC in third with a 4.7/7 and 7.58 million viewers and then to FOX’s 3.3/5 and 5.85 million viewers.
7 p.m. – CBS started primetime in first with 17.43 million viewers and a 4.5 rating among adults 18-49 for “60 Minutes,” plus over 20 minutes of NFL overrun for much of the country. NBC’s Sunday Night Football pregame averaged 8.09 million viewers and a 3.0 key demo rating for second. ABC was third with the 6.44 million viewers for “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” beating the 5.43 million for FOX’s repeats of “The Cleveland Show” and “The Simpsons.”
8 p.m. – NBC moved into first place for the 8 p.m. hour with 15.79 million viewers and a 6.2 rating among adults 18-49 for the start of the game between the Jets and Ravens. CBS’ “The Amazing Race” (and some “60 Minutes” averaged 12.99 million viewers and a 3.3 key demo rating for second. ABC was third overall and fourth in the key demo with the 7.11 million viewers for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” FOX’s “The Simpsons” (6.12 million and a 3.0 key demo rating) and “The Cleveland Show” (5.47 million viewers and a 2.6 key demo rating) finished fourth overall and third in the demo.
9 p.m. – Sunday Night Football improved to 18.41 million viewers and a 7.5 key demo rating for NBC in the 9 p.m. hour. CBS’ “The Good Wife” (and “Amazing Race”) averaged 10.83 million viewers for second overall and a 2.4 key demo rating for fourth. ABC was third with the 9.03 million viewers and 2.9 key demo rating for “Desperate Housewives.” FOX’s “Family Guy” (6.91 million viewers and a 3.5 key demo rating) and “American Dad” (5.71 million viewers and a 2.7 key demo rating) finished fourth overall and second in the key demo.
10 p.m. – NBC closed primetime in first with 16.19 million viewers and a 7.0 key demo rating for Sunday Night Football. “CSI: Miami” was second overall with 10.45 million viewers and third in the key demo with a 2.2 rating. ABC’s “Pan Am” averaged 7.75 million viewers, down by over 3 million from last week, in third, but finished second with a 2.5 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.