Fast National ratings for Sunday, March 20, 2011.
NCAA Tournament action carried into primetime and somewhat skewed the hourly ratings of several favorites, but the upshot is the same: CBS easily won Sunday night, paced by “60 Minutes” and “Undercover Boss.”
Among adults 18-49, CBS averaged a 2.5 rating for the night, beating the 2.1 rating for FOX in the key demographic. NBC’s 1.9 rating was third, just ahead of the 1.7 rating for ABC.
Overall, CBS had a big more comfort, averaging an estimated 10.93 million viewers to go with a 6.6 rating/11 share. ABC moved up to second with 6.97 million viewers and a 4.1/7, nipping NBC’s 4.0/7 and 6.33 million viewers. FOX’s 2.6/4 and a 4.415 million viewers finished fourth.
7 p.m. – The conclusion of CBS’ NCAA Tournament coverage (roughly 20 minutes in much of the country) and most of “60 Minutes” averaged an estimated 10.76 million viewers and a 2.0 demo rating to give the network a 7 p.m. hourly win. ABC was second with the 6.75 million viewers for a repeat of “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” NBC’s “Dateline” averaged 5.32 million viewers in third, comfortably topping the 2.67 million viewers for repeats of “The Simpsons” and “American Dad” on FOX.
8 p.m. – You can expect the 8 p.m. ratings to shift, but preliminary numbers have CBS winning with 10.61 million and a 2.5 demo rating for the end of “60 Minutes” and the majority of “The Amazing Race.” ABC’s “Secret Millionaire” was second with 10.18 million viewers and a 2.4 demo rating, though “Secret Millionaire” won the 8:30 half-hour comfortably in viewers. FOX was well back in third with the 4.52 million viewers and 2.1 demo rating for a “Simpsons” repeat and a new “Bob’s Burgers.” NBC’s “America’s Next Great Restaurant” lagged in fourth with 3.93 million viewers and only a 1.2 demo rating.
9 p.m. – CBS stayed in front for the 9 p.m. hour with 10.87 million viewers for “The Amazing Race” and “Undercover Boss,” though the network slipped to second with a 2.7 demo rating. NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” was second in viewers with 7.09 million and third in the demo. ABC was third overall with 6.25 million viewers and fourth in the demo with a 1.9 rating for the return of “Shark Tank.” FOX’s “Family Guy” and “The Cleveland Show” averaged 6.04 million viewers for fourth, but won the hour with a 3.0 demo rating.
10 p.m. – “Undercover Boss” and “CSI: Miami” combined to give CBS a 10 p.m. win overall with 11.48 million viewers, with a 2.7 demo rating for second. NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” was second overall with nearly 9 million viewers and won the hour with a 3.2 demo rating. ABC’s finale for “Detroit 187” averaged 4.715 million viewers and a 1.1 demo rating in third.
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.