Fast National ratings for Sunday, April 1, 2012.
The 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards helped CBS come close to sweeping Sunday night both overall and in the key demo, with only ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” sneaking in to win its hour with younger viewers.
Among adults 18-49, CBS averaged a 2.6 rating for Sunday night, beating ABC’s 2.1 rating in the key demographic. FOX’s 1.7 rating and the 1.6 rating for NBC followed in the key demo.
Overall, CBS had a wider margin of victory, averaging an estimated 12.21 million viewers and a 7.5 rating/12 share, far ahead of the 6.97 million viewers and 4.4/7 for ABC. NBC was third with a 3.6/6 and 5.58 million viewers, with FOX’s 2.0/3 and 3.636 million viewers taking fourth.
[Univision averaged 2.89 million viewers and a 1.1 rating among adults 18-49 for Sunday night.]
7 p.m. – CBS started primetime in first with the 9.92 million viewers and 1.3 rating among adults 18-49 for “60 Minutes.” ABC was second with 5.46 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating for a repeat of “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” “Dateline” put NBC in third overall with 4.63 million viewers and in fourth with a 1.0 key demo rating. FOX’s repeat of “The Simpsons” (2.2 million viewers and a 0.9 key demo rating) and a new “The Cleveland Show” (2.63 million and a 1.2 key demo rating) finished fourth overall and third in the key demo.
8 p.m. – The first hour of CBS’ ACM Awards telecast averaged 12.8 million viewers to lead the way, but its 2.6 rating among adults 18-49 was only good for second. ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” lost viewers to 8.2 million, but only went down a hair with a 2.7 key demo rating. NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” averaged 5.19 million million viewers and a 1.5 key demo rating in the first of its three primetime hours. On FOX, a repeat of “The Simpsons” (3.87 million viewers and a 1.6 key demo) and a new “Bob’s Burgers” (3.6 million and a 1.6 key demo rating) kept the network in fourth overall and third in the key demo.
9 p.m. – The ACMs put CBS in first alone for the 9 p.m. hour with 13.18 million viewers and a 3.2 rating among adults 18-49. ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” averaged 8.36 million viewers and a 2.6 key demo rating. NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” improved slightly to 5.94 million viewers, but stayed fourth with a 1.8 key demo rating. FOX’s “Family Guy” (5.09 million viewers and a 2.5 key demo rating) and “American Dad” (4.22 million and a 2.0 key demo rating) were third in the key demo and fourth in viewers.
10 p.m. – The final hour of the Academy of Country Music Awards averaged 12.945 million viewers and a 3.3 rating among adults 18-49 for CBS. NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” moved up to second with 6.54 million viewers and a 2.0 key demo rating. Perhaps not surprisingly, the ACM’s took their biggest bite out of ABC’s “GCB,” which dipped to 5.835 million viewers and a 1.9 key 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.