TV Ratings: ‘Big Brother’ Sunday rises for CBS

Fast National ratings for Sunday, July 7, 2013.

Is controversy about racist and homophobic houseguests beginning to actually boost CBS’ “Big Brother”? Certainly this week’s Sunday installment got a reasonable bump from last Sunday, helping CBS win comfortably overall and tie for the night among young viewers.

There were few other Sunday notables, though NBC’s “Crossing Lines” lost a chunk of viewers, while ABC’s “Whodunnit?” continued to struggle.

For the night, FOX and CBS both averaged a 1.2 rating among adults 18-49, tops in the key demographic. [CBS had the slim advantage for the three primetime hours that the two networks shared.] NBC and ABC both averaged a 0.9 key demo rating.

Overall, CBS won easily with an estimated 5.43 million viewers and a 3.5 rating/6 share for Sunday primetime, beating NBC’s 2.3/4 and 3.67 million viewers. ABC was a close third with a 2.1/4 and 3.34 million viewers, while FOX averaged a 1.6/3 and 2.66 million viewers.

7 p.m. – CBS started primetime in first with 7.55 million viewers and a 1.0 rating among adults 18-49 for “60 Minutes.” ABC’s repeat of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” was second with 4.47 million viewers and a 0.9 key demo rating. NBC’s encore of “America’s Got Talent” averaged 3.28 million viewers and a 0.8 key demo rating, with FOX’s repeats of “The Cleveland Show” and “The Simpsons” averaging 1.84 million viewers and a 0.8 key demo rating.

8 p.m. – “Big Brother” averaged 6.25 million viewers and a 2.1 rating among adults 18-49, up in both viewers and the key demo for CBS in the 8 p.m. hour. NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” encore rose to second with 4.96 million viewers and finished third with a 1.3 key demo rating. ABC’s “Celebrity Wife Swap” slipped a tiny bit to 2.89 million viewers and a 0.9 key demo rating, compared to the 2.88 million viewers and 1.4 key demo rating for FOX’s repeats of “The Simpsons” and “Bob’s Burgers.”

9 p.m. – An encore of “Under the Dome” won the 9 p.m. hour for CBS with 4.1 million viewers and finished third with a 0.9 rating among adults 18-49. NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” repeat was second with 3.6 million viewers and fourth with a 0.8 key demo rating. FOX’s repeats of “Family Guy” and “American Dad” won the hour with a 1.6 key demo rating and finished third with 3.27 million viewers. ABC’s “Whodunnit?” trailed with 2.99 million viewers and came in second with a 1.0 key demo rating.

10 p.m. – CBS closed its overall primetime sweep with 3.81 million viewers for a repeat of “The Mentalist,” which also finished first with a 0.7 rating among adults 18-49. ABC’s “Castle” repeat was second with 3.01 million viewers and tied for second with a 0.6 key demo rating. NBC’s “Crossing Lines” averaged only 2.85 million viewers and a 0.6 key demo rating.