Fast National ratings for Sunday, October 20, 2013.
The drama of Peyton Manning facing off against his old team, plus a high-scoring and action-packed game, gave NBC the best Sunday numbers for any network since the Oscars in February and the best NFL primetime October numbers since 1998.
As you would guess, NBC won Sunday in all measures.
CBS was second thanks to its own scheduled 30 minutes of NFL overrun, plus an additional 14 minutes of overrun in a number of major markets.
Meanwhile, while “Once Upon a Time” and “Revenge” were both low, ABC’s “Betrayal” went up week-to-week for some reason.
On to the numbers, which are very subject-to-change.
Among adults 18-49, NBC averaged a 7.8 rating for Sunday night, far ahead of the 2.7 rating for CBS in the key demographic. ABC was third with a 1.4 key demo rating, while FOX averaged a 1.1 rating.
Overall, NBC averaged 21.45 million viewers and a 12.6 rating/20 share for Sunday, with CBS’ 7.6/12 and 12.27 million viewers good for second. ABC’s 3.5/5 and 5.58 million viewers made for a distant third, easily beating the 2.69 million viewers and 1.5/2 for FOX.
7 p.m. – CBS started primetime in first with 20.36 million viewers and a 5.6 rating among adults 18-49 for NFL coverage, NFL overrun and “60 Minutes,” depending on where you happened to be. NBC’s “Football Night in America” was second with 11.13 million viewers and a 3.7 key demo rating. ABC was third with 5.72 million viewers and a 1.1 key demo rating for “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” FOX’s repeats of “Bob’s Burgers” and “Family Guy” averaged 2.455 million viewers and a 0.9 key demo rating.
8 p.m. – The start of the Broncos-Colts game averaged 24.27 million viewers and an 8.7 rating among adults 18-49 for NBC in the 8 p.m. hour. CBS’ “60 Minutes” and “The Amazing Race” averaged 11.46 million viewers and a 2.2 key demo rating in second. ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” continued its slumping with 6.98 million viewers and a 2.0 key demo rating, beating the 3.115 million viewers and 1.3 key demo rating for repeats of “The Simpsons” on FOX.
9 p.m. – The Sunday Night Football game rose to 27.5 million viewers and a 9.8 rating among adults 18-49 for NBC in the 9 p.m. hour. CBS’ “The Amazing Race” and “The Good Wife” averaged 8.68 million viewers and a 1.6 key demo rating for second, beating the 6.06 million viewers and 1.5 key demo rating for ABC’s “Revenge.” On FOX, repeats of “Family Guy” and “American Dad” averaged 2.49 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – NBC’s football game stayed on top for the 10 p.m. hour with 22.9 million viewers and a 8.8 rating among adults 18-49. CBS’ “The Good Wife” and “The Mentalist” averaged 8.59 million viewers and a 1.4 key demo rating. ABC’s “Betrayal” averaged 3.58 million viewers and a 0.9 key demo rating, which is apparently now cause for enthusiasm at the network.
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.