Fast National ratings for Sunday, December 14, 2014.
Sunday Night Football showdown between the Cowboys and Eagles dominated primetime in all measures as NBC cruised to primetime victory.
The Dallas-Philly game delivered NBC's best Sunday Night Football overnights since the Week 1 game between the Colts and Broncos.
Over on ABC, the “Once Upon a Time” midseason finale delivered weak numbers and Barbara Walters' annual “Most Fascinating” special attracted very little interest, finishing down from last year's special, which aired on a Wednesday.
CBS got decent numbers for the return of “Undercover Boss,” but since the network had a variety of primetime delays in different football markets, it's hard to gauge the exact ratings.
On to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, NBC averaged a 6.2 rating for Sunday night, easily winning primetime in the key demographic. Football-boosted FOX averaged a 2.6 key demo rating for second, followed by CBS' 1.5 key demo rating. ABC averaged a 1.3 key demo rating for the night.
Overall, NBC averaged an estimated 17.9 million viewers and a 10.6 rating/17 share for Sunday night. CBS was a distant second with 9.09 million viewers and a 5.7/9. FOX's 6.815 million viewers and 4.2/7, topped ABC's 3.9/6 and 5.98 million for the night.
7 p.m. – NFL overrun and postgame averaged 13.33 million viewers and a 4.6 rating among adults 18-49 for FOX in the 7 p.m. hour. CBS' “60 Minutes” (and some NFL overrun) averaged 11.57 million viewers for second and a 1.7 key demo rating for third. NBC's “Football Night in America” was third with 8.59 million viewers and second with a 2.8 key demo rating. ABC's “Backstage with Disney on Broadway” commercial averaged only 2.93 million viewers and a 0.5 key demo rating.
8 p.m. – NBC stormed into first for the 8 p.m. hour with 20.08 million viewers and a 6.8 rating among adults 18-49 for 20 minutes of “Football Night in America” and the start of the game between Dallas and Philadelphia. CBS' “Undercover Boss” premiere averaged 8.95 million viewers for second and a 1.7 key demo rating to tie for third. ABC's “Once Upon a Time” averaged 5.645 million viewers and a 1.7 key demo rating in its 2014 finale. FOX was second in the key demo and fourth overall with a repeat of “The Simpsons” (5.04 million and a 2.0 key demo) and a new “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (3.53 million and a 1.5 key demo rating).
9 p.m. – Football led the 9 p.m. hour for NBC with 22.81 million viewers and a 8.0 rating among adults 18-49. CBS' “The Mentalist” was second with 8.41 million viewers and tied for third with a 1.3 key demo rating, compared to the 7.31 million viewers and 1.4 key demo rating for ABC's Barbara Walters special. FOX trailed with a repeat of “Family Guy” (3.14 million and a 1.4 key demo) and a new “Bob's Burgers” (2.53 million and a 1.2 key demo).
10 p.m. – Sunday Night Football closed primetime in first with 20.12 million viewers and a 7.3 rating among adults 18-49 for NBC. ABC's Barbara Walters special averaged 8.02 million viewers and a 1.4 key demo rating, topping the 7.42 million viewers and 1.2 key demo rating for CBS' “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.”
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.