Fast National ratings for Sunday, December 4, 2011.
NBC’s Sunday Night Football meeting between the Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints easily controlled Sunday’s ratings in all key measures. The network’s only competition came from FOX, which got a huge NFL overrun boost in the 7 p.m. hour.
In other ratings highlights, ABC’s Once Upon a Time” has begun a slow drop after relative stability through its first few airings, while “Twilight” co-star Ashley Greene did nothing to boost the ratings fortunes for “Pan Am.” Also, if you were looking for a clear, football-free peek at CBS’ Sunday ratings, last night was largely absent of overrun.
On to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, NBC averaged a 5.2 rating for the night, barely eking out a victory over FOX’s 5.1 rating in the key demographic. There was a big drop to ABC’s 2.2 rating and CBS’ 2.1 rating in the key demo.
Overall, NBC averaged an estimated 13.72 million viewers in primetime to go with an 8.4 rating/13 share. FOX’s 7.4/11 and 12.635 million viewers finished second. CBS was third with 10.43 million viewers and a 6.6/10, beating the 4.3/7 and 7.08 million viewers for ABC.
7 p.m. – FOX started the night in first with a whopping 24.55 million viewers and a 9.0 rating among adults 18-49 for NBC overrun and postgame. CBS was a distant second overall with 11.94 million viewers for “60 Minutes,” which finished third with a 1.8 key demo rating. NBC’s “Football Night in America” was third overall with 6.35 million viewers and second with a 2.2 key demo rating. ABC was fourth with the 5.955 million viewers and 1.4 key demo for “America’s Funniest Home Videos.”
8 p.m. – NBC moved into first for the 8 p.m. hour with 16.31 million viewers and a 5.9 rating among adults 18-49 for the end of pregame and the start of the Lions/Saints showdown. CBS’ “The Amazing Race” finished second with 9.64 million viewers and third with a 2.7 key demo rating. That edged out the 9.61 million overall viewers for ABC’s “Once Upon a Time,” though ABC finished second with a 3.1 key demo rating (off from 10.65 million and a 3.4 key demo last week). FOX was fourth with NFL-boosted “The Simpsons” (9.01 million and a 4.0 key demo) and “Allen Gregory” (5.22 million and a 2.4 key demo).
9 p.m. – Sunday Night Football coverage improved to 17.01 million viewers and a 6.5 rating among adults 18-49 for NBC in the 9 p.m. hour. CBS’ “The Good Wife” was second overall with 9.79 million viewers and fourth with a 1.9 key demo rating. ABC was third with a low 8.09 million viewers and 2.6 key demo rating for “Desperate Housewives.” FOX’s “Family Guy” (7.05 million viewers and a 3.5 key demo) and “The Cleveland Show” (5.43 million viewers and a 2.5 key demo rating) finished fourth overall, but second in the key demo.
10 p.m. – NBC closed primetime with 15.2 million viewers and a 6.3 rating among adults 18-49 for its NFL game. CBS was second with 10.37 million viewers and a 2.2 key demo rating. ABC’s “Pan Am” trailed with 4.67 million viewers and a 1.6 key demo rating.
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.