Fast National ratings for Sunday, March 31, 2013.
CBS’ coverage of the Elite 8 showdown between Louisville and Duke ran 40+ minutes into primetime for much of the country and boosted the network to easy wins on Sunday night. Of course, on a repeat-filled and cable-driven Sunday, CBS probably would have won even without the overrun.
We know that most people are much more excited about finale numbers for AMC’s “The Walking Dead” (due this afternoon) and premiere numbers for HBO’s “Game of Thrones” (perhaps not available before Tuesday), but other Sunday notables include another tough week for ABC’s struggling “Revenge” and declines for “Celebrity Apprentice” and “Red Widow.”
Among adults 18-49, CBS averaged a 2.5 rating for Sunday night, beating NBC’s 1.3 rating and the 1.1 rating for FOX in the key demographic. Even with two hours of originals, ABC trailed with a 0.9 key demo rating.
Overall, CBS averaged an estimated 10.67 million viewers and a 6.5 rating/11 share for Sunday primetime, doubling up NBC’s 2.9/5 and 4.59 million viewers. ABC was third with a 2.3/4 and 3.64 million viewers, with FOX’s 2.54 million viewers and 1.4/2 trailing.
7 p.m. – NCAA overrun plus the start of “60 Minutes” averaged 15.66 million viewers and a 4.2 rating among adults 18-49 for CBS in the 7 p.m. hour. NBC’s encore of “The Voice” averaged 3.51 million viewers and a 0.8 key demo rating for a distant second. ABC aired a pair of Charlie Brown specials and drew only 2.53 million viewers and a 0.6 key demo rating, compared the the 1.83 million viewers and 0.7 key demo rating for repeats of “Bob’s Burgers” and “The Cleveland Show” on FOX.
8 p.m. – The end of “60 Minutes” and the beginning of “The Amazing Race” kept CBS in first for the 8 p.m. hour with 10.49 million viewers and a 2.4 rating among adults 18-49. NBC’s “The Voice” encore rose to 5.02 million viewers and a 1.4 key demo rating, topping the 2.81 million viewers and 1.3 key demo rating for repeats of “The Simpsons” and “Bob’s Burgers” on FOX. ABC’s repeat of “Once Upon a Time” drew only 2.5 million viewers and a 0.6 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – The end of “The Amazing Race” and the start of “The Good Wife” drew 8.84 million viewers and a 1.9 rating among adults 18-49 in a 9 p.m. hour that likely saw many young viewers switch over to cable. ABC’s “Revenge” drew 5.42 million viewers and a 1.5 key demo rating, in a surprisingly tight race with NBC’s “The Voice” encore (5.28 million and a 1.5 key demo). FOX’s repeats of “Family Guy” and “American Dad” averaged nearly 3 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – The end of “The Good Wife” and the beginning of a “The Mentalist” repeat averaged 7.69 million viewers to win the 10 p.m. hour, but dropped CBS to second with a 1.3 key demo rating. NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” won the hour with a 1.4 rating among adults 18-49 and finished second with 4.57 million viewers. ABC’s “Red Widow” averaged 4.12 million viewers and a 1.0 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.