Fast National ratings for Sunday, February 23, 2014.
Coverage of the Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony from Sochi concluded NBC’s two-plus weeks of primetime sweeps on Sunday night, combining with a preview of the comedy “Growing Up Fisher” to give the network wins in all measures.
NBC had slightly more competition than expected on Sunday, as FOX’s coverage of the Daytona 500 was delayed by rain and stretched into the entirety of primetime for the East Coast and well into primetime in the West, pushing FOX to second in most measures. NASCAR, in fact, managed to push FOX within 0.1 of NBC in young male demos, though NBC’s overall win was comfortable.
Against that tough competition, it’s no wonder that Sunday’s other notable piece of new programming, the 24th premiere of “The Amazing Race,” was sluggish, though even that was impacted by sports, with a 13-minute golf delay on the right side of the country.
On to the numbers, which will be less-than-exact in the case of FOX and CBS.
Among adults 18-49, NBC averaged a 2.9 rating for Sunday night, well ahead of FOX’s 2.0 rating in the key demographic. ABC’s 1.3 key demo rating followed, with CBS’ 1.0 key demo rating taking fourth.
Overall, NBC averaged an estimated 13.52 million viewers and an 8.0 rating/13 share to dominated Sunday night. FOX was a distant second with 6.3 million viewers and a 3.8/6. CBS’ 3.5/6 and 5.52 million viewers took third, while ABC’s 3.2/5 and 5.105 million finished fourth.
7 p.m. – NBC’s Olympics coverage started primetime in first with 11.71 million viewers and a 2.4 rating among adults 18-49. Golf overrun plus “60 Minutes” had CBS in second with 8.1 million viewers, but fourth with a 1.2 key demo rating. ABC’s “America’s Funniest Home Videos” repeat was third with 6.16 million viewers and tied for second with a 1.4 key demo rating, compared to the 4.09 million viewers and 1.4 key demo rating for FOX’s rain-delayed Dayton 500 coverage.
8 p.m. – NBC’s Closing Ceremonies coverage from Sochi rose to 15.86 million viewers and a 3.4 rating among adults 18-49 in the 8 p.m. hour. CBS’ “60 Minutes” and “The Amazing Race” finished second with 7.42 million viewers and third with a 1.6 key demo rating. FOX’s Daytona 500 coverage was third with 6.81 million viewers and second with a 2.1 key demo rating. ABC’s airing of “The Proposal” averaged 4.79 million viewers and a 1.4 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – Olympics coverage kept NBC in first for the 9 p.m. hour with 15.21 million viewers and a 3.2 rating among adults 18-49, well ahead of FOX’s rising 8 million viewers and 2.5 key demo rating for Daytona 500 coverage [and animation repeats]. ABC’s movie average 5.37 million viewers and a 1.6 key demo rating, comfortably beating the 3.43 million viewers and 0.6 key demo rating for “The Amazing Race” and a repeat of “The Mentalist.”
10 p.m. – NBC wrapped up its 2014 Olympics run with coverage until 10:35 (13.21 million and a 3.5 key demo) and then the preview of “Growing Up Fisher” (9.4 million and a 2.1 key demo, though that includes some Olympics). [FOX was out of its primetime range, but the Daytona 500 coverage actually topped the NBC for the hour in the key demo.] ABC’s “Castle” repeat averaged 4.09 million viewers and a 0.9 key demo rating, beating the 3.125 million viewers and 0.4 key demo rating for CBS’ “Mentalist” and “Good Wife” repeats.
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.