TV ratings: NCAA, '60 Minutes' score Sunday

CBS wins the night with basketball, Obama interview

Fast National ratings for Sunday, March 22, 2009

The combination of NCAA basketball and an interview with the president on "60 Minutes" carried CBS to the top of the ratings on Sunday.

CBS averaged an 8.3 rating/14 share for the night to lead the overall race by a comfortable margin over ABC, 6.5/11. NBC finished third at 4.1/7. FOX, 3.0/5, took fourth, and The CW posted its usual meager Sunday numbers, finishing with a 0.6/1.

CBS also led among adults 18-49 with a 3.5 rating. ABC was right behind at 3.4. FOX, 2.4, came in third in the demographic, followed by NBC, 2.1, and The CW, 0.3.

Coverage of the NCAA tournament extended until about 7:50 p.m. ET and combined with "60 Minutes" to average 9.5/17 for the hour (because of the live sports, the network's numbers will change some in the final nationals). NBC's "Dateline," 4.3/8, finished second in households, but "America's Funniest Home Videos" (4.2/7) brought a few more viewers to ABC. Repeats of "American Dad" and "King of the Hill" averaged 1.5/3 for FOX, while The CW aired a "Jericho" repeat.

CBS improved to 9.9/16 at 8 p.m. with "60 Minutes," which featured an interview with President Obama, and the first few minutes of "The Amazing Race." ABC grabbed second with "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," 5.8/9. "The Simpsons," 3.6/6, and "King of the Hill," 3.3/5, moved FOX ahead of NBC and "Kings," 2.9/5. The CW went with the movie "The Mod Squad."

"Desperate Housewives," 9.2/14, moved ABC into the lead at 9. "The Amazing Race" and the start of "Cold Case" combined for a 7.0/11 on CBS. "Family Guy," 4.5/7, and "American Dad," 3.7/6, kept FOX in third, just beating "The Celebrity Apprentice," 4.1/7, on NBC. The CW's movie trailed.

"Brothers & Sisters" (7.0/11) led in households at 10 for ABC, but CBS drew more viewers with "Cold Case" and "The Unit," which averaged 6.8/11. "The Celebrity Apprentice" rose to 5.2/9 for NBC.

TV ratings: Country awards rock Sunday

CBS cruises to a ratings win for the night

Fast National ratings for Sunday, April 5, 2009

With ABC running a slate of repeats Sunday night, CBS' broadcast of the Academy of Country Music Awards had little competition for the top spot in the ratings.

CBS averaged an 8.6 rating/14 share for the night and brought in more than double the audience of any other network. NBC, 3.8/6, finished second in households, but ABC, 3.7/6, had a few more total viewers. FOX came in fourth with a 3.0/5. The CW earned a 0.7/1.

The Eye also led among adults 18-49 with a 3.3 rating. FOX finished second in the demographic with a 2.4, followed by NBC at 2.0. ABC averaged 1.8 and The CW 0.4.

CBS started off the night with a 7.8/14 for "60 Minutes." A repeat of "America's Funniest Home Videos," 4.0/7, took second for ABC. "Dateline NBC" earned a 3.3/6, while reruns of "American Dad" and "King of the Hill" averaged 1.8/3 for FOX. A "Jericho" rerun aired on The CW.

The ACM Awards drew an 8.5/14 for CBS at 8 p.m. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" delivered a 4.3/7 for ABC, while FOX moved into third with "The Simpsons," 3.7/6, and a "Family Guy" rerun, 3.5/6. "Kings," 2.5/4, was fourth for NBC. The CW showed the movie "Rocky III."

CBS peaked at 9 as the ACM Awards drew a 9.1/14. "The Celebrity Apprentice," 4.1/6, moved NBC into second. A "Desperate Housewives" repeat on ABC was third in households, but a second "Family Guy," 3.8/6, and a "Simpsons" rerun, 3.4/5, drew more viewers to FOX. "Rocky III" finished The CW's night.

The ACM awards dipped a little bit to 8.8/15 at 10 p.m. "The Celebrity Apprentice" improved to 5.3/9, while a "Brothers & Sisters" rerun on ABC scored a 2.6/4.