With the writers’ strike taking a toll on primetime, it's news whenever a show sees a rise in ratings, particularly a hefty one.

The news here is the season finale of “Survivor: China.”

Last night’s two-hour season-ender posted a 5.2 overnight rating among viewers 18-49, up 15.6 percent versus May’s season finale of “Survivor: Fiji.” What makes that less than a big deal is that ratings for the “Survivor: Fiji” finale were the lowest in the show’s 14 seasons.

Last night’s finale is now the second-lowest-rated in the series’ history.

But there's some consolation. The one-hour “Survivor” reunion episode, airing at 10 last night, was up 5 percent over last season, from a 4.3 to a 4.5.

Further, the first two hours of the finale both won their timeslots, with 4.7 in 18-49s in the first hour and a 5.6 in the second, an increase of 19 percent.

The finale also won each hour among total viewers, finishing ahead of NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” game between the Washington Redskins and New York Giants.

It was Fox, however, that led the night among 18-49s, finishing with a 4.9 average overnight rating and a 12 share. CBS was second at 4.3/11, NBC third at 4.0/10, ABC fourth at 2.7/7, Univision fifth at 1.3/3 and CW sixth at 0.5/1.

Fox was able to lead the night on the strength of a 6.6 rating during the 8 p.m. hour, the night’s top-rated hour among 18-49s, for NFL football overrun and its “The OT” postgame show.

ABC was second that hour with a 2.7 for “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” CBS third with a 2.6 for “60 Minutes,” NBC fourth with a 1.9 for “Football Night in America,” Univision fifth with a 1.1 for “Hora Pico” and CW sixth with a 0.3 average for “CW Now” (0.4) and a repeat of “Aliens in America.”

CBS took the lead at 8 p.m. with its 4.7 for the first hour of “Survivor,” followed by Fox with a 4.3 average for ‘The Simpsons” (4.8) and “King of the Hill” (3.7).

ABC and NBC tied for third at 4.2, ABC for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and NBC for NFL pregame and the first part of its “Sunday Night Football” game, with Univision fifth with a 1.1 for its first of three hours of “Bailando por un Sueno” and CW sixth with a 0.6 for a repeat of “America’s Next Top Model.”

At 9 p.m. CBS led again with a 5.6 for the second half of its “Survivor” finale, with NBC second with a 5.0 for football. Fox was third with a 3.8 average for a repeat of “Family Guy” and a new “American Dad” (3.5), ABC fourth with a 2.4 for a repeat of “Desperate Housewives,” Univision fifth with a 1.4 for its second hour of “Bailando” and CW sixth with a 0.5 for a repeat of “Crowned.”

NBC took the lead at 10 p.m. with a 4.8 for more football, while CBS slipped to second with a 4.5 for its “Survivor” reunion show. ABC was third with a 1.7 for a “Brothers & Sisters” rerun and Univision fourth with a 1.4 for its last hour of “Bailando.”

Among households, CBS finished first for the night with an 8.2 average overnight rating and a 13 share. NBC was second at 7.3/11, Fox third at 6.8/10, ABC fourth at 5.3/8, Univision fifth at 1.5/2 and CW sixth at 0.8/1.