Overnights
'Big Brother' holds up against Beijing
By Toni Fitzgerald
Aug 18, 2008 - 11:44:22 AM

“Big Brother” ratings aren’t what they used to be for CBS, but say this for the long-running reality show: It has a loyal audience. It’s the only show to have averaged more than a 2.0 against NBC’s dominant Olympics, and it did it again last night.

“Brother” averaged a 2.3 adults 18-49 rating in the 8 p.m. timeslot, according to Nielsen overnights, well ahead of the night’s No. 2 non-Olympics shows tied at 1.7, ABC’s “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” and Fox’s “Family Guy.” Both were reruns.

“Brother” has averaged a 2.1 or better in all three of its outings this week despite airing opposite highly rated Olympic coverage. Tuesday’s edition averaged a 2.4 at 9 p.m., while Thursday’s drew a 2.1 at 8 p.m.

Last night’s edition was actually up 21 percent from the previous week, and Thursday’s “Brother” showed an increase over the previous week as well. Nearly every other show has been flat or down since the Olympics began.

Meanwhile, NBC was first for the night among 18-49s with an 8.4 average overnight rating and a 24 share. CBS was second at 1.5/4, ABC third at 1.3/4, Fox fourth at 1.2/3, Univision fifth at 0.7/2 and CW sixth at 0.3/1.
 
Ratings for NBC are approximate as fast nationals measure 7 to 11 p.m. timeslot data and not actual program data. The Olympics lasted well past 11 p.m.
 
At 7 p.m. NBC led with a 5.5 for the Olympics, while CBS and ABC tied for second at 1.2, CBS for “60 Minutes” and ABC for a repeat of “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” Fox was fourth with a 0.8 for an hour of “’Til Death” reruns, Univision fifth with a 0.7 for “Hora Pico” and “Familia P. Luche,” and CW sixth with a 0.2 for a repeat of “One Tree Hill.”
 
NBC was first again at 8 p.m. with a 7.8 for more Olympics, with CBS second with a 2.3 for “Brother.” Fox moved to third with a 1.7 for repeats of “The Simpsons” and “Guy,” with ABC fourth with a 1.3 for a repeat of “Home Edition,” Univision fifth with a 0.6 for the first hour of “Noche de Estrellas” and CW sixth with a 0.2 for repeats of “Everybody Hates Chris” and “Aliens in America.”
 
At 9 p.m. NBC extended its lead with a 9.8 for the Olympics, while ABC moved to second with a 1.7 for another hour of “Home Edition.” CBS was third with a 1.2 for a repeat of “Million Dollar Password,” Fox fourth with a 1.1 for a repeat of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” Univision fifth with a 0.7 for another hour of “Estrellas” and CW sixth with a 0.4 for reruns of “The Game” and “Girlfriends.”
 
NBC completed the nightly sweep at 10 p.m. with a 10.4 for the Olympics, followed distantly by CBS with a 1.2 for a repeat of “Cold Case.” ABC was third with a 0.9 for a “Desperate Housewives” rerun and Univision fourth with a 0.8 for “El Pantera.”
 
Among households, NBC finished first for the night with a 14.9 average overnight rating and a 25 share. CBS was second at 3.6/6, ABC third at 2.6/4, Fox fourth at 1.8/3, Univision fifth at 1.0/2 and CW sixth at 0.5/1.