Fox roars to a
big Sunday night win
Averages an 8.0 in 18-49s, boosted by overtime play
By Toni Fitzgerald
Jan 11, 2010
A shootout between the Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers that went into overtime helped boost Fox to a dominant performance Sunday night, with "The Simpsons" 450th episode and 20th anniversary specials also generating huge numbers.
Fox averaged an 8.0 adults 18-49 rating and 20 share during primetime, according to Nielsen overnights, more than the other Big Four networks combined.
As a reminder, these numbers are based on fast national ratings, which measure timeslot and not actual program ratings. Final numbers will likely change significantly when they are issued tomorrow.
Still, Fox's lineup clearly ruled. It peaked with a 12.3 rating at 7:30 p.m., when the Cardinals-Packers wild card playoff game was heading for overtime. Arizona eventually won 51-45 to move into next weekend's divisional round.
Many of those viewers stuck around for the much-hyped "Simpsons" episode that was supposed to start at 8 p.m.; it was delayed about 15 minutes by the NFL runover. From 8 to 8:30 p.m., Fox averaged an 8.8, and it posted a 6.3 from 8:30 to 9 p.m.
The final number will be an easy season high for "Simpsons" and also likely its highest-rated episode in some years. The hour-long documentary that aired afterward also drew strong numbers, with Fox winning the timeslot with a 4.8 at 9 p.m.
Also last night, NBC's "Chuck" had a solid season premiere, averaging a 2.9 rating, its best since February of last year. The two-hour debut aired from 9 to 11 p.m.; the show moves to its regular 8 p.m. timeslot tonight.
***
Meanwhile, for the night, ABC was a distant second to Fox at 3.3/8, NBC third at 2.2/5, CBS fourth at 1.6/4 and Univision fifth at 0.9/2.
As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback. Seven-day DVR data won’t be available for several weeks. Thirty-four percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.
At 7 p.m. Fox led with an 11.7 for football, followed by ABC with a 1.8 for “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” CBS was third with a 1.4 for “60 Minutes,” NBC fourth with a 1.0 for “Dateline” and Univision fifth with a 0.7 for “Hora Pico.”
Fox was first again at 8 p.m. with a 7.6 for the last 15 minutes of football, “Simpsons” and the start of “The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special: In 3D! On Ice!” ABC was second with a 3.2 for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” NBC third with a 1.9 for “Dateline,” CBS fourth with a 1.0 for a repeat of “NCIS: Los Angeles” and Univision fifth with a 0.9 for the first half of the movie “Ladron Que Roba A Ladron.”
At 9 p.m. Fox was first with a 4.8 for the “Simpsons” special and the start of “The Cleveland Show,” with ABC second with a 4.7 for “Desperate Housewives.” NBC was third with a 3.0 for the first half of “Chuck,” CBS fourth with a 1.9 for “Cold Case” and Univision fifth with a 1.2 for its movie.
ABC took the lead at 10 p.m. with a 3.5 for “Brothers & Sisters,” followed by NBC with a 2.9 for more “Chuck.” CBS was third with a 2.1 for a “Criminal Minds” rerun and Univision fourth with a 0.7 for “Quien Tiene la Razon?”
Fox led the night among households as well, finishing with a 10.9 average overnight rating and a 17 share. ABC was second at 6.4/10, CBS third at 5.9/9, NBC fourth at 4.1/6 and Univision fifth at 1.2/2.
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