TV Ratings: Viewers mostly skip Sunday TV

Fast National ratings for Sunday, June 28, 2009.

On a sluggish Sunday, viewers -- particularly young viewers -- found other things to do, rather than watching TV. Unfortunately, Nielsen estimates don't include activities like "BBQ," "Watching Baseball" or "Swatting Mosquitos" for Sunday evening.

Among adults 18-49, FOX won the night with a 1.5 rating. That's low. NBC's 1.1 rating and the 1.0 rating for ABC and CBS followed closely in the key demographic. The CW's 0.2 rating didn't follow closely.

Overall, though, CBS averaged an estimated 6.71 million viewers in primetime to go with a 4.4 rating/8 share. That's also low. NBC was a distant second with a 2.9/5, followed by the 2.6/5 for ABC. FOX's 1.8/3 was good enough for fourth. The CW's 0.5/1 was last.

CBS started the night in first with a 5.7/11 for "60 Minutes." "Dateline NBC was second with a 3.5/7. ABC's "Just For Laughs" took third with a 2.6/5, beating FOX's "King of the Hill." The CW aired a new episode of "Valentine," which averaged a 0.4/1 and under 600,000 viewers. 

At 8 p.m., CBS' "Million Dollar Password" had a 4.2/8. NBC took second with a 2.8/5 for a new "Merlin." ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home edition" was third, topping FOX's "The Simpsons" and "King of the Hill," which did a 1.9/4 overall, but won the hour in the 18-49 demo. The CW movie, "Larger than Life" improved on its "Valentine" lead-in.

"Cold Case" kept CBS in first at 9 p.m. with a 4.1/7. ABC's "Impact" and NBC's "Merlin" tied for second with a 2.6/4. FOX's "Family Guy" and "American Dad" were fourth overall, but won the 18-49 demo. The CW movie had a 0.6/1 for fifth.

CBS closed the night in first with a 3.7/6 for "Without a Trace." The conclusion of "Impact" had a 2.8/5 for ABC, nipping "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" on NBC.

All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.

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