TV Ratings: CBS, ABC split Sunday

Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria and Felicity Huffman of 'Desperate Housewives'

Credit: Ron Tom/ABC

Fast National ratings for March 8, 2009.

CBS drew the most viewers on Sunday night, but thanks to "Desperate Housewives" and "Brothers & Sisters," ABC's viewers were younger.

ABC won the key 18-49 demographic with a 3.3 rating, topping the 2.6 rating for CBS. ABC's 2.4 rating and the 2.3 rating for FOX were close behind. The CW's 0.2 rating was a little bit funny.

Overall, though, CBS averaged an estimated 11.33 million viewers and a 7.0 rating/12 share. ABC's 6.5/11 was close behind. NBC finished a distant third with a 3.9/6, still topping the 2.8/5 for FOX and The CW's 0.6/1.

CBS started the night in first with an 8.5/15 for "60 Minutes." ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" was second with a 4.2/8, beating a "Saturday Night Live" special focusing on game show parodies and FOX's "Hole in the Wall." On The CW, a repeat of "Jericho" had a 0.5/1.

"The Amazing Race" won the 8 p.m. hour for CBS with a 6.2/10, nipping ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." A second "Saturday Night Live" special, this one doing commercial parodies, was third with a 3.7/6, beating the 3.1/5 averaged by "The Simpsons" and "King of the Hill" on FOX. The CW's telecast of the movie "Easy Money" trailed.

ABC moved into first at 9 p.m. with "Desperate Housewives" delivering an 8.7/13. CBS' "Cold Case" had a 7.7/12 for second. NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice" had a 4.4/7 for third, beating the 3.6/6 for "Family Guy" and "American Dad" on FOX. The CW's movie was last.

At 10 p.m. ABC had a 7.1/12 for "Brothers & Sisters," winning the hour. CBS' "The Unit" finished second, just ahead of the 5.2/8 second hour for "Celebrity Apprentice."

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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