TV Ratings: Sunday viewers watch NFL, 'Housewives' and 'Dance'

Eva Longoria of 'Desperate Housewives'

Credit: ABC

Fast National ratings for Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009.

ABC and CBS delivered new episodes of their scripted shows and NBC got encouraging returns for the premiere of "Superstars of Dance," but early Nielsen estimates have FOX winning the night thanks to a little NFL overrun.

In all, four different networks won primetime hours on Sunday.

FOX averaged a 4.6 rating in the key 18-49 demographic to take the night, beating ABC's 3.5 rating and the 2.7 rating for NBC. CBS was fourth with a 2.3 rating, still many times better than the 0.3 rating for The CW.

Overall, FOX averaged nearly 12.2 million viewers and a 7.2 rating/11 share, which tied with CBS' 7.2/11. ABC was a solid third with a 6.4/10, followed by NBC's 4.7/7 and the 0.8/1 for The CW.

The NFL playoff game between the Eagles and Vikings eked into the 7 p.m. hour and combined with postgame to give FOX a 14.3/22 for the hour. CBS was a distant second with an 8.1/13 for "60 Minutes." ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" finished third, while NBC's "Saturday Night Live" special focusing on sports-themed skits was fourth with a 2.7/4. A repeat of "Jericho" on The CW did a 0.6/1.

CBS stayed in first at 8 p.m. with a 6.8/10 for "Million Dollar Password," better than the 6.4/10 for "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" on ABC. FOX got a 4.5/7 from a reairing of the telefilm "24: Redemption." NBC's "SNL" special was fourth, but actually won the hour in the 18-49 demo. The CW's airing of "Trail of the Pink Panther" didn't draw much interest.

ABC moved into first place at 9 p.m. with an 8.8/13 for the return of "Desperate Housewives," which easily won its hour in the key demo. CBS' "Cold Case" was second with a 7.9/12 for "Cold Case." The first hour of NBC's "Superstars of Dance" had a 6.3/9 for third. FOX's telefilm and The CW's movie weren't really factors.

At 10 p.m., NBC's "Superstars of Dance" and CBS' "The Unit" both averaged a 6.1/10, with NBC's series holding a slim advantage in total viewers. ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" was third overall, but led the hour among viewers 18-49.

All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change, particularly in the case of live events.

Daniel Fienberg
Executive Editor

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A long-time member of the TCA Board and a longer-time blogger of "American Idol," Dan Fienberg writes about TV, except for when he writes about movies or sometimes writes about the Red Sox. But never music. He would sound stupid talking about music.