Prime Time Ratings:
Sunday 5/06/07
The following results are based on the fast national ratings (Live Plus Same Day data)
-Total Viewers:
CBS: 12.51 million, ABC: 11.85, NBC: 7.84, Fox: 6.19, CW: 1.95
-Adults 18-49:
ABC: 4.4 rating/12 share, CBS: 3.0/ 8, Fox: 2.9/ 8, NBC: 2.8/ 8, CW: 0.7/ 2
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-Yesterday’s Winners (despite any year-to-year losses):
60 Minutes (CBS – yes, even older skewing shows deserve accolades), Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC), Desperate Housewives (ABC), Without a Trace (CBS)
-Honorable Mention:
America’s Funniest Home Videos (ABC), The Simpsons (Fox), Family Guy (Fox), The Amazing Race: All-Stars (CBS), Cold Case (CBS), Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
-Yesterday’s Losers (excluding repeats):
Dateline (NBC), King of the Hill (Fox), 7th Heaven (CW)
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-Ratings Breakdown:
ABC and CBS shared Sunday leadership, with CBS the most-watched network (660,000 viewers ahead of ABC) and the alphabet net No. 1 among adults 18-49 (47 percent ahead of CBS). NBC and Fox shared the No. three and four spots, respectively, while cellar-dweller The CW was barely visible.
CBS granddaddy 60 Minutes opened the evening first in total viewers (11.24 million), but second behind ABC’s veteran America’s Funniest Home Videos among adults 18-49 (2.0 rating/7 share vs. 2.4/ 8). AFHV was second in total viewers with 7.64 million. Also in the 7 p.m. hour was NBC’s Dateline (Viewers: #3, 6.59 million; A18-49: #3, 1.7/ 6), two episodes (repeat and original) of Fox’s fading King of the Hill (Viewers: #4, avg. 3.67 million; A18-49: #4, 1.6/ 6), and a repeat of The CW’s 7th Heaven (Viewers: #5, 1.24 million; A18-49: #5, 0.4/ 1). After 10 and one-half seasons, the time has come for King of the Hill to call it quits.
ABC’s feel-good Extreme Makeover: Home Edition dominated at 8 p.m., with 11.62 million viewers and a 4.3/12 among adults 18-49 (and growth out of lead-in AFHV of 3.98 million viewers and 79 percent in the demo). The season-finale of CBS’ above-average The Amazing Race: All-Stars (nice try, Charla and Mirna) was second in total viewers (10.54 million) and third among adults 18-49 (3.3/ 9), while two episodes of Fox’s The Simpsons (original and repeat) scored 7.72 million viewers (#4) and a 3.7/10 in the demo (#2). Also in the 8 p.m. hour was NBC’s Deal or No Deal (Viewers: #3, 8.98 million; A18-49: #4, 2.2/ 6), and the second to-last episode of The CW’s 7th Heaven (Viewers: #5, 2.80 million; A18-49: #5, 1.0/ 3). As much as I have personally enjoyed The Amazing Race on Sunday, a better idea for next season might be for CBS to pare the Emmy winning franchise down to one edition to share with Survivor in the Thursday 8 p.m. hour.
ABC dominated at 9 p.m. courtesy of Desperate Housewives at 16.92 million viewers and a 6.5/16 among adults 18-49, but one year earlier the final national performance was a considerably heftier 21.33 million viewers and an 8.6/20 among adults 18-49. Do the math, and that’s a decrease of 4.41 million viewers and 24 percent among adults 18-49. Am I the only one fed up with Susan’s annoying shtick? How did Mike happen to find her in the woods so easily? CBS’ competing, and older-skewing, Cold Case was second in total viewers (13.63 million) but fourth among adults 18-49 (3.2/ 8).
Over at NBC, two hour Saturday Night Live special, SNL in the 90s: Pop Culture Nation, averaged 7.89 million viewers and a 3.6/ 9 among adults 18-49 from 9-11 p.m. Here is the half-hour breakdown:
SNL in the 90s: Pop Culture Nation
9:00 p.m. Viewers: 7.68 million (#4), A18-49: 3.1/ 8 (#3)
9:30 p.m. Viewers: 8.03 million (#3), A18-49: 3.7/ 9 (#2)
10:00 p.m. Viewers: 7.98 million (#3), A18-49: 3.8/10 (#2)
10:30 p.m. Viewers: 7.89 million (#4), A18-49: 3.8/10 (#2)
Also in the 9 p.m. hour was Fox’s combination of Family Guy (Viewers: #3, 7.88 million; A18-49: #2, 3.8/ 9) and the compatible American Dad (Viewers: #4, 6.46 million; A18-49: #4, 2.9/ 7), and a repeat of America’s Next Top Model on The CW (Viewers: #5, 1.83 million; A18-49: #5, 0.7/ 2).
ABC’s Brothers & Sisters and CBS’ Without a Trace shared leadership at 10 p.m. as follows:
Sunday 10 p.m.
Without a Trace (CBS)
Viewers: 14.64 million (#1), A18-49: 3.7/10 (#3)
Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
Viewers: 11.23 million (#2), A18-49: 4.3/11 (#1)
Now take a look at the percent change for both dramas from their lead-ins:
Without a Trace (out of Cold Case):
Viewers: + 7, A18-49: +16
Brothers & Sisters (out of Desperate Housewives):
Viewers: -34, A18-49: -34
With that in mind, we’ll call Without a Trace a “winner” and Brothers & Sisters “honorable mention.” While I have been personally crowing about Sally Field’s performance on B&S all season, here’s another one for the Emmys to take notice of: the great Patricia Wettig, who snagged three statuettes as victim/cancer survivor Nancy Weston on thirtysomething.
Source: Nielsen Media Research data
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