ABC takes overall title, but 'Knight Rider' performs well

Fast National ratings for Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008

ABC grabbed the biggest audience on Sunday night, but NBC's updating of "Knight Rider" helped the Peacock to a demographic victory.

For the night, ABC averaged a 6.6 rating/11 share to snag the top spot. CBS finished second in households at 5.9/9, but NBC, 5.4/9, had more total viewers (a shade over 10 million, to CBS' 9.22 million). FOX, 4.3/7, came in fourth, while The CW was barely a blip at 0.6/1.

NBC scored a 4.0 rating among adults 18-49 to take the top spot in the advertisers favorite demographic. ABC wasn't far behind at 3.7. FOX, 3.2, took third, followed by CBS, 2.1, and The CW, which drew a puny 0.3.

CBS led at 7 p.m. with "60 Minutes," 8.1/12. "America's Funniest Home Videos," 5.0/8, put ABC in second, just ahead of FOX's coverage of the Daytona 500 and a "King of The Hill" rerun, which averaged 4.9/8. The finale of "American Gladiators" on NBC managed only a 3.2/5 in finishing fourth. The CW aired "CW Now" and an "Everybody Hates Chris" rerun.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," 7.3/11, moved ABC into the lead at 8 p.m. "American Gladiators" improved to 4.3/7 to move NBC into second. CBS' "Big Brother 9," 4.1/6, tied for third in households with "The Simpsons" and "King of the Hill" on FOX, with FOX drawing more viewers. A second "Chris" and "Aliens in America" brought up the rear for The CW.

"EM: Home Edition" jumped up to 8.4/13 at 9 p.m., keeping ABC on top. NBC's "Knight Rider" movie/back-door pilot scored a 6.9/10 to take second, beating "Cold Case," 6.1/9, on CBS. "Family Guy," 4.3/6, and "American Dad," 3.3/5, were fourth for FOX. The CW finished its night with reruns of "Girlfriends" and "The Game."

At 10 p.m., "Knight Rider" delivered a 7.3/12 (and a healthy 5.1 adults 18-49 rating) for NBC. ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" posted a 5.7/9, while the debut of a cleaned-up "Dexter" on CBS earned a 5.2/9.

Ratings information is taken from fast national data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.