First NFL telecast of season wins night

Fast National ratings for Sunday, Aug. 3, 2008

The NFL returned to the airwaves Sunday night, and the broadcast of the summer's first preseason game led NBC to a ratings win.

CBS and NBC tied for the night's lead in households, each drawing a 4.3 rating/8 share. NBC, however, had a few more total viewers (its numbers also may change some, given the live telecast). ABC finished third at 2.6/5, edging FOX's 2.4/4. The CW was way back with a meager 0.6/1.

NBC also led among adults 18-49 with a 2.1 rating. FOX grabbed second in the demographic with a 1.7, followed by CBS at 1.5. ABC averaged 1.3 and The CW 0.4.

CBS' "60 Minutes" started the night with a 5.4/11 at 7 p.m. "Dateline NBC," 3.5/7, was second in households, but ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" rerun (3.3/6) had a few more viewers. A pair of "'Til Death" reruns on FOX came in fourth, topping The CW's "One Tree Hill."

NBC's coverage of the NFL Hall of Fame Game drew a 4.8/9 at 8 p.m. "Big Brother 10," 4.4/8, finished second for CBS. An hour of "The Simpsons" scored a 2.7/5 for FOX. "High School Musical: Get in the Picture" delivered a 1.9/3 for ABC. The CW aired reruns of "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Aliens in America."

The preseason game between Indianapolis and Washington scored a 4.7/8 for NBC at 9 p.m. CBS' "Million Dollar Password," 3.6/6, held onto second. "Family Guy," 3.2/6, and "American Dad," 3.0/5, kept FOX in front of ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," 2.9/5. Repeats of "The Game" and "Girlfriends" finished the night for The CW.

NBC's football ratings dipped a little to 4.4/8 at 10 p.m., but that was still good enough to keep the top spot. A "Cold Case" repeat on CBS scored a 3.9/7, and "Desperate Housewives" posted a 2.3/4 for ABC.

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