Olympics ratings fade but continue to own competition

Fast National ratings for Sunday, Aug. 17, 2008

The Summer Olympics passed the halfway point over the weekend, and NBC may be feeling a little tired. Ratings faded some, but the Peacock still owned the night.

NBC averaged a 14.9 rating/26 share in primetime, blowing away the competition for the 10th consecutive night. CBS snagged the runner-up spot with a 3.6/6. ABC took third at 2.6/4, beating out FOX's 1.8/3. The CW could only pull down a 0.5/1, drawing under a million viewers.

The story was the same in the adults 18-49 demographic, where NBC's 8.4 rating won going away. CBS, 1.5, finished second, followed by ABC, 1.3, and FOX, 1.2. The CW drew a paltry 0.3.

The opening of NBC's prime-time Olympics coverage scored a 10.7/20 at 7 p.m. CBS got a 4.7/9 from "60 Minutes." A repeat of "America's Funniest Home Videos," 2.6/5, put ABC in third. An hour of "'Til Death" was fourth for FOX, beating a "One Tree Hill" repeat on The CW.

The Olympics improved to 14.7/25 at 8 p.m. CBS held onto second with "Big Brother 10," 4.0/7. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" earned a 2.7/5 for ABC, while " The Simpsons" and "Family Guy" averaged 2.3/4 for FOX. "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Aliens in America" aired on The CW.

At 9 p.m., gymnastics and track and field pushed NBC's ratings up to a 17.0/27. ABC moved into second with "EM: Home Edition," 3.3/5, while CBS dropped to third with "Million Dollar Password," 2.8/4. " Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" delivered a 1.7/3 for FOX. The CW went with "The Game" and "Girlfriends."

NBC peaked at 10 p.m. as the Olympics posted a 17.3/28. "Cold Case" drew a 3.1/5 for CBS, beating out the 1.9/3 for " Desperate Housewives" on 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.