Eye takes tight overall race, NFL wins demo for NBC

Fast National ratings for Sunday, Aug. 26, 2007

Thanks to a big advantage early in the night, CBS squeezed past NBC to win Sunday night's overall ratings race.

CBS earned a 5.3 rating/9 share for the evening, edging NBC's 5.0/9 (the numbers for NBC are likely to change a bit as the network aired live sports in primetime). ABC finished third at 3.3/6. FOX, 2.3/4, came in fourth, while The CW barely made a dent at 0.8/1.

NBC led among adults 18-49 with a 2.7 rating. CBS took second in the advertisers' favorite demographic with a 2.0. ABC, 1.7, was third, followed by FOX, 1.6, and The CW, 0.4.

CBS dominated the 7 p.m. hour with "60 Minutes," 6.0/12. A repeat of "America's Funniest Home Videos," 3.8/7, put ABC in second. NBC aired a special edition of MSNBC's "Countdown with Keith Olbermann," scoring a 2.7/5. FOX got a 2.2/4 from "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?," and The CW trailed with a "Smallville" rerun.

An NFL preseason game gave NBC the lead at 8 p.m. with a 5.7/10. "Big Brother," 5.0/9, was second for CBS. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" drew a 4.3/7 for ABC. The 2007 Teen Choice Awards on FOX didn't do that well with non-teens, earning a 2.2/4. The CW went with a "7th Heaven" repeat.

NBC's NFL game, featuring the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers, improved to 6.5/10 at 9 p.m. CBS scored a 5.6/9 with a "Cold Case" rerun. ABC's "Desperate Housewives" delivered a 2.8/5, topping the 2.4/4 for the second hour of the Teen Choice Awards. The CW aired a "Search for the Next Doll" rerun.

At 10 p.m., the NFL dropped to 5.0/9 but still kept NBC in the lead. A "Shark" rerun on CBS posted a 4.6/8, doubling up the 2.3/4 for "Brothers & Sisters" 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.