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NBC Throws Steel Curtain Over Thursday
NBC's NFL team: John Madden, Andrea Kremer and Al Michaels
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NFL dominates ratings; FOX comedies scuffle
Opening night in the NFL provided a big ratings win for NBC Thursday, while the premieres of FOX's two new comedies found somewhat tough sledding.
NBC averaged an 11.1 rating/18 share for the night (those numbers may change some because of the live telecast). CBS was a distant second with a 6.6/11. ABC finished third in households at 4.9/8, but FOX (4.8/8) had more total viewers. The WB trailed with a 1.2/2.
The NFL also gave NBC the top spot among adults 18-49 with a 6.7 rating, more than double the 3.2 for second-place CBS. FOX, 2.7, came in third, and ABC was fourth with a 2.3. The WB drew a 0.7.
A half-hour "NFL Kickoff" special (7.6/13) and the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins (11.3/18) gave NBC a 9.4/15 average at 8 p.m. "Big Brother: All-Stars" put CBS in second with a 5.4/9. FOX came in third with the premieres of "'Til Death," 5.6/10, and "Happy Hour," 4.6/8. ABC was fourth with a "Grey's Anatomy" rerun, while "Smallville" pulled down a 1.2/2 for The WB.
The Steelers-Dolphins game improved to 12.5/19 at 9 p.m. CBS held onto second with "CSI," 7.2/11. A second "Grey's Anatomy," 5.5/9, moved ABC ahead of FOX's "Celebrity Duets," 4.5/7. The WB went with a "Supernatural" rerun.
At 10 p.m., NBC's NFL coverage dipped a little to 11.5/19 but still dominated the hour. "Without a Trace" scored a 7.3/12 for CBS, and "Primetime" averaged 4.4/7 for ABC.
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