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Ratings: Football Carries NBC Again Sunday

'Desperate Housewives' is the night's top show, but NBC's stronger overall

September 29, 2008

Dana Delany of 'Desperate Housewives'
Dana Delany of 'Desperate Housewives'
Fast National ratings for Sunday, Sept. 28, 2008

ABC got a solid premiere from "Desperate Housewives" Sunday night, but it wasn't enough to dislodge NBC from the top of the ratings heap.

NBC scored an 8.2 rating/13 share for the night (which may change some because of its live NFL telecast), narrowly beating ABC's 7.8/12. CBS, 6.9/11, finished third, while FOX, which also had some live sports, drew a 6.4/10. The CW was way back at 0.9/1.

In the adults 18-49 demographic, NBC's 5.2 rating led the way. FOX, 4.6, beat out ABC, 4.4, for second. CBS drew a 2.6, and The CW fell below the 1.0 mark.

Late-afternoon NFL games and "The OT" combined for a 9.5/16 on FOX at 7 p.m. CBS took second with NFL overruns "60 Minutes," 7.7/13. The season premiere of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," 4.5/8, put ABC in third, ahead of "Football Night in America," 3.8/7, on NBC. The CW aired a "One Tree Hill" repeat.

NBC took the lead at 8 p.m. with "Sunday Night Football," 9.2/14. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" rose to 7.4/11 on ABC. The conclusion of "60 Minutes" and the season premiere of "The Amazing Race" scored a 6.2/10 for CBS. Premieres of "The Simpsons," 5.6/9, and "King of the Hill," 4.2/6, were fourth overall for FOX and second in the 18-49 demo. The CW went with "Privileged."

At 9 p.m., the "Desperate Housewives" premiere delivered an 11.4/17, down some from last season's premiere but still good enough to top NBC's NFL broadcast, 10.1/15. "The Amazing Race" and "Cold Case" averaged 7.3/11 for CBS. "Family Guy," 5.5/9, and "American Dad," 4.2/6, held steady for FOX, while The CW finished its night with "America's Next Top Model."

NBC reclaimed the lead at 10 p.m. with its coverage of the Chicago Bears-Philadelphia Eagles game, 9.5/15. "Brothers & Sisters" debuted to an 8.0/13 on ABC, while "Cold Case" and "The Unit" delivered a 6.2/10 for CBS.

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.

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