Late-ending games boost Eye's numbers

Fast National ratings for Sunday, Nov. 19, 2006

Sunday's biggest National Football League game was on CBS, not NBC, which helped the Eye to a ratings win for the night.

CBS averaged a 10.3 rating/16 share in primetime, aided by a late-ending game between the Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts seen in much of the country. ABC finished second at 9.4/14, with NBC third at 7.4/11 (numbers for both CBS and NBC should change some because of their live sports coverage). FOX, 4.2/6, came in fourth, and The CW was fifth at 2.3/4.

ABC scored a solid victory in the adults 18-49 demographic with a 5.7 rating. CBS' 4.6 edged NBC's 4.5 for second. FOX took fourth with a 3.4, and The CW trailed with a 1.3.

The NFL overrun and "60 Minutes" delivered a 14.2/23 for CBS at 7 p.m. ABC was a distant second with "America's Funniest Home Videos," 6.3/10. NBC's "Football Night in America," 5.3/9, came in third. FOX went with reruns of "American Dad" and "The Simpsons." The return of "Reba" to The CW posted a 2.5/4.

At 8 p.m., ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," 8.9/13, won the hour in viewers and tied for the lead in households with CBS' "60 Minutes" and "The Amazing Race." NBC got an 8.0/12 from its "Sunday Night Football" game between the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos. "The Simpsons," 5.2/9, and "American Dad," 4.8/7, kept FOX in fourth, ahead of "7th Heaven" on The CW.

ABC took sole possession of the lead at 9 p.m. with "Desperate Housewives," 13.6/20. "The Amazing Race" and "Cold Case" averaged 8.6/13 for CBS to beat out NBC's NFL coverage, 8.4/12. FOX finished its night with "Family Guy," 5.5/8, and "The War at Home," 4.1/6. The CW went with an "America's Next Top Model" repeat.

CBS regained the top spot at 10 p.m. as "Cold Case" and "Without a Trace" averaged 9.6/16. "Brothers & Sisters" scored an 8.9/14, while "Sunday Night Football" slipped 7.9/13.

On Saturday, ABC's college football coverage and CBS' usual repeats/"48 Hours" lineup tied for the lead at 5.0/9 (ABC had more viewers). NBC averaged 4.0/7 and FOX 3.5/6.

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.