Eye gets the most eyes, Alphabet wins the demo

Fast National ratings for Sunday, March 8, 2009

The daylight savings effect seemed to hit the TV networks Sunday, resulting in somewhat lower ratings across the board. CBS ended up with the overall lead, while ABC had the best demographic numbers.

CBS averaged a 7.0 rating/12 share in primetime, beating out ABC's 6.5/11. NBC was pretty far back in third, finishing with a 3.9/6. FOX, 2.8/5, came in fourth, and The CW turned in a miniscule 0.6/1.

ABC led among adults 18-49 with a 3.3 rating. CBS' 2.6 was good for second, followed by NBC, 2.4, and FOX, 2.3. The CW came in at 0.2.

CBS' "60 Minutes" easily led the 7 o'clock hour with an 8.5/15. "America's Funniest Home Videos" earned a 4.2/8 for ABC. A "Saturday Night Live" game-show parodies special drew a 2.2/4 for NBC, beating the 1.6/3 for "Hole in the Wall" on FOX. The CW went with "Jericho."

"The Amazing Race," 6.2/10, kept CBS on top at 8 p.m. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," 6.0/10, finished a close second for ABC. Another "SNL" clip show, this one featuring commercials, improved to 3.7/6 for NBC. "The Simpsons," 3.4/6, and "King of the Hill," 2.8/4, took fourth for FOX. "Easy Money" -- the 1983 Rodney Dangerfield movie, not the series from earlier this year -- ran on The CW.

ABC took over at 9 thanks to "Desperate Housewives," the night's most-watched show at 8.7/13. "Cold Case" came in a close second at 7.7/12. "The Celebrity Apprentice" earned a 4.4/7 for NBC. "Family Guy," 4.2/6, and "American Dad," 3.1/5, finished out the night for FOX, while The CW played out the string with its movie.

"Brothers & Sisters" scored a 7.1/12 for ABC at 10. "The Unit," 5.8/9, put CBS in second, while "The Celebrity Apprentice" improved to 5.2/8 on NBC.

Ratings information is taken from fast national data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.