'Desperate Housewives' gives ABC a demo win, 'Kings' struggles

Fast National ratings for Sunday, March 15, 2009

"Desperate Housewives" gave ABC Sunday's best demographic numbers, but more people were watching CBS.

CBS averaged a 7.1 rating/12 share in households and 11.7 million viewers for the night, beating ABC's 6.5/11 and 10.5 million. NBC, which saw its new series "Kings" struggle, finished third at 3.7/6. FOX, 2.8/5, came in fourth, and The CW trailed with a 0.7/1.

ABC led the adults 18-49 demo with a 3.5 rating. CBS, 2.7, took second, followed by FOX at 2.2 NBC averaged 1.8 and The CW a miniscule 0.2.

The night started with CBS' "60 Minutes" (8.0/14) on top at 7 o'clock. "America's Funniest Home Videos" drew a 4.3/8 for ABC. "Dateline" scored a 2.9/5 for NBC, doubling up the 1.4/2 for "Hole in the Wall" on FOX. The CW aired an episode of "Jericho."

CBS held onto the lead at 8 with "The Amazing Race," 6.0/10. ABC was a close second with "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," 5.7/9. The premiere of "Kings" on NBC managed only a 4.1/7. "The Simpsons," 3.5/6, and "King of the Hill," 3.2/5, put FOX in fourth. The movie "Moonstruck" ran on The CW.

"Desperate Housewives" drew the night's biggest audience at 9 p.m., scoring a 9.0/14. "Cold Case," 7.9/12, put CBS in second. FOX moved up to third thanks to "Family Guy," 4.1/6, and "American Dad," 3.4/5, while the second hour of "Kings" dipped to 3.6/6. "Moonstruck" finished the night for The CW.

At 10 p.m., ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" led in households at 7.1/12 (and also in the 18-49 demo), but "The Unit" brought a few more viewers to CBS. "The Celebrity Apprentice" earned a 4.3/7 for 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.