Preseason NFL game leads the night; 'Millionaire' return modest

Fast National ratings for Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009

The start of another football season -- albeit only a preseason game -- gave NBC a ratings win Sunday, beating out the return of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" to ABC.

NBC averaged 7.1 million viewers and a 4.5 rating/8 share in households for the night (numbers that are likely to change some because of the live sports telecast). CBS finished second with 6.7 million viewers and a 4.2/8. ABC (5 million, 3.1/5) came in third. FOX (3.2 million, 2.0/4) was fourth, and The CW trailed with just under a million viewers and a 0.7/1.

NBC also led the adults 18-49 demographic with a 2.4 rating. CBS snagged the No. 2 spot with a 1.7, topping FOX's 1.5. ABC averaged 1.3 and The CW 0.3.

Here are the hour-by-hour numbers:

7 p.m.

CBS: "60 Minutes" (9 million viewers, 5.8/11 households)
NBC: "Dateline" (6.2 million, 4.0/8)
ABC: "America's Funniest Home Videos" rerun (5.8 million, 3.5/7)
FOX: "'Til Death" rerun (1.7 million, 1.1/2)/ "American Dad" rerun (1.8 million, 1.2/2)
The CW: "Easy Money" (614,000, 0.4/1)

18-49 leader: "Dateline" (1.8)

8 p.m.

NBC: NFL preseason: Buffalo vs. Tennessee (8.1 million, 5.1/9)
CBS: " Big Brother 11" (7.2 million, 4.3/8)
ABC: "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" (7 million, 4.4/8)
FOX: "The Simpsons" reruns - two episodes (3.8 million, 2.3/4)
The CW: Movie: "Pumpkin" (1.2 million, 0.8/1)

18-49 leader: NFL preseason (2.9)

9 p.m.

NBC: NFL preseason (7.9 million, 4.9/8)
CBS: "There Goes the Neighborhood" (5.1 million, 3.1/5)
ABC: "Shark Tank" (4.2 million, 2.7/4)
FOX: "Family Guy" rerun (4.5 million, 2.7/5)/"American Dad" rerun (3.8 million, 2.4/4)
The CW: "Pumpkin" (1.2 million, 0.8/1)

18-49 leader: NFL preseason (2.8)

10 p.m.

NBC: NFL preseason (6.1 million, 4.0/7)
CBS: "Cold Case" rerun (5.6 million, 3.7/6)
ABC: "Defying Gravity" (2.8 million, 1.8/3)

18-49 leader: NFL preseason (2.2)

Ratings information includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change, especially in the case of live telecasts.