“Scorpion” was definitely ready for some football on Sunday night.
The freshman CBS drama “Scorpion” enjoyed a ratings surge with a special airing on Sunday night, thanks largely to its lead-in, the AFC championship game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts, according to preliminary numbers.
While CBS’s numbers for the night are approximate and subject to revision due to the nature of live sports, according to preliminary numbers the network currently holds a commanding first place for the night in both the advertiser-sought 18-49 demographic and total viewers.
Overall, the network averaged a 10.3 rating/27 share in the demo and 31.6 million total viewers, according to early numbers. “Scorpion,” which followed the game at 10:28 p.m., drew a 3.2 rating, matching the series best that the show scored with its September premiere and a considerable improvement over the 2.4 that the show scored with its most recent original episode on Jan. 5. In total viewers, “Scorpion” had 12.3 million total viewers, on par with its last original airing.
In metered-market ratings, the championship game, in which the Patriots dominated the Colts with a 45-7 victory, scored a 24.2/37.
Fox was a distant second in the demo and fourth in total viewers with a 1.1/3 and 2.9 million. The network aired repeats for the night, aside from “Mulaney” at 7, which drew a 1.5/4 with 4.3 million total viewers.
NBC was third for the night in the demo and total viewers, averaging a 0.9/2 with 3.6 million total viewers. The network aired “Dateline: NBC” at 7 p.m., which had a 0.7/2 and 4.2 million total viewers followed by an airing of the movie “Bridesmaids,” which posted a 1.0/3 and drew 3.3 million total viewers.
ABC took fourth in ratings and second in total viewers with a 0.8/2 and 3.8 million. “America’s Funniest Home Videos” at 7 posted a 0.9/3 with 4.8 million total viewers, while “Galavant” the following hour had a 0.9/2 and 3.4 million total viewers. At 9, “Resurrection” took a 0.7/2 with 3.2 million total viewers, while “Revenge” the following hour posted a 0.9/2 and 4 million total viewers.