A tight game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants scored a ratings touchdown for NBC on Sunday night, driving the network to a commanding first place in both the 18-49 demographic most sought by advertisers and in total viewers.
Meanwhile, the 2014 American Music Awards, facing tough competition from Sunday night’s NFL squeaker, suffered a marked decline compared to last year’s ceremony.
While NBC’s numbers for Sunday are approximate pending time-zone adjustments, the network currently tops the competition with a 5.8 rating/16 share in the demo and 16.3 million total viewers for the night. The down-to-the-wire “Sunday Night Football” faceoff between the Cowboys and the Giants at 8:30 posted a 7.1 rating/18 share, a 15 percent hike compared to last week, with 19.8 million total viewers.
Prior to the game, three installments of “Football Night in America” drew a 2.1/6, 3.7/11 and 5.2/14, respectively.
ABC was second in ratings with a 3.2/9 and third in total viewers with an average 10.4 million. “America’s Funniest Home Videos” at 7 posted a 1.4/4 with 7 million total viewers, while the American Music Awards the following hour drew a 3.8/10 — down 16 percent compared to last year’s 4.5/11 — and had 11.6 million total viewers, compared to the 12.9 million who tuned in for last year’s ceremony.
While CBS’s numbers are also subject to revision due to football overrun, the network currently holds third place in ratings for the night with a 2.8/8 and second in total viewers with 14.6 million.
Despite the third-place showing, the network enjoyed a number of improvements for its Sunday night slate, with “60 Minutes,” “Madam Secretary” and “The Good Wife” all growing versus last week. “60 Minutes” at 7:30, aided by the football overrun, surged to a 3.9 in the demo and had 18.5 million total viewers. “Madam Secretary” at 8:30 took a 1.8 in the demo, up 20 percent from last week, and had 12.6 million total viewers, while “The Good Wife” at 9:30 ticked up to a 1.4 in the demo and took 10.1 million total viewers. “CSI” at 10:30 remained unchanged in the demo with a 1.3 in the demo and drew 7.9 million total viewers.
Fox took fourth place in the demo and total viewers with a 1.1/3 and 2.5 million. Following a “Simpsons” repeat, “Mulaney” in its new 7:30 p.m. timeslot had a 0.7/2 with 1.6 million total viewers, while a new “Simpsons” at 8 posted a 1.6/4 with 3.5 million total viewers. “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” at 8:30 took a 1.5/4 with 3 million total viewers. At 9, “Family Guy” had a 1.2/3 with 2.5 million total viewers, while “Bob’s Burgers” closed out the night at 9:30 with ha 0.9/2 and 1.9 million total viewers.
