Here are Nielsen ratings for the top 20 prime-time shows nationally and network evening newscasts.
TOP NETWORKS NBC averaged 8.6 million viewers; followed by CBS with 8.4 million; ABC with 5.4 million; and Fox with 4.9 million. ION Television had 1.4 million and the CW had 1.1 million.
In cable, final Nielsen figures show that Oprah Winfrey’s network got a healthy reception its first day on the air. Launching at noon EST on Saturday, OWN opened with a one-hour special, “Oprah’s Guide to OWN, which drew 770,000 viewers.
NETWORK EVENING NEWS
In the race among the three newscasts, NBC’s “Nightly News” was on top with an average of 10.0 million viewers. ABC’s “World News” was second with 8.8 million and the “CBS Evening News” had 6.4 million viewers.
1. NFL Football (Tuesday): Minnesota at Philadelphia, NBC, 23.74 million
2. NFL Football (Sunday): St. Louis at Seattle, NBC, 19.36 million
3. Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick, NBC, 15.06 million
4. Tuesday Night NFL Pre-Kick, NBC, 14.51 million
5. 60 Minutes, CBS, 12.85 million
6. The OT, Fox, 12.27 million
7. Desperate Housewives, ABC, 12.19 million
8. Undercover Boss, CBS, 11.87 million
9. Football Night in America, NBC, 11.54 million
10. CSI: Miami, CBS, 10.92 million.
11. NCIS, CBS, 10.64 million.
12. The Mentalist, CBS, 9.97 million.
13. Two and a Half Men, CBS, 9.75 million.
14. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, ABC, 9.40 million.
15. Kennedy Center Honors, CBS, 9.35 million.
16. Criminal Minds, CBS, 9.27 million.
17. New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, ABC, 9.24 million.
18. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS, 9.18 million.
19. The Big Bang Theory, CBS, 9.02 million.
20. Mike & Molly, CBS, 8.22 million.
