NBC scored big in the ratings with Sunday’s NFL faceoff between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos, handily taking away a ratings victory for the night, while CBS’s freshman drama “Madam Secretary” enjoyed a surge in the key 18-49 demographic most important to advertisers, according to preliminary numbers.
In the meantime, ABC had a tough night of it, with “Revenge” and “Resurrection” both falling dramatically to series lows.
While NBC’s numbers are subject to revision due to the nature of live sports, the network currently holds a commanding first place in the demo with a 5.4 rating/14 share, and also holds first in total viewers with 15.6 million. “Sunday Night Football” at 8:30 p.m. averaged a 6.3/16, which was down 11 percent from the preliminary numbers for last week’s game, and had 18.2 million total viewers. Prior to the game, the network aired three installments of “Football Night in America,” which scored a 2.0/6, 4.3/12 and 6.3/16, respectively.
CBS was second in the demo and in total viewers with a 3.1/8 and 15.3 million. Though CBS’s numbers are also approximate due to football overrun, “60 Minutes” at 7:30 enjoyed a 16 percent boost over last week in the demo with a 3.7/10 and had 18.3 million total viewers. “Madam Secretary” at 8:30 jumped 19 percent in the demo to a 1.9/5 and had 13 million total viewers, while the season premiere of “The Mentalist” at 9:30 was even with last year’s season premiere for a 1.6/4 with 10.4 million total viewers. “CSI” at 10:30 inched up 8 percent from last week for a 1.4/4 and took 8.2 million total viewers.
ABC was third in ratings and total viewers with a 1.3/3 and 5 million. Its primetime slate took hits across the board, with “Resurrection” and “Revenge” dropping steeply to hit series lows. “America’s Funniest Home Videos” at 7 slid 15 percent from last week for a 1.1/3, tying a season low, with 5.9 million total viewers, while “Once Upon a Time” the following hour also suffered a drop, slipping 17 percent from its most recent telecast on Nov. 16 for a 2.0/5, a season low, with 6.3 million total viewers.
“Resurrection” at 9, meanwhile, plunged 33 percent from its most recent telecast on Nov. 9, posting a series low of 0.8/2 with 3.8 million total viewers, while “Revenge” at 10 also slid 33 percent from its most recent airing, hitting its own series low of 1.0/3 with 4.1 million total viewers.
Univision took fourth place in ratings and total viewers with a 1.1/3 and 2.7 million.
Fox was fifth in ratings and total viewers with a 1.0/3 and 2.4 million. Following an airing of “Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas” at 7, “Mulaney” at 7:30 dropped to a 0.6/2 with 1.5 million total viewers. A “Simpsons” repeat was followed by “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” at 8:30, which dipped to a 1.4/3 but inched up in total viewers to 3.1 million. A “Family Guy” repeat at 9 was followed by “Bob’s Burgers” at 9:30, which climbed 11 percent to a 1.0/2 with 2.2 million total viewers.