Primetime Ratings: ABC Wins With ‘Idol’

ABC got the top score in Sunday prime ratings, as American Idol led the net to a 1.1 score in viewers 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, and a 5 share. Just off the pace was CBS at 1.0/4. 

ABC had a repeat of America’s Funniest Home Videos, then two hours of American Idol starting at 8 p.m. and rating a 1.5. Deception closed out prime at 0.7. Both shows lost a tenth of a point from last week. 

For CBS, 60 Minutes went up 114% to a 1.5 and Instinct grew 50% to 0.9 .6. NCIS: Los Angeles ticked up 13% to 0.9 and Madam Secretary increased 20% to 0.6. 

NBC, which had the live Jesus Christ Superstar a week ago, was at 0.7/3. Dateline did a 0.6 and Little Big Shots a 0.9. Genius Junior rated a 0.7 and drama Timeless a 0.6. All the shows were flat.  

Fox scored a 0.7/3 as well. Bob’s Burgers went up 33% to a 0.8, The Simpsons did a flat 0.9, Brooklyn Nine-Nine a level 0.8 and Family Guy a flat 0.9, then Last Man on Earth grew 17% to 0.7. 

Univision rated a 0.6/2 and Telemundo a 0.4/2. 

Michael Malone

Michael Malone is content director at B+C and Multichannel News. He joined B+C in 2005 and has covered network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television, including writing the "Local News Close-Up" market profiles. He also hosted the podcasts "Busted Pilot" and "Series Business." His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The L.A. Times, The Boston Globe and New York magazine.