Disaster movie Deep Impact gave CBS the edge among broadcast networks on Sunday in a tight race for 18-49 year-old viewers in prime time, according to Nielsen overnight ratings.
CBS averaged a 2.5 rating/7 share in the 18-49 demo on the night as viewers tuned in, especially for the ending of Deep Impact, presumably to see if the world would end (it didn't).
The 1998 film (about a meteor hitting the earth) posted an overall 3.0/8 between 9-11 p.m, including a surge to 3.3 in the last half.
60 Minutes, reporting on steroids in Major League Baseball and a little-known convicted serial killer, notched a 1.6/6 a 7 p.m. and a rerun of Cold Case at 8 p.m. grabbed a 2.2/7.
Fox finished second with a 2.4/7, but won the 8 and 9 o’clock hours. At 8, repeats of Family Guy posted a 3.2/9 and American Dad notched 2.7.7.
At 9, two Simpsons reruns grabbed a 2.6/8 at 8 and a 3.0/9 at 8:30. Repeats of Malcolm in the Middle (1.3/5) and King of the Hill (1.7/6) fared poorly against the rest of the Big Four in the 7 o’clock hour.
ABC was the slow-and-steady marathoner, earning third place with a 2.3/7 for the night.
Its best performer was Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which posted a 2.6/7 at 8 p.m. The network started out the night at 7 p.m. with America’s Funniest Home Videos, which scored a 2.3/8 to win the hour.
At 9-10 p.m., two of this season's biggest hits continued to draw far smaller crowds in their second viewings: Desperate Housewives posted a 2.2/6, while Grey’s Anatomy posted a 2.1/5.
NBC was fourth with a 2.1/6, offering up a two-hour block of Dateline that averaged a 2.0/6 at 7-9 p.m.
Repeats of Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2.5/6) aired at 9 and Crossing Jordan (2.0/6) ran at 10.
The WB finished last with a .8/2, with repeats of Charmed (.6/2) at 7 and the movie Sugar & Spice (.8/2) airing from 8-10 p.m. UPN does not program Sunday nights.
