With two of its high-profile sweeps specials, as well as 60 Minutes,
CBS coasted to ratings victory Sunday night, winning in households, total
viewers, adults 25 through 54 and adults 18 through 49.
Fox was tops with younger viewers (18 through 34 and teens).
CBS' 60 Minutes -- with an Ed Bradley interview with the Olympic Games
skating judge who threw the Salt Lake City pairs competition into turmoil --
easily won from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., more than doubling the Nielsen Media Research
household rating of second-place NBC (10.8 rating/20 share versus a 5.2/10).
One caveat, however: While CBS clearly won the time period, those numbers are
based on Nielsen fast affiliate ratings, which are subject to some adjustment,
especially for live event programming. NBC aired a National Basketball
Association game during that time period.
CBS won households and viewers again with a special anniversary celebration
of Everybody Loves Raymond from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. But Fox easily won with
adults 18 through 34 and 18 through 49 with The Simpsons and
Malcolmin the Middle.
The Raymond special eked out a 25-through-54 victory by one-tenth of a
rating point. CBS did a 12.3 rating with the 50-plus audience.
At 9 p.m., the first installment of the Eye web's miniseries, Living with
theDead, starring Ted Danson, won its two-hour block in households,
viewers and adults 18 through 49 and 25 through 54. ABC's airing of theatrical
The Sixth Sense was first with adults 18 through 34.
NBC's two-hour Law & Order: CriminalIntent block from 9
p.m. to 11 p.m. was second in households, viewers and adults 25 through 54 and
tied for second with Sixth Sense among adults 18 through 49.
CBS celebrated itself last Saturday night with a two-hour special on the
50th anniversary of Television City in Hollywood, and older viewers
tuned in droves.
Among persons 50-plus, the network averaged a 9.5 rating, almost as much as
the other three major networks combined.
The show's audience drove CBS to a household and total-viewers win for the
night, although Fox won among adults 18 through 49 and 25 through 54 with
Cops and a Cops special from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Also-rans included ABC theatrical Armageddon and NBC's airing of
The Thomas Crown Affair.
NBC won Friday in households, viewers and across the key adult demographics
with its Providence, Dateline, Law & Order: Special
Victims Unit lineup.
From 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., CBS won among adults 25 through 54 with Carol
Burnett: Showstoppers. In the same hour, Fox siphoned off younger
viewers (18 through 34) with one of its signature specials, When Animals
Invade Your Home.
