Though down significantly versus last year's NFC Championship game that featured the New York Giants versus the Green Bay Packers, the Baltimore Ravens versus Pittsburgh Steelers AFC Championship matchup led all weekly viewing, and both airings of American Idol topped 30 million.
Nielsen Top Twenty Shows by viewers for the week ending 01/18/09:
| Rank | Shows | R=Repeat S=Special P=Premiere | Net | # Viewers (LIVE+SD) (000) | HH rating (LIVE+SD) | HH SHARE (LIVE+SD) | 18-49 Rank |
| 1 | AFC CHAMPIONSHIP ON CBS(S) | S | CBS | 40,645 | 22.0 | 34 | 1 |
| 2 | AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY | P | FOX | 30,424 | 15.8 | 23 | 3 |
| 3 | AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY | P | FOX | 30,322 | 16.4 | 25 | 2 |
| 4 | AFC CHMP POST GAME ON CBS(S) | S | CBS | 25,441 | 14.5 | 23 | 4 |
| 5 | CSI | CBS | 24,246 | 14.4 | 22 | 5 | |
| 6 | NCIS | CBS | 18,620 | 11.3 | 17 | 16 | |
| 7 | Mentalist, THE | CBS | 18,069 | 11.0 | 16 | 15 | |
| 8 | TWO AND A HALF MEN | CBS | 17,102 | 10.2 | 15 | 6 | |
| 9 | Mentalist, THE - SUN SPCL(S) | S | CBS | 16,387 | 10.0 | 17 | 10 |
| 10 | CSI: MIAMI | CBS | 15,830 | 10.1 | 17 | 14 | |
| 11 | CSI - 8PM SPECIAL(S) | SR | CBS | 15,515 | 9.6 | 15 | 17 |
| 12 | CRIMINAL MINDS | CBS | 13,778 | 8.7 | 13 | 24 | |
| 13 | ELEVENTH HOUR | CBS | 13,159 | 8.3 | 14 | 19 | |
| 14 | Grey'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM | ABC | 13,099 | 8.5 | 13 | 7 | |
| 15 | DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES | ABC | 13,082 | 8.3 | 12 | 9 | |
| 16 | CSI: NY | CBS | 12,666 | 8.0 | 13 | 28 | |
| 17 | WITHOUT A TRACE | CBS | 12,419 | 8.0 | 13 | ||
| 18 | 24 | P | FOX | 12,307 | 7.1 | 11 | 13 |
| 19 | BIG BANG THEORY, THE | CBS | 11,807 | 7.1 | 11 | 11 | |
| 20 | HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER | CBS | 11,761 | 6.8 | 10 | 8 |
Nielsen Ratings Data: ©2009 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved
All numbers above based on live plus same day DVR viewing.
