Last week wasn't much different than the week before it, Sunday Night Football was the most-watched program among the advertising-centric adults 18-49 demographic for the week ending October 11, 2009 and NCIS was the most-watched program overall.
Among scripted shows, this week House narrowly edged out Grey's Anatomy with adults 18-49, 7.072 million vs. 7.051 million.
Aside from Sunday Night Football and its pregame, NBC placed only two other shows on either list. The one-hour wedding episode of The Office, shot all the way up to number 4 with adults 18-49 (the previous week, it was 18th) and The Biggest Loser made the 18-49 list at #14.
On to the lists!
Weekly cable show ratings and overnight broadcast show ratings are also available.
Adults 18-49 viewing for the week ending October 11, 2009:
| Rank | Shows | R=Repeat S=Special P=Premiere | Net | 18-49 Rating | 18-49 Viewers (000) |
| 1 | NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL | NBC | 6.2 | 8,137 | |
| 2 | HOUSE | FOX | 5.4 | 7,072 | |
| 3 | GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM | ABC | 5.4 | 7,051 | |
| 4 | OFFICE | NBC | 4.8 | 6,268 | |
| 5 | Big Bang Theory, THE | CBS | 4.7 | 6,156 | |
| 6 | Family Guy | FOX | 4.6 | 6,055 | |
| 7 | SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK | NBC | 4.6 | 6,038 | |
| 8 | DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES | ABC | 4.6 | 5,999 | |
| 9 | TWO AND A HALF MEN | CBS | 4.4 | 5,829 | |
| 10 | NCIS | CBS | 4.3 | 5,719 | |
| 11 | CSI: MIAMI | CBS | 3.9 | 5,163 | |
| 12 | CLEVELAND | FOX | 3.9 | 5,107 | |
| 13 | FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 3 | NBC | 3.7 | 4,888 | |
| 14 | Biggest Loser 8 | NBC | 3.7 | 4,885 | |
| 15 | Simpsons | FOX | 3.7 | 4,855 | |
| 16 | NCIS: LOS ANGELES | CBS | 3.6 | 4,798 | |
| 17 | Private Practice | ABC | 3.6 | 4,785 | |
| 18 | Criminal Minds | CBS | 3.6 | 4,727 | |
| 19 | HOME DEPOT PRIME CLG FTBL(S) | S | CBS | 3.6 | 4,709 |
| 20 | 60 Minutes | CBS | 3.5 | 4,604 | |
| 21 | DANCING WITH THE STARS | ABC | 3.5 | 4,574 | |
| 22 | CSI | CBS | 3.5 | 4,566 | |
| 23 | American Dad | FOX | 3.5 | 4,550 | |
| 24 | SURVIVOR: SAMOA | CBS | 3.4 | 4,534 | |
| 25 | Modern Family | ABC | 3.4 | 4,471 |
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Overall viewing (all ages 2+) for the week ending October 11, 2009:
| Rank | Shows | R=Repeat S=Special P=Premiere | Net | # Viewers (LIVE+SD) (000) | HH RATING (LIVE+SD) | HH SHARE (LIVE+SD) |
| 1 | NCIS | CBS | 20,702 | 12.6 | 20 | |
| 2 | DANCING WITH THE STARS | ABC | 16,350 | 10.7 | 16 | |
| 3 | NCIS: LOS ANGELES | CBS | 16,310 | 10.2 | 16 | |
| 4 | NBC Sunday Night Football | NBC | 16,017 | 9.7 | 16 | |
| 5 | CSI | CBS | 14,897 | 9.3 | 14 | |
| 6 | Mentalist, THE | CBS | 14,704 | 9.4 | 16 | |
| 7 | 60 MINUTES | CBS | 14,537 | 9.1 | 15 | |
| 8 | GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM | ABC | 14,126 | 9.1 | 14 | |
| 9 | CRIMINAL MINDS | CBS | 14,053 | 8.8 | 14 | |
| 10 | HOUSE | FOX | 13,738 | 7.9 | 12 | |
| 11 | GOOD WIFE, THE | CBS | 13,693 | 8.9 | 15 | |
| 12 | CSI: MIAMI | CBS | 13,433 | 8.7 | 14 | |
| 13 | DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES | ABC | 13,423 | 8.2 | 12 | |
| 14 | TWO AND A HALF MEN | CBS | 13,296 | 8.4 | 12 | |
| 15 | BIG BANG THEORY, THE | CBS | 12,515 | 7.8 | 12 | |
| 16 | CSI: NY | CBS | 12,426 | 8.2 | 14 | |
| 17 | DANCING W/STARS RESULTS | ABC | 12,420 | 8.3 | 13 | |
| 18 | SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK | NBC | 12,317 | 7.5 | 12 | |
| 19 | SURVIVOR: SAMOA | CBS | 11,694 | 7.0 | 11 | |
| 20 | AMAZING RACE 15 | CBS | 10,518 | 6.1 | 9 | |
| 21 | HOME DEPOT PRIME CLG FTBL(S) | S | CBS | 10,496 | 6.1 | 11 |
| 22 | Bones | FOX | 10,286 | 6.3 | 10 | |
| 23 | FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 3 | NBC | 9,819 | 6.0 | 10 | |
| 24 | EXTREME MAKEOVER:HM ED-8P | ABC | 9,812 | 5.8 | 9 | |
| 25 | PRIVATE PRACTICE | ABC | 9,500 | 6.2 | 11 |
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All numbers above are Live +SD (live viewing and same day DVR viewing) unless otherwise noted.
Nielsen Ratings Data: ©2009 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
| Rank | Shows | R=Repeat S=Special P=Premiere | Net | 18-49 Rating | 18-49 Viewers (000) |
| 1 | NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL | NBC | 6.2 | 8,137 | |
| 2 | HOUSE | FOX | 5.4 | 7,072 | |
| 3 | GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM | ABC | 5.4 | 7,051 | |
| 4 | OFFICE | NBC | 4.8 | 6,268 | |
| 5 | Big Bang Theory, THE | CBS | 4.7 | 6,156 | |
| 6 | Family Guy | FOX | 4.6 | 6,055 | |
| 7 | SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK | NBC | 4.6 | 6,038 | |
| 8 | DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES | ABC | 4.6 | 5,999 | |
| 9 | TWO AND A HALF MEN | CBS | 4.4 | 5,829 | |
| 10 | NCIS | CBS | 4.3 | 5,719 | |
| 11 | CSI: MIAMI | CBS | 3.9 | 5,163 | |
| 12 | CLEVELAND | FOX | 3.9 | 5,107 | |
| 13 | FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 3 | NBC | 3.7 | 4,888 | |
| 14 | Biggest Loser 8 | NBC | 3.7 | 4,885 | |
| 15 | Simpsons | FOX | 3.7 | 4,855 | |
| 16 | NCIS: LOS ANGELES | CBS | 3.6 | 4,798 | |
| 17 | Private Practice | ABC | 3.6 | 4,785 | |
| 18 | Criminal Minds | CBS | 3.6 | 4,727 | |
| 19 | HOME DEPOT PRIME CLG FTBL(S) | S | CBS | 3.6 | 4,709 |
| 20 | 60 Minutes | CBS | 3.5 | 4,604 | |
| 21 | DANCING WITH THE STARS | ABC | 3.5 | 4,574 | |
| 22 | CSI | CBS | 3.5 | 4,566 | |
| 23 | American Dad | FOX | 3.5 | 4,550 | |
| 24 | SURVIVOR: SAMOA | CBS | 3.4 | 4,534 | |
| 25 | Modern Family | ABC | 3.4 | 4,471 |
Why does Grey’s Anatomy always have its timeslot next to the title? Is there another Grey’s I’m unaware of?
Forgetting the demos very briefly…what a state of U.S. TV. Only one show can attract as many as 16.4 million people to watch within a day. Seven out of eight people would rather do something else than watch the most-popular program. Four out of five people who are watching TV Tuesday at 8/7 central would rather watch something beside the number-one show in the country. And that’s the best American television has to offer. What a state of U.S. TV.
Yay for American Dad, sneaking in on the demo chart.
US TV is just fine. The fracturing of the audience is a good thing. Everybody gets what they want. The fact that the entire country isn’t sitting around watching the same shows is a good thing. TV is much better now than when there were only 3 networks. People who think ratings = quality are stupid and need to be told what to like.
Dingo, are you lamenting the idea that people have thought of better things to do than watch TV, and that people aren’t single-minded enough? 66% of Americans don’t watch the Super Bowl.
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/01/18/historical-super-bowl-tv-ratings/11044 (btw that chart says FOX aired it in 2009 instead of NBC).
The problem with average audiences is they run across the entire duration for all shows.
More than 1/3rd of Americans watched at least part of the Super Bowl.
Actual reach is higher for those watching only a part of the show, particularly for big events like the Super Bowl but for NCIS and Family Guy, too.
And according to Nielsen if you watch the Family Guy on DVR and fast forward through 10 minutes worth, you only count as .66 of a viewer, even if you saw almost 100% of the actual show.
The average audience numbers wind up being very useful for relative comparisons, but not particularly useful when it comes to blanket statements like “66% of Americans don’t watch the Super Bowl”
It was still a healthy chunk who didn’t watch at all or very much though: last year 147 million out of 292 million watched at least 6 minutes, so closer to 50% who didn’t watch for at least that long.
Okay, then I’ll go the opposite way. What a sad state of the U.S. when 50% of the population can’t find anything better to do than watch the Super Bowl.
J.R. Herbaugh I totally agree with you about the Super Bowl.
Where can I find the full listing? I need to know where Glee is ranked! Thanks for the help!
I suppose the two of you complaining about people watching the Super Bowl NEVER watch tv as I assume you always have something better to do then watch tv. But then that begs the question as to why you are on a tv ratings website.
Sun Night FB scores high because all those FB junkies turn in at the same time, same on Monday. If you counted all viewers for all games played on any day the ratings would be of the charts. Maybe all those other shows are good, but, watching the same ole Teams play the same ole game with different results seem to be the attraction. Wow, imagine if all the FB fans at live games, Pee Wee, High School and Collage and NFL could tune into the games on TV, “WOW”.
NBC football does well…..despite NOBODY tuning in pre-game or halftime because of that useless, ignorant, irrelevant, moron olberman…..shows the true draw and power of the NFL….I know I always tune to ESPN or NFLnetwork just to avoid that anti-american liberal pundit…..there is NO room for an idiot like this in an awesome sport like football.
I recently setup an antenna so i could pickup HD channels without buying/renting an hd cable box.
If live near Buffalo and Rochester and both CBS towers broadcast at much stronger signal levels than ABC, FOX, NBC.
It’s by far the easier station to pickup.
Doubt that means much except for old folks, who are still relying on antenna for tv. maybe one small reason cbs gets more older viewers.
But i doubt neilson factors this in.
That Two and a Half Men and Big Bang Theory are the two most watched comedies on television is utterly dumbfounding. The slow decent into idiocracy is even further along than I realized. Shame on you American public.
Oh the joys of the internet and the people who come on it to insult the general public for their tv viewing habits.
do these numbers actually recount the dvrs and people who watch online?
if not then these numbers mean crap since the actual views would have been skewed by that. unless ur a network executive with commercial buyers nagging at you for the best possible show on which to promote their cereal or beer, then just watch what you like and dont complain about it. if you do it shows you wear your stupidity on your sleves. if u like it u watch it if not, u dont or if u dont want to watch anything u dont have to, stupid people
You’ve got to treat the general public like a dog who pees the carpet. Shame them; rub their noses their mess; it’s the only way they will learn.
why is so much weight put on viewers under 50, my wifw and I are over 60, and make a little over 200,000 a year, and lo and behold buy a lot of stuff for our kids uner 49 who are paying back student loans and can’t afford to purchase anything.