| Scoreboard | NBC | CBS | FOX | UNI | ABC |
| Adults 18-49: rating/Share | 6.2/15 | 4.9/12 | 1.5/5 | 1.2/3 | 1.1/3 |
| Adults 18-34: Rating/Share | 5.4/16 | 3.2/9 | 1.5/5 | 1.0/3 | 0.8/2 |
| Total Viewers (million) | 16.688 | 16.957 | 3.384 | 3.130 | 4.189 |
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Due to the nature of live programming the ratings for NBC (NFL Football), & CBS (Football Overruns) are approximate and subject to more than the typical adjustments in the final numbers. See below for more information on these Fast Affiliate Ratings.
Also, during the President’s address from Newtown, CT, Sunday Night Football shifted to CNBC and NBC Sports Network. Due to long NFL overrun on CBS and coverage of the Presidential address, the numbers are more scrambled than usual. Everything below is broken down by half hour.
NBC was number one among adults 18-49, but CBS won with total viewers.
On FOX, The Simpsons garnered a 1.9, down a ratings point and a half from last week's 3.4 adults 18-49 (which had an NFL overrun lead-in. The Cleveland Show scored a 1.4, down two tenths from last week's 1.6 adults 18-49 rating.
On CBS, the finale of Survivor: Philippines scored a 3.2 adults 18-49 rating, up four tenths from last week's 2.8 on Wednesday, and up three tenths from last spring's finale (which earned a 2.9). However, it was down from last year's fall finale, which earned a 4.0 adults 18-49 rating. The Survivor Reunion show aired outside primetime and earned a preliminary 2.3 from 11:00 to 11:30 PM
On ABC, The Bachelorette: Ashley and JP's Wedding earned a dismal 0.9 adults 18-49 rating
Broadcast primetime ratings for Sunday, December 16, 2012:
| Time | Net | Show | 18-49 Rating | 18-49 Share | Viewers Live+SD (million) |
| 7:00 PM | CBS | Football Overrun | 8.5 | 24 | 27.46 |
| NBC | Football Night in America | 2.6 | 7 | 7.98 | |
| ABC | America's Funniest Home Videos -R | 1.3 | 4 | 5.98 | |
| FOX | The Cleveland Show -R | 1.3 | 4 | 3.15 | |
| 7:30 PM | CBS | Football Overrun | 8.6 | 23 | 28.14 |
| NBC | Football Night in America | 3.2 | 8 | 9.14 | |
| ABC | America's Funniest Home Videos -R | 1.5 | 4 | 6.64 | |
| FOX | The Cleveland Show | 1.4 | 4 | 3.02 | |
| 8:00 PM | NBC | Football Night in America | 5.7 | 14 | 15.54 |
| CBS | 60 Minutes | 5.0 | 13 | 19.43 | |
| FOX | The Simpsons | 1.9 | 5 | 4.41 | |
| ABC | Wipeout -R | 1.2 | 3 | 4.00 | |
| 8:30 PM | NBC | NFL Football/Presidential Address | 7.3 | 17 | 19.87 |
| CBS | 60 Minutes/Presidential Address | 4.1 | 10 | 16.15 | |
| FOX | Bob's Burgers /Presidential Address | 1.2 | 3 | 2.79 | |
| ABC | Wipeout -R/Presidential Address | 1.1 | 3 | 3.47 | |
| 9:00PM | NBC | NFL Football | 8.5 | 20 | 23.07 |
| CBS | Survivor:Philippines | 3.5 | 8 | 12.00 | |
| FOX | Bob's Burgers | 1.6 | 4 | 3.25 | |
| ABC | Wipeout -R/The Bachelorette: Ashley and JP's Wedding | 0.9 | 2 | 3.23 | |
| 9:30PM | NBC | NFL Football | 7.6 | 18 | 20.75 |
| CBS | Survivor:Philippines | 3.3 | 8 | 11.46 | |
| FOX | Family Guy -R | 1.5 | 4 | 3.75 | |
| ABC | The Bachelorette: Ashley and JP's Wedding | 0.8 | 2 | 3.06 | |
| 10:00PM | NBC | NFL Football | 7.3 | 18 | 18.95 |
| CBS | Survivor:Philippines | 3.1 | 8 | 10.97 | |
| FOX | American Dad -R | 1.5 | 4 | 3.75 | |
| ABC | The Bachelorette: Ashley and JP's Wedding
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0.9
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2
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3.44
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| 10:30PM | NBC | NFL Football | 7.2 | 19 | 18.20 |
| CBS | Survivor:Philippines | 2.8 | 7 | 10.05 | |
| ABC | The Bachelorette: Ashley and JP's Wedding | 0.9 | 2 | 3.69 | |
| 11:00 PM | CBS | Survivor Reunion | 2.3 | 8.77 |
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Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2012 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
Definitions:
Fast Affiliate Ratings: These first national ratings, including demographics, are available at approximately 11 AM (ET) the day after telecast, and are released to subscribing customers daily. These data, from the National People Meter sample, are strictly time-period information, based on the normal broadcast network feed, and include all programming on the affiliated stations, sometimes including network programming, sometimes not. The figures may include stations that did not air the entire network feed, as well as local news breaks or cutaways for local coverage or other programming. Fast Affiliate ratings are not as useful for live programs and are likely to differ significantly from the final results, because the data reflect normal broadcast feed patterns. For example, with a World Series game, Fast Affiliate Ratings would include whatever aired from 8-11PM on affiliates in the Pacific Time Zone, following the live baseball game, but not game coverage that begins at 5PM PT. The same would be true of Presidential debates as well as live award shows and breaking news reports.
Rating: Estimated percentage of the universe of TV households (or other specified group) tuned to a program in the average minute. Ratings are expressed as a percent.
Share (of Audience): The percent of households (or persons) using television who are tuned to a specific program, station or network in a specific area at a specific time. (See also, Rating, which represents tuning or viewing as a percent of the entire population being measured.)
Time Shifted Viewing – Program ratings for national sources are produced in three streams of data – Live, Live+Same Day (Live+SD) and Live+7 Day. Time shifted figures account for incremental viewing that takes place with DVRs. Live+Same Day (Live+SD) include viewing during the same broadcast day as the original telecast, with a cut-off of 3:00AM local time when meters transmit daily viewing to Nielsen for processing. Live+7 Day ratings include incremental viewing that takes place during the 7 days following a telecast.
For more information see Numbers 101 and Numbers 102.
The Simpsons will only end if the voice actors demand too much money when their contracts expire. It will never be canceled because of decreased ratings. Ever.
Wow 60 Mintes — and lmao at that stupid Bachelorette crap!
NBC’s Boston affiliate (the city where last night’s NFL game was played in) stuck with the game and did not show the President’s speech live.
To anyone in the San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose area who may be reading this thread: Did the NBC station in San Francisco do the same thing??
If anyone here says that “The Simpsons will never be cancelled because of XYZ”, I may end up getting personal with them, and I am not going to argue with them. No more excuses. Any decision to end The Simpsons will be a mutual business decision. I don’t think it is an inexpensive show and it’s just best to finish strong, like other great long-running scripted shows. Next year (2013-14) is the last one under its current contract.
Survivor held well against NFL Football, last night’s games were pretty epic. But I’m gonna save the rest of my comments to see the finals, hopefully it gets adjusted up, it was a good finale
Im glad Bacherlette bombed. Its ridiculous the trash airs on TV.
@tv_viewer
…and nothing has changed, because Prince William is second in line to the throne.
..and Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005.
I love the Simpsons like anyone else but I wouldn’t be that upset if it got cancelled and fox was somehow able to air repeats? In the UK they air the Simpsons repeats and it is very popular! I don’t think fox would see a massive decline in ratings if they aired repeats- I mean it would get medium ratings for what FOX expects nowadays
It continues to blow my mind how good the ratings are for 60 minutes after all these years.
@ Reed Reedly
I think 60 Minutes came on in 1967, the year I started high school (9th grade back then). I’m sayin it’s in its 45th year in prime time.
@The Old Man
You’re not kidding, you are old as dust.
Nice to see them burning off “Animal Practice” during SNF…
@Oliver
I did forget about Prince Charles’ second marriage. However I don’t remember if American broadcast networks aired that marriage ceremony live.
“Blair Warner” boosts Survivor final. Next cycle, it’s Mindy Cohn …
Here The Cleveland Show was pre-empted half-way in and nothing else on Fox aired besides Newtown-related coverage.
@ jay
I thought I was as old as dirt. Isn’t 70+ demo old as dust? Oh well, learn something new every day!