Ratings: Football on NBC, ABC, and Fox dominates the week
The big story of the week when it came to broadcast television ratings for the seven-day period ending Jan. 10 was, of course, football. With both the college and professional seasons were winding down, the NFL playoff game between the Philadelphia Eages and the Dallas Cowboys on NBC on Saturday was the No. 1 show of the week—drawing a huge 32.1 million viewers. In second place: also football, specifically the college national championship airing on ABC that saw Texas taking on Alabama on Thursday evening. The top scripted show of the week—CBS’ NCIS—pops up at No. 3 with a 21.4 million viewers.
But the pigskin wasn’t only atop the Top 20—football offerings from Fox could be found throughout. The Fiesta Bowl showed up at No. 8 with 13.8 million viewers, and the Orange Bowl appeared at No. 13 with 10.9 million viewers. Also of note this week was The Simpsons‘ double appearance on the chart, as it pulled in with an episode at No. 5 (14.6 million viewers) and a 20th anniversary special at No. 11 (11.4 million viewers). CBS’ People Choice Awards rolled in at No. 15 with 10.8 million viewers.
The week’s full Top 20—with viewership totals—is after the jump.
1. NFL Playoffs: Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys | NBC | 32.1 million
2. BCS National Championship: Texas vs. Alabama | ABC | 30.8 million
3. NCIS | CBS | 21.4 million
4. NCIS: Los Angeles | CBS | 18.1 million
5. The Simpsons | Fox | 14.6 million
6. Desperate Housewives | ABC | 14.0 million
(tie) 6. The Good Wife | CBS | 14.0 million
8. Fiesta Bowl: TCS vs. Boise State | Fox | 13.8 million
9. Two and a Half Men (R) | CBS | 12.0 million
10. The Biggest Loser | NBC | 11.7 million
11. The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special | Fox | 11.4 million
12. The Mentalist (R) | CBS | 11.0 million
13. Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Iowa | Fox | 10.9 million
(tie) 13. The Big Bang Theory (R) | CBS | 10.9 million
15. People’s Choice Awards | CBS | 10.8 million
16. Law & Order: SVU | NBC | 10.6 million
17. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition | ABC | 10.5 million
18. Brothers & Sisters | ABC | 10.4 million
(tie) 18. Cold Case | CBS | 10.4 million
20. CSI (R) | CBS | 10.3 million
Source: Nielsen