Emmy ratings pretty much even with last year

The Emmy Awards broadcast on Sunday drew virtually the same ratings as the 2009 ceremony, which at least means they didn't fall off.

Considering that the awards were airing three weeks earlier than usual (thanks to NBC's contract with the NFL) and were moving from the most-watched network (CBS) to the No. 4 net in NBC, that's not a bad place to be.

According to time zone-adjusted fast national ratings -- and with an encore telecast for West Coast viewers factored in -- the Emmys drew 13,503,000 viewers Sunday night (Aug. 29). That's up a tiny bit from the 13,471,000 who watched the awards last year. In the adults 18-49 demographic, the show dipped slightly, from 4.2 in 2009 to 4.1 this year.

Final same-day nationals will be released Tuesday with the rest of the weekly ratings from Nielsen. The show isn't likely to gain a whole lot of viewers from DVR use; viewers tend to record live events less than regular weekly shows, and the encore airing on the West Coast probably precluded some delayed viewing as well.

Sunday's awards, hosted by the mostly well-reviewed Jimmy Fallon, featured wins by a mix of fairly popular broadcast-network shows (best comedy "Modern Family," "Glee," "The Good Wife") and lesser-watched cable shows and movies (best drama "Mad Men," HBO's movie "Temple Grandin").

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Photo credit: NBC