TV ratings: 'NCIS' tops Christmas night, as NBA, 'Grinch' unwrap demo wins

Christmas night in prime time was a step up from Christmas Eve, but not by much: CBS' reruns performed solidly in overall viewers and ABC got a 18-49 demo boost from a NBA overrun and an animated/live action double-header of "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas." CBS had the night's most-watched show with a rerun of "NCIS."

CBS averaged 8.1 million viewers and a 5.1 rating/10 share in households for the night. ABC finished second with 5.4 million viewers and a 2.8/5. Everyone else was just keeping the lights on as NBC (2.9 million, 1.6/3) topped FOX (1.6 million, 1.0/2), and The CW (689,000, 0.5/1) barely registered.

ABC finished on top of the adults 18-49 demographic with a 2.0 rating, outpacing CBS' 1.3. NBC took third with a 0.9, followed by FOX, 0.6, and The CW, 0.2.

Tuesday hour by hour:

8 p.m.

CBS: "NCIS" rerun (9.7 million viewers, 6.1/12 households)
ABC: NBA overrun (8.4 million, 4.6/9)/"Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (6.3 million, 3.4/6)
NBC: Movie - "Horton Hears a Who" (3.2 million, 1.7/3)
FOX: "New Girl" rerun (1.9 million, 1.1/2)/"New Girl" rerun (1.5 million, 0.9/2)
The CW: "Hart of Dixie" rerun (728,000, 0.5/1)

18-49 leader: NBA overrun/"Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (2.6)

9 p.m.

CBS: "NCIS: Los Angeles" rerun (8.6 million, 5.4/10)
ABC: Movie - "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (4.5 million, 2.3/4)
NBC: Movie - "Horton Hears a Who" (3.1 million, 1.6/3)
FOX: "New Girl" rerun (1.5 million, 0.9/2)/"New Girl" rerun (1.7 million, 1.1/2)
The CW: "Emily Owens, M.D." rerun (651,000, 0.5/1)

18-49 leader: "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (1.7)

10 p.m.

CBS: "Vegas" rerun (6 million, 3.8/7)
ABC: Movie - "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (4.5 million, 2.2/4)
NBC: Special - "Blake Shelton's Not So Family Christmas" rerun (2.5 million, 1.6/3)

18-49 leader: "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (1.7)

Ratings information includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change. Source: The Nielsen Company.

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