TV ratings: Cotton Bowl dominates medicore night

Fast National ratings for Friday, Jan. 4, 2013

Football was the big winner in a night that brought in soft numbers across the board. "AT&T Cotton Bowl" won the evening for FOX with an average of 11.2 million viewers and a 2.8 rating in the 18-49 demo in hour one, jumping to a 3.4 in hour two. Viewership was mediocre across the networks, with NBC and The CW still relying, in whole or in part, on reruns.

FOX averaged 11.2 million viewers and a 6.8/11 share for the night. CBS was a distant second with 8.9 million, 5.7/9, followed by ABC with 5.8 million, 3.6/6, NBC at 4.5 million 3.1/5 and the CW at 1.0 million and 0.7/1.

In the adults 18-49 demographic, FOX also took home the win with a 3.1 for the night. ABC was second with 1.5, followed closely by CBS at 1.4 and NBC at 1.2. The CW trailed at 0.3.

Friday hour by hour:

8 p.m.

FOX: "AT&T Cotton Bowl" (10.7 million viewers, 6.6/11 households)
CBS: "Undercover Boss" (7.5 million, 4.8/8)
ABC: "Last Man Standing" (6.6 million, 4.1/7)/"Malibu Country" (6.0 million, 3.6/6)
NBC: "Go On" rerun (2.1 million, 1.4/2)
The CW: "Nikita" rerun (969,000, 0.6/1)

18-49 leader: "AT&T Cotton Bowl" (2.8)

9 p.m.

FOX: "AT&T Cotton Bowl" (11.7 million, 7.1/11)
CBS: "CSI: NY" (9.2 million, 5.9/9)
ABC: "Shark Tank" (6.3 million, 3.8/6)
NBC: "Dateline: NBC" (4.7 million, 3.2/5)
The CW: "Arrow" rerun (1.1 million, 0.7/1)

18-49 leader: "AT&T Cotton Bowl" (3.4)

10 p.m.

CBS: "Blue Bloods" (9.9 million, 6.4/11)
NBC: "Dateline: NBC" (6.7 million, 4.5/8)
ABC: "20/20" (4.9 million, 3.2/5)

18-49 leader: "Dateline: NBC" (1.8)

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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