CBS HAS BEST RATINGS OF SUMMER DESPITE BLACKOUT

CBS not only won last week’s ratings race among both total adults and adults in the 18-49 age group, but it also posted its best numbers of the entire summer, despite the fact that it couldn’t be seen in large swaths of New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas that account for three million viewers. The network was blacked out in those areas because of a carriage dispute with Time Warner Cable. You wouldn’t have known it by looking at the Nielsen ratings chart, however. CBS had the most-watched show of the week, Under the Dome, with 10.64 million viewers, and the second-most-watched show of the week, a rerun of 60 Minutes, with 8.87 million viewers. In fact, of the top-ten-rated shows last week, CBS aired seven. (The other three were the two weekly installments of NBC’s America’s Got Talent and NBC’s Preseason Football telecast on Sunday.) With NBC News’s Brian Williams still sidelined as he recovers from knee surgery, the nightly news race was closer than at any recent time. The NBC newscast nevertheless remained ahead with 7.16 million viewers, edging out ABC World News with Diane Sawyer with 6.99 million. The CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley remained behind — but not far behind — with 5.84 million viewers. For the week overall, CBS was on top with an average 4.0 household rating and a 7 share. NBC placed second with a 3.0/5, edging out ABC with a 2.7/5. Fox trailed with a 1.7/3.