TV Ratings: Sochi Olympics Draw Big on Sunday, CBS’ Beatles Special Strong in Second

Sunday proved to a big night for TV. Though Fox and ABC stuck to repeats in the face of the Winter Olympics, CBS aired its Grammy Salute to the Beatles -- and, on cable, juggernaut The Walking Dead returned.

But the Sochi games were the clear winner. Fast National returns give the games a 6.9 rating among adults 18-49 and 25.4 million viewers on NBC for the 7-11 p.m. block. Though that is virtually in line with the same night of the last Winter Olympics, the Vancouver games in 2010, it is down a shade. The first Sunday of those Olympics fetched a 6.9 rating in the demo and 26.4 million viewers.

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CBS had a new 60 Minutes (1.2 adults) rating at 7 p.m.. The show was down 40 percent from its last original for a season low. At 9 p.m. Grammy Salute to the Beatles averaged a 2.1 rating among adults 18-49 and 13.95 million viewers. With a Millers encore, the network averaged a 1.7 rating in the demo and 11.6 million viewers for the night.

Both Fox and ABC both went the encore route, each averaging a 1.0 rating among adults 18-49. ABC, which rebroadcast movie Toy Story 3, had the edge in total viewers among the pair with 3.7 million. Fox's Animation Domination block averaged 2.2 million viewers.

Michael O'Connell