Sunday TV Ratings 9/7/25: MTV Video Music Awards Strong in CBS Debut but Down on MTV, Task Debuts Low on HBO, The Great North Hits Series Low for Special Airing [+ Analysis]

In its first CBS broadcast, the MTV Video Music Awards posted a strong 1.26 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic, benefiting massively from its NFL lead-in (6.26). NBC also made serious noise with its mammoth Ravens v. Bills NFL game (5.80). ABC aired Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (0.13). On Fox, The Great North (0.08, -0.06) plummeted to a new low after a rerun of Animal Control (0.08). The CW aired the 2004 blockbuster Shrek 2 (0.04). Key: (R) = repeat. 

Wednesday TV Ratings 9/11/24: VMAs Decline from 2023, Big Brother Tops the Night, Aces/Fever Game Sets All-Time Viewership Record for WNBA on NBA TV [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: CBS's Big Brother (0.61, -0.03) was down slightly from last Wednesday but still topped the night. MasterChef (0.30, -0.03) also slipped on Fox. America's Got Talent (0.43, +0.09) surged on NBC and led into a Seth Meyers election special (0.24). ABC aired more encores of Abbott Elementary (0.23/0.17/0.17/0.16) and Shark Tank (0.14). Repeats of Sullivan's Crossing (0.03) and Police 24/7 (0.03) made up the CW's lineup. Key: (R) = repeat.

Sunday Cable Ratings 9/12/21: VMAs Drop from 2020, Scenes from a Marriage Starts Low, The Walking Dead Down Yet Again

Below are the top 25 programs on cable on Sunday, 9/12/21. Items of note include the MTV Video Music Awards on MTV, the series premiere of Scenes from a Marriage on HBO, and Animal Kingdom on TNT.

(Note: Click any show with its name in orange to be taken to its page in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Ratings Database.)

Sunday TV Ratings 9/12/21: VMAs Solid for The CW, NFL on CBS Leads, Celebrity Family Feud, The Chase and To Tell the Truth All Drop (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: The 'Bears v. Rams' NFL game (4.1) propelled NBC to another effortless win, with a sturdy edition of 'Football Night in America' (1.9) occupying the 7-8:30pm stretch. This went about 15% below the preliminary rating of last fall's first Sunday game (4.9) but an upward adjustment should close that gap a bit. ABC was seemingly scorched by the added competition, with 'Celebrity Family Feud' (0.5) losing a tenth and 'The Chase' (0.3) shedding two. 'To Tell the Truth' (0.3) inched down in the 10pm hour but was still outpaced by a 7pm rerun of 'AFV' (0.4). With the aid of 'NFL Overrun' (4.5), the premiere of '60 Minutes' (1.8) soared to its usual, football-inflated level. Most of that boost was gone by the time 'Big Brother' (0.9) rolled around but the latter still rose by nearly two-tenths. Reruns of 'The Equalizer' (0.4) and 'NCIS: LA' (0.2) rounded out the evening. Fox's 'Masked Singer & Alter Ego' preview special (0.7) found itself in solid territory but only because it received ample assistance from 'NFL Overrun' (1.8) and 'The OT' (1.2). With a much stronger lead-in than usual, 'Fantasy Island' (0.5) jumped to a season high for a one-off Sunday episode. A repeat of 'Family Guy' (0.3) was at its typical number at 9:30. The CW's broadcast of the '2021 MTV Video Music Awards' (0.2) was marginally higher than their average scripted drama.

Finals Update: NFL Overrun on CBS (+0.8), The Chase (+0.1), NFL: Bears v. Rams (+1.3), NFL Overrun on Fox (+2.8), The OT (+0.5), The Masked Singer & Alter Ego Preview (+0.2), and repeats of America's Funniest Home Videos (+0.1) and NCIS: Los Angeles (+0.1) adjusted up. 60 Minutes (-0.1) adjusted down.