Despite Good Reviews, Emmy Ratings Flat

Jimmy Fallon host of The 62nd Emmy Awards/NBC

Nielsen preliminary numbers are at a 4.1 rating among adults 18-49, averaging 13.5 million viewers -- down from the 4.2 rating in adults 18-49, but up slightly in total viewers from 2009's 13.4-million-viewer mark. The "Emmys" previously hit an all-time low in 2008 with a 3.8 rating and 12.3 million viewers.

NBC's "62nd Emmy Awards" mustered a similar ho-hum performance against the show of a year ago.

The stats happened amid some major changes.

The "62nd Emmy Awards" aired live on NBC on the West Coast -- a major shift versus the tape airings of the award show in those markets in recent years. Another big change: this year's Emmys, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, aired in August; typically, it runs much closer to the beginning of the new broadcast season in the middle of September. This year the Emmys had somewhat less competition: There was a Fox pre-season NFL game running opposite it, featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers-Denver Broncos, which earned a 3.5/10 and some 9.5 million overall viewers.

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A year ago, the Emmys -- which grew from its 2008 numbers, with Neil Patrick Harris hosting -- also ran against another NFL game. But this was a much higher-rated regular-season contest between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys. It earned a 8.7 rating/21 share among 18-49 viewers.

In the wake of these heavy hitters, CBS' summer show, "Big Brother" wasn't hurt much, maintaining a decent 2.8/8 at 8 pm. CBS said it was the show's best Sunday night results in over two years.

Preliminary results have NBC just edging out Fox for the night among key adult 18-49 viewers with a 3.1/9 to 3.0/9. CBS was next at a 1.7/5. ABC earned a 1.1/3; and Univision came in with a 0.6/2.

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