• by Wayne Friedman , January 12, 2009

Television viewers had a lot of fresh programming to choose from on the second Sunday in January--but none of the top shows Sunday bettered recent performances.

  NBC's "Golden Globes" and Fox's "24" were down from their 2007 telecasts. Fox's "24" has been on hiatus for some time due to the writers' strike. Last year, it forced the "Globes" into a shortened press conference/highlight show, which grabbed a slim 1.9 rating among 18-49 viewers.

But a strike-free zone did not make the heart grow fonder in 2009. "Globes" had a Nielsen preliminary 4.9 rating/share among 18-49 viewers--down 26% from the 2007 telecast--while Fox's sturdy "24" was at a 4.3/10, down 30% from its 2007 January premiere.

Better news: the "24" premiere was up a bit from a 4.0 rating, thanks to a "24" two-hour movie in November.

A big NFL playoff game--CBS' Pittsburgh/San Diego--was also in the mix earlier in the prime-time period. The first hour gave CBS a monster 10 rating/26 share and nearly 29 million overall viewers.

That lead-in worked well for "60 Minutes," which rocketed to a 4.7/11, winning over the "Globes" and "24." "60 Minutes" sank in the second half hour with a 3.3/8, giving way to the "Globes," which took over the No. 1 spot with a 4.9/11.

When the 9 p.m. hour arrived, ABC's usually strong "Desperate Housewives" earned a 5.2/12, down 12% from its seasonal average--all because of the tougher-than-normal competition from the "Globes" and "24."

At 10 p.m., the "Globes" earned a 5.1/13, when it scored above second-place finisher ABC's "Brothers & Sisters."

While each of the top four networks had something to crow about, CBS was on top with a 4.9/12. NBC was at a 4.1/10. ABC was next at a 3.5/9 and then Fox with a 3.4/8. Further down the list; Univision was a 1.1/3 and CW at a 0.4/1.

Time	Network	Program	Viewers (Millions)	18-49 Rating	18-49 Share	18-34 Rating	18-34 Share
7:00	CBS	NFL: Steelers/Chargers	30,773	10.5	28	8.1	24
	ABC	America's Funniest Home Videos	7,486	1.9	5	1.3	4
	NBC	Red Carpet Special	7,042	1.5	4	1.2	4
	FOX	Simpsons (repeat)	3,084	1.3	4	1.5	5
	UNI	Hora Pico	2,220	0.9	2	1.0	3
	CW	Jericho (repeat)	821	0.3	1	0.3	1
7:30	CBS	NFL: Steelers/Chargers	28,558	9.6	24	7.2	21
	ABC	America's Funniest Home Videos	8,969	2.4	6	1.7	5
	NBC	Red Carpet Special	8,316	2.0	5	1.6	5
	FOX	Simpsons (repeat)	4,670	1.9	5	2.2	6
	UNI	Hora Pico	2,665	1.1	3	1.1	3
	CW	Jericho (repeat)	732	0.2	1	0.2	1
8:00	CBS	60 Minutes	17,119	4.7	11	3.2	9
	NBC	66th Golden Globes	14,109	4.4	10	3.9	11
	FOX	24 (season premiere)	12,845	4.4	10	3.8	10
	ABC	Extreme Makeover: Home Edition	9,601	3.1	7	2.7	7
	UNI	Duro Peguro Seguro (movie)	3,108	1.2	3	1.3	4
	CW	Carrie (movie-repeat)	1,101	0.4	1	0.4	1
8:30	NBC	66th Golden Globes	15,185	4.9	11	4.2	11
	CBS	60 Minutes	14,188	3.3	8	2.0	5
	FOX	24 (season premiere)	12,260	4.1	9	3.4	9
	ABC	Extreme Makeover: Home Edition	10,969	3.8	9	3.3	9
	UNI	Duro Peguro Seguro (movie)	3,279	1.3	3	1.4	4
	CW	Carrie (movie-repeat)	1,202	0.5	1	0.6	1
9:00	NBC	66th Golden Globes	14,221	4.6	10	3.9	10
	ABC	Desperate Housewives	13,832	5.2	12	4.8	12
	CBS	Cold Case	12,785	3.0	7	2.0	5
	FOX	24 (season premiere)	12,685	4.2	9	3.4	9
	UNI	Duro Peguro Seguro (movie)	3,225	1.3	3	1.4	3
	CW	Carrie (movie-repeat)	1,450	0.6	1	0.7	2
9:30	NBC	66th Golden Globes	14,356	4.8	11	4.1	10
	ABC	Desperate Housewives	13,678	5.2	12	4.9	12
	FOX	24 (season premiere)	12,281	4.2	9	3.4	8
	CBS	Cold Case	11,958	3.0	7	2.1	5
	UNI	Duro Peguro Seguro (movie)	3,281	1.3	3	1.4	3
	CW	Carrie (movie-repeat)	1,732	0.7	2	0.8	2
10:00	NBC	66th Golden Globes	15,405	5.3	12	4.5	12
	CBS	The Unit	11,044	2.8	7	2.0	5
	ABC	Brothers & Sisters	9,433	3.6	9	3.2	8
	UNI	Quien Tiene la Razon	2,405	0.9	2	1.0	3
10:30	NBC	66th Golden Globes	14,368	4.9	13	4.2	12
	CBS	The Unit	9,762	2.5	7	1.7	5
	ABC	Brothers & Sisters	8,706	3.2	8	2.7	7
	UNI	Quien Tiene la Razon	2,034	0.7	2	0.7	2

Source: Nielsen Media Research