• by Wayne Friedman , April 6, 2009

CBS' "Academy of Country Music Awards" sang a bit higher this Sunday versus a year ago.

The show posted a nice Nielsen preliminary 3.4 rating/9 share for the two-hour event, and 14.8 million viewers -- its highest overall viewership numbers since 1999. The event ranged between 12 million and 14 million viewers from 1999-2006, while being aired on CBS.

NBC seemed to be harmed later in the evening by the CBS music show. "Celebrity Apprentice" suffered during the 9 p.m. hour with a 2.4/6. The show regained some momentum at 10 p.m., lifting to a 3.1/8. Overall, "Apprentice" was down 15% among 18-49 viewers versus the week before.

Earlier in the evening, NBC's new drama "Kings" continued to head south -- down to a 1.1/3 during the 8 p.m. hour. The show was up against Fox's "The Simpsons" and "Country Music Awards," which tied for first at 3.1/9.

Much of the rest of the network schedule was in repeats, especially from Fox and ABC.

Just as CBS performs with some of its crime dramas, Fox does well with its animated comedies in repeats on Sunday. For example, during the 9 p.m. hour, a "Family Guy" repeat grabbed a 3.0/8, which came in second place to the "Country Music Awards."

For the night, CBS landed in first place with a 3.4/9 among 18-49 viewers. Fox was at a 2.4/9; NBC earned a 2.0/5; ABC took a 1.8/5; Univision had a 1.1/3; and CW finished with a 0.4/1.