• by Wayne Friedman , December 19, 2006

CBS finally got a Sunday night win, but showed that its "Survivor" franchise, now in its 13th edition, isn't what it used to be.

"Survivor: Cook Islands" grabbed a 5.9 rating/14 share in adults 18-49--a number that in the past would be considered a solid regular season number. But this was a finale, and that rating was down a big 23% versus the previous December finale, "Survivor: Guatemala," which took in a 7.7 rating. The number was also 5% below "Survivor: Panama" of last May.

Still, considering other finales scheduled after the blitz of the big November sweep period--NBC's "The Biggest Loser" and CBS's own "Amazing Race"--"Survivor" came out well ahead of those reality efforts. CBS finished the night with a 4.7/12.

Fox came in second, but--just as in previous weeks--it got major help from an NFL game overrun. A big 7 rating from the New York Giants-Philadelphia Eagles game helped out big-time. Fox held steady with sitcoms "Family Guy," with a 4.5/10, and "The Simpsons," with a 4.4/11 in viewers 18-49.

NBC was next, with a 4.3/11 for the night. Its "Sunday Night Football" came in with a 5.6/14--the second-best-performing show of the night. ABC was farther down the charts with a 3.6/9 for the evening. ABC went seasonal. First, with "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and a 2.8 rating, and then with the Tim Allen film "Santa Clause 2," which pulled in a 4.6/11.

Next was Univision, with a 1.3/3 for its two movies "Madrecita" and "Sor Tequila." The CW mustered a 1.1 for an hour of "Reba," but it drifted lower with two-hour repeats of "America's Next Top Model" at a 0.4 for each showing. It ended the night with a 0.6 rating.