Posted at 3:10 p.m. PST Tuesday, March 14, 2000

A really bad night for NBC; ABC's winning streak hits 11 in a row

BY DAVID BAUDER
AP Television Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- NBC clearly learned what television viewers weren't interested in watching on Sunday night, when NBA basketball and the gangster movie, ``Donnie Brasco,'' dragged the network to a historic low in the ratings.

The network had its smallest audience of any Sunday evening -- except in the summer rerun season -- since Nielsen Media Research began its more precise measuring system in 1987.

In a gangster face-off, the average audience for ``Donnie Brasco'' was even smaller than HBO's competing episode of ``The Sopranos.'' That's remarkable because HBO, a pay cable station, is available in roughly one-third the number of homes that get NBC.

On basic cable, the Discovery Network's ``Raising the Mammoth'' even beat out the Al Pacino movie. The documentary was by far the highest-rated show in Discovery's 15-year history, with more than double the audience of the previous best, a 1997 ``Raising the Titanic'' special.

It was another bad night for the NBA on NBC, which filled two hours of prime-time Sunday with either a Sonics-Raptors matchup or Knicks-Spurs. The NBA's ratings are down 27 percent from last year, and 31 percent from 1998, Michael Jordan's last season.

Sunday is usually the most-watched night of television during the week.

Two midseason replacement series -- CBS' ``Grapevine'' and NBC's ``God, the Devil and Bob,'' are both doing so poorly that they're not likely to have a long life.

ABC won its 11th week in a row in the ratings, drawing an average prime-time audience of 14 million people (9.3 rating, 16 share). As is fast becoming typical, the week's three airings of ``Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'' were the week's three most-watched programs.

CBS was second with 11.8 million viewers (8.3 rating, 14 share), NBC had 9.6 million (6.8, 11), Fox had 8.9 million (5.7, 9), UPN had 3.7 million (2.6, 4), the WB had 3 million (2.2, 3) and Pax TV had 1.1 million (0.9, 1)

ABC's ``World News Tonight'' won the evening news ratings race with 10.5 million viewers last week (7.7 rating, 16 share). NBC's ``Nightly News'' averaged 10 million viewers (7.6, 16), and the ``CBS Evening News'' had 8.2 million viewers (6.3, 13).

Prime-time Nielsen ratings

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Prime-time ratings compiled by Nielsen Media Research for March 6 to 12. Top 20 listings include the week's ranking, with rating for the week and season-to-date rankings in parentheses.

An ``X'' in parentheses denotes a one-time-only presentation. The rating is the percentage of the nation's estimated 100.8 million TV homes. Each ratings point represents 1,008,000 households.

1. (1) ``Who Wants to be a Millionaire-Tuesday,'' ABC, 19.5, 19.6 million homes.
2. (3) ``Who Wants to be a Millionaire-Sunday,'' ABC, 17.5, 17.7 million homes.
3. (2) ``Who Wants to be a Millionaire-Thursday,'' ABC, 17.2, 17.3 million homes.
4. (8) ``60 Minutes,'' CBS, 14.7, 14.8 million homes.
5. (5) ``Friends,'' NBC, 13.9, 14.0 million homes.
6. (11) ``The Practice,'' ABC, 13.4, 13.5 million homes.
7. (X) ``ABC Special Report: Super Tuesday (8 p.m.),'' ABC, 13.1, 13.2 million homes.
8. (9) ``Touched By An Angel,'' CBS, 12.9, 13.0 million homes.
9. (X) ``ABC Special Report:Super Tuesday ( 9 p.m.),'' ABC, 12.0, 12.1 million homes.
10. (10) ``Everyone Loves Raymond,'' CBS, 11.0, 11.1 million homes.
11. (16) ``NYPD Blue,'' ABC, 10.8, 10.9 million homes.
12.(14) ``CBS Sunday Movie,'' CBS, 10.4, 10.4 million homes.
12. (14) ``Law And Order,'' NBC, 10.4, 10.5 million homes.
14. (7) ``Frasier,'' NBC, 10.3, 10.4 million homes.
15. (52) ``20/20-Downtown,'' ABC, 10.1, 10.2 million homes.
15. (X) ``God, The Devil And Bob,'' NBC, 10.1, 10.2 million homes.
17. (18) ``Becker,'' CBS, 10.0, 10.1 million homes.
17. (29) ``King Of Queens,'' CBS, 10.0, 10.1 million homes.
19. (X) ``Frasier,'' NBC, 9.9, 9.9 million homes.
20. (41) ``Dateline Wednesday,'' NBC, 9.4, 9.5 million homes.
---------------------------------------------------
21. ``60 Minutes II,'' CBS, 9.3
22. ``CBS Wednesday Movie: First Wives Club,'' CBS, 9.1
23. ``Diagnosis Murder,'' CBS, 8.8
24. ``Dharma & Greg,'' ABC, 8.7
24. ``Malcolm in the Middle,'' Fox, 8.7
24. ``Once and Again,'' ABC, 8.7
27. ``The Drew Carey Show,'' ABC, 8.6
28. ``Judging Amy,'' CBS, 8.5
29. ``20/20-Friday,'' ABC, 8.4
29. ``Family Law,'' CBS, 8.4
29. ``The Simpsons,'' Fox, 8.4,
29. ``West Wing,'' NBC, 8.4
29. (X) ``Will & Grace,'' NBC, 8.4
34. ``Sports Night,'' ABC, 8.3
35. ``ABC Monday Night Movie: Broken Arrow,'' ABC, 8.2
36. ``Stark Raving Mad,'' NBC, 8.1
36. ``Wonderful World of Disney: Model Behavior,'' ABC, 8.1
38. ``Spin City,'' ABC, 8.0
38. ``Whose Line is it Anyway?'' ABC, 8.0
40. (X) ``Soap Opera Awards,'' NBC, 7.9
41. ``Providence,'' NBC, 7.8
42. ``JAG,'' CBS, 7.6
43. ``20/20-Wednesday,'' ABC, 7.5
44. ``Grapevine,'' CBS, 7.4
44. ``X-Files,'' Fox, 7.4
46. ``Nash Bridges,'' CBS, 7.3
47. ``48 Hours,'' CBS, 7.1
47. (X) ``NBC Movie of the Week: 10th Kingdom-Pt.V,'' NBC, 7.1
49. ``Whose Line is it Anyway?'' ABC, 6.9
49. ``Will & Grace,'' NBC, 6.9
51. (X) ``Greed,'' Fox, 6.8
51. ``Two Guys and a Girl,'' ABC, 6.8
51. ``Walker, Texas Ranger,'' CBS, 6.8
54. ``Just Shoot Me,'' NBC, 6.6
54. ``Norm,'' ABC, 6.6
56. ``Martial Law,'' CBS, 6.4
57. (X) ``Diagnosis Murder,'' CBS, 6.2
57. ``Sabrina-Teenage Witch,'' ABC, 6.2
59. ``Ally McBeal,'' Fox, 6.1
60. ``ABC Saturday Night Movie: Sleepers,'' ABC, 6.0
60. ``Greed,'' Fox, 6.0
60. (X) ``Greed,'' Fox, 6.0
60. ``That '70s Show 2,'' Fox, 6.0
60. ``Third Watch,'' NBC, 6.0
65. ``Now and Again,'' CBS, 5.9
65. ``That '70s Show,'' Fox, 5.9
67. ``AMW: America Fights Back,'' Fox, 5.8
67. ``COPS 2: Indianapolis,'' Fox, 5.8
67. ``Dateline NBC-Tuesday,'' NBC, 5.8
70. ``Pretender,'' NBC, 5.7
71. (X) Boy Meets World,'' ABC, 5.6
71. ``City of Angels,'' CBS, 5.6
73. ``King of the Hill,'' Fox, 5.5
73. ``Profiler,'' NBC, 5.5
75. ``World's Wildest Police Video,'' Fox, 5.3
76. ``Boy Meets World,'' ABC, 5.2
76. ``COPS: Indianapolis,'' Fox, 5.2
76. ``Early Edition,'' CBS, 5.2
79. ``Kids Say the Darndest Things,'' CBS, 5.1
80. ``Beverly Hills, 90210,'' Fox, 5.0
81. (X) ``3RD Rock From the Sun,'' NBC, 4.9
81. ``Family Guy,'' Fox, 4.9
81. ``The Hughleys,'' ABC, 4.9
84. ``The Others,'' NBC, 4.8
85. ``Fox Thursday Night Movie: Cool Runnings,'' Fox, 4.6
86. ``Cosby,'' CBS, 4.5
86. ``WWF Smackdown!'' UPN, 4.5
88. ``3rd Rock From the Sun,'' NBC, 4.4
89. ``Futurama,'' Fox, 4.3
90. ``NBC Sunday Night Movie: Donnie Brasco,'' NBC, 4.1
91. ``Get Real,'' Fox, 3.8
92. ``7th Heaven,'' WB, 3.6
93. ``NBA Basketball: San Antonio at New York / Toronto at Seattle,'' NBC, 3.4
93. ``Star Trek: Voyager,'' UPN, 3.4 1/4
95. ``Angel,'' WB, 2.7
96. ``Buffy, the Vampire Slayer,'' WB, 2.6
96. ``The Parkers,'' UPN, 2.6
98. ``Charmed,'' WB, 2.4
98. ``Dawson's Creek,'' WB, 2.4
98. ``Moesha,'' UPN, 2.4
101. ``7 Days,'' UPN, 2.3
102. ``Grown Ups,'' UPN, 2.1
102. ``The Steve Harvey Show,'' WB, 2.1
104. ``Jack & Jill,'' WB, 2.0
104. ``Malcolm & Eddie,'' UPN, 2.0
104. ``Roswell,'' WB, 2.0
107. ``For Your Love,'' WB, 1.9
107. ``Popular,'' WB, 1.9
107. ``Popular,'' WB, 1.9
107. ``Secret Agent Man,'' UPN, 1.9
111. ``7th Heaven Beginnings,'' WB, 1.7
111. ``Blockbuster Cinema: Death By Magic,'' UPN, 1.7
111. (X) ``I Dare You!'' UPN, 1.7
111. ``The Jamie Foxx Show,'' WB, 1.7
111. ``The Jamie Foxx Show1,'' WB, 1.7
116. ``Felicity,'' WB, 1.5
117. ``Diagnosis Murder-Monday,'' Pax, 1.4
117. ``Diagnosis Muder-Tuesday,'' Pax, 1.4
119. ``Touched by an Angel,'' Pax, 1.3
120. ``Diagnosis Murder-Tuesday,'' Pax, 1.2
121. ``Diagnosis Murder-Wednesday,'' Pax, 1.1
121. ``Touched by an Angel-Wednesday,'' Pax, 1.1
123. ``Touched by an Angel-Monday,'' Pax, 1.0
124. (X) ``Bonanza,'' Pax, 0.9
124. (X) ``Bonanza,'' Pax, 0.9
124. ``Touched by an Angel-Friday,'' Pax, 0.9
127. ``Diagnosis Murder-Friday,'' Pax, 0.8
127. ``It's a Miracle-Friday,'' Pac, 0.8
129. (X) ``Diagnosis Murder,'' Pax, 0.7
129. ``Hope Island,'' Pax, 0.7
129. ``It's a Miracle,'' Pax, 0.7
129. ``PAX TV Three-Hanky Movie: The New Maverick,'' Pax, 0.7
129. ``Touched by an Angel-Thursday,'' Pax, 0.7
134. ``Chicken Soup for the Soul,'' Pax, 0.6
134. ``It's a Miracle,'' Pax, 0.6
136. ``Touched by an Angel,'' Pax, 0.5
136. ``Twice in a Lifetime,'' Pax, 0.5

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