The return of the NFL to CBS helped the net place first
on Sunday in men 18-49 (4.3 rating) and men 25-54 (5.0),
marking the first time CBS has won the night in both male
demos since March '96. Compared to Labor Day Sunday '97,
CBS was up 59% in men 18-49 (4.3 vs. 2.7) and up 56% in men
25-54 (5.0 vs. 3.2). Other gains from last year included an
18% jump in adults 18-49 (4.0 vs. 3.4), 12% in adults 25-54
(4.6 vs. 4.1) and 43% in adults 18-34 (3.0 vs. 2.1). The
numbers were a reflection of CBS's doubleheader game running
over to 7:45pm ET (CBS). In DC, Lisa de Moraes puts CBS's
Sunday NFL football on her "Winners" list, noting that the
overrun of the Jets-49ers game "catapulted CBS to a rare
demographic victory." But she puts CBS's "NFL Summer Camp"
special in the "Losers" section, as it pulled in "about" 60%
less viewers than the regular Friday 9:00pm hour has with
"Unsolved Mysteries" reruns (WASHINGTON POST, 9/10).
QUICK START: ESPN earned a 7.1 for its Sunday Night
Raiders-Chiefs opener, topping last year's TNT opener of 6.3
by 13%. ESPN's "Sunday NFL Primetime," in a new time slot
from 7:30-8:15, drew a 3.7, up 16% from last year's 3.2, and
its pregame show, "Sunday NFL Countdown," earned a 2.1, flat
with last year (ESPN). The Sunday night game, along with a
Sunday afternoon NASCAR race and Saturday's Tennessee-
Syracuse game helped ESPN finish "a rare No. 1" among all
cable nets for the week with a 3.0 (DAILY VARIETY, 9/10).
