Other reality shows pale in comparison with Super Bowl broadcast

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Would-be singing stars, business apprentices and obnoxious fiances pale in comparison with television’s ultimate reality show: the Super Bowl.Sunday’s game between the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers, which aired on CBS, was seen by 89.8 million people, according to Nielsen Media Research. It’s traditionally the most-watched television event of the year.The game, and its unexpectedly colorful halftime show, overshadowed some other solid ratings performances last week.Fox’s “American Idol,” for example, continues its impressive return for a third season. Its two episodes last week were seen by 28.3 million and 29.6 million viewers.“My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance,” also on Fox, was seen by a respectable 13.4 million people last week. NBC’s “The Apprentice” also did well, seen by 18.9 million people following its move to Thursday.For the week, CBS averaged 25.3 million viewers (13.5 rating, 21 share). Fox was a distant second with 9.8 million viewers (6.0, 9), NBC had 9.4 million (6.2, 10), ABC had 7.9 million (5.2, 8), UPN had 4 million (2.7, 4), the WB had 3.7 million (2.4, 4) and Pax TV had 960,000 (0.7, 1).NBC’s “Nightly News” won the evening news ratings race, averaging 12.1 million viewers (8.2 rating, 15 share). ABC’s “World News Tonight” had 11.3 million (7.8, 14) and the “CBS Evening News” had 9 million (6.1, 11).A ratings point represents 1,084,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation’s estimated 108.4 million TV homes. The share is the percentage of in-use televisions tuned to a given show.For the week of Jan. 26-Feb. 1, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships: “Super Bowl XXXVIII: Carolina vs. New England,” CBS, 89.8 million; “Super Bowl Post-Game,” CBS, 59 million; “Survivor All-Stars,” CBS, 33.5 million; “American Idol”-Tuesday, Fox, 29.6 million; “American Idol”-Wednesday, Fox, 28.3 million; “Friends,” NBC, 20.9 million; “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” CBS, 20.2 million; “The Apprentice,” NBC, 18.9 million; “Fear Factor,” NBC, 17.8 million; “Without a Trace,” CBS, 17.5 million.