TV ratings: CBS’ ‘Big Brother,’ ABC’s ‘Rising Star’ gain Sunday viewers

ABC’s reality singing competition “Rising Star” shined in the television ratings on Sunday.

According to preliminary numbers from Nielsen, “Rising Star” rose by 7% in total viewers (4.8 million versus last week’s 4.5 million) and 17% among key viewers ages 18-49 with a rating of 1.4.

The network’s attempt to reinvigorate the singing contest format got off to a soft start last month and dropped in following weeks. But Sunday night’s 18-49 ratings gains brought it just a tenth of a point behind the premiere, which earned a 1.5 in the demo.

With 6.6 million viewers and a rating of 2.1 among 18-49-year-olds, CBS’ “Big Brother” shot up higher than the ABC reality show. “Big Brother” rose 11% week-to-week in the key demo.

With help from “Unforgettable,” which had 6.1 million viewers overall,” and “Reckless,” which had 4.05 million viewers, CBS netted 6.22 million viewers total, topping other prime time television networks.

On ABC, “Wipeout” rose 18% from last week to a 1.3 rating in 18-49, helping boost the network to No. 1 in that category. The slapstick game show also hit a season high in total viewership with a 22% increase to 4.5 million people watching.

The Germany-Argentina World Cup final, which aired on ABC in the afternoon, earned the third-highest overall rating ever for a FIFA World Cup match in the U.S.

It netted a 9.7 overnight household rating, which trailed behind the 1994 final between Brazil and Italy (12.8 rating) and the Round 16 match between USA and Brazil (10.4).

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