Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles boost NBC

NBC recorded its first weekly ratings victory during the official television season in nearly a year, thanks to the season’s most-watched prime-time program.

With Saturday’s Dallas Cowboys-Philadelphia Eagles NFL playoff game averaging 32.12 million viewers, NBC averaged 10.34 million viewers for its prime-time programming between Jan. 4 and Sunday, according to figures released Tuesday by the Nielsen Co.

NBC’s last ratings victory came the week of Jan. 26 to Feb. 1, 2009, when it aired the Super Bowl.

It was only the second time in the season’s 16 weeks that a network other than CBS has finished first among total viewers. The other time was the week of Oct. 26 to Nov. 1, when the first four games of the World Series gave Fox the victory.

“The Simpsons’ ” 20th anniversary programming and football combined to give Fox a second-place finish, averaging 10.07 million viewers, and a victory among viewers ages 18 to 49, the group that advertisers covet.

“The Simpsons’ ” 450th episode finished eighth for the week with 14.62 million viewers, the most for the animated series since its post-Super Bowl episode Feb. 6, 2005. The hour-long “The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special: In 3-D! On Ice!” that followed was 14th with 11.43 million viewers.

“NCIS” was the week’s most-watched scripted program, finishing fifth with 21.37 million viewers, the second-largest audience in its seven-season history. Its first-season spinoff, “NCIS: Los Angeles,” was sixth with 18.07 million viewers, also its second largest audience.

CBS’ coverage of the People’s Choice Awards was 18th with 10.18 million viewers, its most since 2007 and 15% more than last season’s 9.41 million.

ABC’s coverage of the Bowl Championship Series national championship game finished second with 30.78 million viewers, the most for college football’s title game since 2006, when Texas’ 41-38 victory over previously undefeated USC averaged 34.7 million viewers.