World Series gives Sunday victory to Fox

As the Phillies took a 3-1 lead in the World Series, Fox slid ahead of competitors Sunday Night to win the night in the ratings.

Fox's presentation of Major League Baseball (15.5 million viewers, 5.1 time-zone adjusted fast national adults 18-49 rating) was the highest-rated game in the best-of-seven Series so far.

The game was down 28% from last year's potential Series-deciding Game 4, but tied 2006's similar match (which, like last night, guaranteed that a fifth game remained). Baseball combined with Fox's even higher rated NFL overrun early in the evening to give the network its best Sunday since it aired the Super Bowl.   

ABC led among entertainment programming, with "Desperate Housewives" (15.6 million, 5.7) and "Brothers & Sisters" (10.1 million, 3.5) unfazed by the sports competition, both up a tenth from last week's season lows. ABC's two hours of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (averaging 10.4 million, 3.2) also made gains on last week.

In second place, CBS aired weaker editions of  "60 Minutes" (12.5 million, 2.2) and "Amazing Race" (9.7 million, 2.9), either impacted by the World Series, or missing its NFL overrun lead-in from the past couple weeks that helped jump-start the night. "Cold Case" (12 million, 2.7) and "The Unit" (9.1 million, 2.5) matched their most recent performances, however.

NBC aired a movie, "The 40 Year Old Virgin" and an "Office" repeat (averaging 3.9 million, 1.6).

The CW's MRC block ticked up this week, with "In Harms Way" and "Valentine" expanding a tenth (averaging 750,000, 0.3 each), but "Easy Money" was unchanged (700,000, 0.2).

Sunday's chart (which includes share) is after the jump.

SUNDAY, Oct. 26, 2008 Rate/share 8-8:30 8:30-9 9-9:30 9:30-10 10-10:30 10:30-11 3.9/10 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 12.2 mil,  3.9/10 Desperate Housewives 15.6 mil, 5.7/13 Brothers & Sisters 10.1 mil, 3.5/9 2.6/7 Amazing Race 13 9.7 mil, 2.9/7 Cold Case 12.0 mil, 2.7/6 The Unit 9.1 mil, 2.5/6 1.6/4 The 40-Year-Old Virgin 3.9  mil, 1.8/4 The Office 3.2 mil, 1.4/4 5.1 World Series Game 4 15.5 mil, 5.1 0.3/1 Valentine 0.8 mil, 0.3/1 Easy Money 0.7 mil, 0.2/1 No programming