Ratings Chart Attack!

ABC beat NBC by a nose in the ratings Sunday night, while The CW’s lineup, programmed by Media Rights Capital, premiered in line with comparable past numbers.

ABC brought in a 4.1 rating/10 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen Media Research data.

NBC took second with a 4.0/10 on the back of its Steelers/Jacksonville football game (4.8/11), a rating that should rise once national numbers are released later.

ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” (5.8/13) declined 18% from its start last week to an original-episode low, while “Brothers & Sisters” dropped 13%. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (3.8/10) increased a tenth of a ratings point from last week. The premiere of the 19th season of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” (2.7/8) rose 6% from last year’s debut, tying its highest rating since 2002.

The night’s other key points:

—The CW’s new Sunday night lineup did little to improve the time period. All three shows, “In Harm’s Way” (0.3/1), “Valentine” (0.4/1) and “Easy Money,” were anemic. “Way” and “Valentine” tied the premieres of last year’s “Online Nation” and “Life is Wild.” The CW took in a nightly average of a 0.4/1.

—CBS brought in a 3.8/9 nightly average rating. Due to NFL overrun, the ratings for the night should be considered approximate and will be updated once final ratings are released.

—Fox posted a 3.0/8 rating with its animation block. All shows, except “American Dad” (3.5/8) slipped slightly week-to-week. “Dad” improved by 9%.