LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) Fast National ratings for Sunday, Aug. 29, 2004.

The Olympics came to an end on Sunday, giving NBC one last commanding victory before leaving the network’s fall schedule to fend for itself.

Overall, NBC averaged an 11.4 rating/19 share for its coverage of the closing ceremonies from Athens. CBS was second with a 5.1/9, with ABC and FOX battling it out with identical showings of 2.7/5 (FOX had a statistically irrelevant lead in total viewers). The WB trailed with a 1.5/3 for the night.

Among adults 18-49, NBC did a 5.3 rating. FOX and CBS tied for second in the important demographic with a 1.9 rating, as ABC’s 1.5 rating still topped the 1.0 rating for The WB.

NBC began on top with an 8.4/16 for the 7 p.m. hour. With a 6.3/12, CBS’ "60 Minutes" was a competitive second for the hour. FOX was barely third with "Oliver Beene" and "Malcolm in the Middle," which topped the 2.3/4 for ABC’s coverage of the Little League World Series. The WB finished fifth with "Steve Harvey’s Big Time."

At 8 p.m. NBC’s Olympic coverage improved to an 11.5/19. CBS’ "Cold Case" was still solid with a 5.9/10. FOX averaged a 3.2/5 for "The Simpsons" and "Arrested Development," leaving ABC’s youth baseball in fourth. On The WB, "Charmed" did a 1.5/2.

The Olympics hit a peak of 14.3/22 for NBC in the 9 p.m. hour. CBS was second, but the network’s ratings drooped dramatically for the Bond film "Tomorrow Never Dies." ABC was nearly able to grab the runner-up position with the 3.6/6 for "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." FOX got a 2.2/3 from "The Casino," as The WB’s second hour of "Charmed" stayed fifth.

The final hour from Athens kept NBC in first with an 11.5/19. CBS’ movie improved slightly to a 4.5/7. ABC revisited "The Practice," but trailed for the hour.