TV ratings: Barbara Walters wins, ‘Sing-Off’ tops ‘X Factor’ again

It looks like Barbara Walters was fascinating enough to give ABC a ratings win Wednesday night.

“Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2013� drew 8.84-million viewers on average and a rating of 2.1 in the key 18-to-49 demographic, making it the highest-rated telecast of the night on the major networks, according to Nielsen.

Viewership for the retiring news veteran’s last “Most Fascinating People� special, which revealed Hillary Rodham Clinton as the most fascinating person of the last 12 months, increased its total viewership from last year and was about flat among advertiser-desired young adults.

Besides the Walters special, ABC was all reruns and won the night in total viewership and the key demo.

PHOTOS: Cable versus broadcast ratings

NBC’s revived musical competition “The Sing-Off� fell 11% from last week in 18-to-49 to a 1.6, though it still topped Fox’s “X Factor� performance finale. “Michael Bublé’s 3rd Annual Christmas Special� fell a bit from last year to a 1.3.

“The X Factor’s� competition finale drew a 1.3 rating among 18-to-49-year-olds as the finalists squared off, down slightly from last week but way down from last year’s 2.7. That’s a 52% decline. Total viewership fell 40% year-over-year to last night’s average of about 5 million. “X Factor� reveals its winner Thursday night.

CBS’ “15th Annual Home for the Holidays� special, hosted by Celine Dion and intended to raise awareness for adoption and foster children, brought in 4.89-million viewers and a 0.6 rating, down 25% from last year’s telecast. CBS aired reruns for the rest of prime time.

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