RATINGS REPORT: Madonna Maintains HBO's Sunday Momentum HBO challenges the networks again on Sunday night, this time with its third-highest-rated prime-time concert special since 1997. by Tom Bierbaum Inside.com Though Sex and the City and Six Feet Under are done for the summer and the World War II series Band of Brothers is two weeks off, HBO still managed to torment the Sunday competition this past weekend with its Madonna Live: Drowned concert special. According to Nielsen Media Research, the concert airing from 9:01 to 10:47 p.m. attracted a potent 8.3 rating among adults 18-49 and an 11.0 rating in the HBO universe of about 33 million homes. It's the third-highest-rated HBO prime-time concert since 1997, trailing only Cher's Aug. 29, 1999 performance (9.0 in 18-49, 13.0 in homes in the HBO universe) and Janet Jackson's Oct. 11, 1998 telecast (8.6 in 18-49, 11.9 in homes in the HBO universe). Madonna topped such alternate HBO offerings of the past three and a half years as the April 7, 2001 Bruce Springsteen concert (5.1 in 18-49, 7.1 in homes in the HBO universe), the July 27, 2000 'N Sync program (4.7 in 18-49, 7.8 in homes in the HBO universe), a July 11, 1998 Sinbad's Summer Jam 4 special (4.2 in 18-49, 7.2 in homes in the HBO universe) special, the Feb. 14, 1998 BeeGees event (3.9 in 18-49, 5.8 in homes in the HBO universe) and the Feb. 12, 2000 Marc Anthony concert (2.7 in 18-49, 4.1 in homes in the HBO universe). Madonna couldn't quite match what HBO's been getting lately from its hit Sunday original series, such as last week's Six Feet Under season finale (10.2 in 18-49, 13.8 in homes in the HBO universe) or the Sex and the City season-closer of two weeks ago (9.2 in 18-49, 13.3 in homes). But Madonna still roughly tied ABC for first place nationally among adults 18-49 (3.2 rating each), despite reaching only about one-third as many homes as the ABC competition. -- ※ Origin: 交大機械工廠 ◆ From: racon.iii.org.tw --