Spotted Ratings, Sunday 8/28/11 (FINALS + Video Music Awards)

WHAT MATTERS:

• NBC ruled the broadcast evening thanks to preseason football (3.2), and the game was the second-highest-rated of the preseason trailing only last week's NBC telecast. The peacock did get a weak showing at 7:00 from the "Madden NFL 12 Pigskin Pro-Am" special (0.8).

• Elsewhere on broadcast, Big Brother (3.0) was the top entertainment program by far but down a couple tenths from last week, while week two of ABC's 20/20: The Sixth Sense specials (1.6) picked up by three tenths. Week three of Fox's In the Flow with Affion Crockett (1.0) inched down again.

• The biggest story of the evening by far was another record audience for MTV's Video Music Awards (6.2 A18-49 and 12.445 million viewers overall). It capped off an amazing week for MTV, which also had a hugely-rated 7:00 episode of Jersey Shore (4.4) earlier in the evening. That Shore ep was up about 50% from the one that led into the VMAs last year. Throw in the VMA pre-show (3.6) and Thursday's Jersey Shore (4.5) and MTV had the week's top four 18-49 programs on broadcast or cable!

Above based on FINAL adults 18-49 ratings unless otherwise noted.