The Fox drama "24" notched its most-watched episode ever with its fifth-season premiere with the first of two back-to-back episodes that got a boost from a primetime overrun (in East Coast and Midwestern markets) of the NFL's NFC divisional playoff game between the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears. Airing from about 8:13-9:11 p.m. EST, the first episode of "24" averaged 17 million viewers and a 7.3 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic (demographic share data for Sunday was not available Monday because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday), according to preliminary estimates from Nielsen Media Research. The first hour of Sunday's season opener improved on last year's "24" premiere episode (which also had a special Sunday kickoff) by 16% in adults 18-49 and 11% in total viewers.

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