Fox fends off CBS in weekly ratings race

By James Hibberd

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The ratings gap between first-place Fox and its competitors narrowed during the past couple weeks thanks to the return of some scripted programming, college basketball and ABC's strong reality shows.

In early March, Fox enjoyed a mammoth weekly lead, outperforming its nearest competitor by an average of about 2 rating points among adults 18-49, the demographic coveted by advertisers.

During the past two weeks, that margin has shrunk to a 0.6 difference as CBS leapt to second place (Fox's 9.9 million viewers, 3.7 rating/10.2 share in adults 18-49 vs. CBS' 9.5 million, 3.1/8.8). The shift doesn't change the overall picture for the season, which Fox is expected to win by a clear margin.

Fox held steady during the latest period, ended March 30, though Tuesday's "American Idol" hit a season low (24.8 million, 9.7/25). "Idol," the top show in primetime this season, also lifted an episode of "'Til Death" into the top 10 shows (10 million, 4.3/11). Despite "New Amsterdam" getting a stronger lead-in Monday, the freshman drama fell 13% (6.2 million, 2.0/5).

CBS had another strong week of Monday comedy performances, with "How I Met Your Mother" hitting a series high thanks to a guest appearance by Britney Spears (10.7 million, 4.5/12). Drama "CSI: Miami" also resumed its run, earning a higher-than-average rating (16 million, 4.9/12). Canceled apocalyptic drama "Jericho" went out on a flat note (6 million, 1.8/5). CBS' presentation of NCAA college basketball regional semifinals was about on par with last year and Thursday night helped CBS lock the No. 2 spot (8.4 million, 3.7/11).

At third-ranked ABC (8.8 million viewers, 2.6/7 in adults 18-49), the freshman Sunday reality shows "Oprah's Big Give" (11.4 million, 3.9/9) and "Here Come the Newlyweds" (7.3 million, 3.0/8) seemingly found their footing, bouncing about 15% week-over-week. Monday's "Dancing With the Stars" (20.5 million, 5.1/13) was down 9% from its premiere week. "The Bachelor" was about average (7.7 million, 2.6/7).

NBC (7.7 million, 2.3/6) was up slightly week-over-week thanks to a surprisingly strong two-hour season finale of "The Celebrity Apprentice" that matched its season high (12.1 million, 4.5/12). But on Monday night, competition series "My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad" fell to a dire low (4.2 million, 1.2/3).

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter