ABC cruises to Nielsen victory

Fast National ratings for Thursday, Jan. 11, 2007

The return of "Grey's Anatomy" after a five-week hiatus propelled ABC to a big ratings win on Thursday.

ABC drew a 10.2 rating/16 share for the night. CBS was well back in second at 6.5/10, and NBC took third at 6.1/10. There was another drop to fourth-place FOX, 2.7/4. The CW trailed at 2.4/4.

In the adults 18-49 demographic, ABC's 5.7 rating led the way. NBC took second in the key ad demographic with a 4.4, topping CBS' 3.0. FOX's 1.8 edged The CW's 1.7 for fourth.

ABC's "Ugly Betty," 9.0/14, scored its biggest audience in some time at 8 p.m. "My Name Is Earl," 6.5/10, and "The Office," 5.8/9, put NBC in second. CBS got a 5.0/8 from "Armed & Famous." FOX was fourth in households with "'Til Death" and "The War at Home," but The CW's "Smallville," 2.8/4, had a few more total viewers.

"Grey's Anatomy" dominated the 9 p.m. hour with a 14.7/22, by far the night's best rating. CBS was a distant second with a "CSI" repeat, 7.9/12. NBC dipped to third with "Scrubs," 4.6/7, and "30 Rock," 3.8/6. "The O.C." scored a 2.5/4 for FOX, beating out "Supernatural" on The CW.

NBC took the lead at 10 p.m. as "ER" posted an 8.0/13. ABC's "Men in Trees," 6.9/11, lost a lot of its lead-in audience but still edged a "Shark" rerun, 6.8/11, on CBS for second.

Ratings information is taken from fast national data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.