'American Idol,' 'Don't Forget the Lyrics' combine for win

Fast National ratings for Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008

A musical night of programming on FOX Thursday, including the latest "American Idol" cutdown, carried the network to a ratings win.

FOX averaged an 11.6 rating/18 share in primetime, beating second-place CBS, 7.3/12, by close to 9 million viewers. ABC finished third at 5.3/9. NBC's 4.0/6 was good for fourth, and The CW trailed with a 1.2/2.

In the adults 18-49 demographic, FOX's 7.2 rating more than doubled its closest competitor. CBS, 3.3, came in second, just ahead of ABC, 3.2. NBC drew a 2.5 in the demo, and The CW couldn't break the 1.0 barrier.

The "American Idol" results show earned a 14.8/23 for FOX at 8 p.m. "Survivor: Micronesia - Fans vs. Favorites," 7.5/12, put CBS in second. A repeat of last week's "Lost" delivered a 3.5/5 for ABC, beating an hour of "The Office" on ABC. A "Smallville" repeat on The CW drew a 1.2/2.

The big "Idol" lead-in helped FOX's "Don't Forget the Lyrics," 8.5/13, beat ABC's "Lost," 7.8/12, at 9 p.m. (ABC had a slight lead in the 18-49 demo). CBS was not far behind with a "CSI" rerun, 7.5/12. "The Celebrity Apprentice" scored a 5.1/8 for NBC. The CW held steady with a "Supernatural" rerun.

CBS moved into the lead at 10 p.m. with a "Without a Trace" repeat, 7.0/12. "Eli Stone" posted a 4.7/8 for ABC, topping the 4.1/7 for "Lipstick Jungle" on NBC.

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