As usual, FOX easily wins the night's ratings battle

Fast National ratings for Tuesday, March 4, 2008

FOX's new drama "New Amsterdam" reaped the benefits of a big lead-in Tuesday on its way to fairly solid ratings.

Per usual for a Tuesday, FOX dominated the night with a 12.1 rating/18 share. NBC came in second with a 5.9/9, drawing less than half the total viewers FOX did. CBS, 5.1/8, came in third, followed by ABC at 3.7/5. The CW put up a 1.6/2.

In the adults 18-49 demographic, FOX's 7.5 rating lapped the field. NBC's 3.3 was good for second. CBS, 2.1, finished third, followed by ABC, 1.8, and The CW, 1.1.

"American Idol" scored a 15.9/24 for FOX at 8 p.m. CBS' "NCIS" rerun earned a 7.0/10 to take second. "The Biggest Loser" delivered a 4.6/7 for NBC, topping the 3.3/5 "Just for Laughs" brought to ABC. An "America's Next Top Model" rerun on The CW trailed.

The premiere of immortal-cop drama "New Amsterdam," 8.3/12, lost a little more than half the "Idol" audience but kept FOX in the lead at 9 p.m. "The Biggest Loser" improved to 6.5/10 on NBC. "Big Brother," 4.3/7, put CBS in third, while ABC held steady with "According to Jim" and "Carpoolers." The CW's "One Tree Hill" drew a 2.0/3.

NBC claimed the top spot at 10 p.m. with a "Law & Order: SVU" rerun, 6.5/11. "Primetime" scored a 4.5/8 for ABC, beating out the 3.9/7 for "Jericho" on CBS.

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