Fast National ratings for Wednesday, March 15, 2006

The first elimination of a finalist on "American Idol" led FOX to a ratings win Wednesday night, but the network also got solid numbers from "Bones" and the debut of new comedy "The Loop."

FOX scored a 10.0 rating/16 share for the night, finishing comfortably ahead of CBS, which was second at 7.7/12. NBC came in third with a 5.6/9. ABC was fourth at 4.7/8, followed by UPN, 2.6/4, and The WB, 1.4/2.

Among adults 18-49, FOX's 6.7 rating was easily the best of the night. CBS took second in the demographic with a 3.9. ABC's 2.6 edged NBC's 2.4 for third. UPN averaged 1.8 and The WB 0.9.

In its new 8 p.m. timeslot, "Bones" won the 8 p.m. hour among households with a 7.6/12 -- although CBS' "Survivor" clip show, 7.4/12, had more total viewers (12.69 million to FOX's 12.13 million). "George Lopez," 5.0/8, and "Freddie," 4.5/7, perked up some for ABC after several weeks of being battered by the "Idol" juggernaut. "The Biggest Loser: Special Edition" was fourth for NBC. "America's Next Top Model" delivered a 3.4/5 for UPN, beating The WB's "One Tree Hill" rerun.

At 9 p.m., the "Idol" results show, 16.2/25, and the premiere of "The Loop," 8.4/13, kept FOX on top. CBS stayed in second with "Criminal Minds," 8.1/12. A "Law & Order" rerun, 5.2/8, on NBC was good for third, topping ABC's "Lost" repeat, 4.7/7. UPN's "Veronica Mars" finished slightly ahead of a "Beauty and the Geek" repeat on The WB.

CBS took the lead at 10 p.m. with "CSI: NY," 7.7/13. A second "Law & Order" averaged 7.1/12 for NBC. ABC's "Invasion" posted a 4.7/8.

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