http://www.zap2it.com/tv/ratings/zap-ratings031606,0,1401479.story
ABC Has Eureka Moment Thursday
'American Inventor' debuts to strong ratings, tops March Madness
Zap2It.com
March 17 2006
Fast National ratings for Thursday, March 16, 2006
March Madness got off to a decent start for CBS Thursday, but ABC pulled the big upset of the night with the premiere of "American Inventor."
The Simon Cowell-produced show for aspiring Edisons led ABC to a ratings win for the night, as the network averaged a 7.8 rating/13 share in primetime. CBS finished second at 7.3/12 (those numbers may change some due to its live hoops coverage). NBC was close behind in third at 7.0/11. There was a big drop from there to fourth-place FOX, 3.5/6, which was followed by The WB, 1.8/3, and UPN, 1.6/3.
ABC also led among adults 18-49 with a 4.7 rating. NBC was a close second in the key ad demographic, scoring a 4.5 to top CBS' 4.0. FOX averaged 2.3, The WB 1.1 and UPN 0.9.
The debut of "American Inventor" scored a surprisingly robust 8.4/14 for ABC at 8 p.m. CBS' coverage of the NCAA men's basketball tournament was second at 6.8/11. NBC took third with "Will & Grace," 6.2/10, and "Four Kings," 4.6/7. "That '70s Show," 3.6/6, and "The Loop," 3.0/5, put FOX in fourth. A "Smallville" rerun on The WB edged repeats of "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Love, Inc." on UPN.
At 9 p.m., "American Inventor" built on its first hour, averaging 9.2/15. CBS improved to 8.1/13 with more basketball. "My Name Is Earl," 6.7/10, and "The Office," 5.7/9, kept NBC in third. "The O.C." scored a 3.7/6 for FOX. "Supernatural" kept The WB ahead of UPN, which went with repeats of "Eve" and "Cuts."
NBC took the lead at 10 p.m. with "ER," 9.5/16. CBS' tournament coverage dipped to 6.8/10 but was still strong enough to beat ABC's "Primetime," 5.9/10.
Ratings information is taken from fast national data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change, especially in the case of live telecasts.
