March Madness not enough to topple 'Desperate Housewives'

Fast National ratings for Sunday, March 26, 2006

The NCAA tournament got CBS off to a good start Sunday, but "Desperate Housewives" ultimately pulled ABC to the top spot in the night's ratings.

ABC averaged a 9.1 rating/14 share in primetime, narrowly beating CBS' 8.8/14 (which may change when final numbers for its live sports are calculated). NBC was third at 6.2/10. FOX, 3.9/6, came in fourth, and The WB trailed with a 1.5/2.

ABC enjoyed a bigger margin of victory in the adults 18-49 demographic, where it scored a 5.8 rating. CBS was second at 3.8. FOX took third with a 3.3, beating out NBC's 2.5 and The WB's 0.9.

NCAA basketball spilled into primetime in much of the country, combining with "60 Minutes" to score a 9.8/17 for CBS at 7 p.m. "Dateline" finished second for NBC with a 6.7/11. "America's Funniest Home Videos" was third for ABC. FOX took fourth with "Malcolm in the Middle," 2.4/4, and "King of the Hill," 3.0/5. The WB went with two "Reba" repeats.

CBS stayed on top at 8 p.m., as "60 Minutes" and the start of "Cold Case" delivered an 11.3/17. ABC moved up to second with a repeat of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," 7.7/12. "The Simpsons," 5.7/9, and "The War at Home," 4.5/7, gave FOX a tie for third in households with "The West Wing" on NBC, though FOX had more total viewers. A "Charmed" rerun on The WB trailed.

"Desperate Housewives," 13.5/20, put ABC on top at 9 p.m., drawing the night's biggest audience. CBS dropped to second with "Cold Case" and a "CSI" rerun, averaging 7.8/11 for the hour. NBC was third with "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." FOX stayed in fourth with "Family Guy" and "Free Ride," and The WB closed its night with a second "Charmed," 1.5/2.

A repeat of "Grey's Anatomy" won the 10 p.m. hour for ABC with a 9.8/16. "Crossing Jordan" delivered a 7.0/12 for NBC, while "CSI" and "Without a Trace" combined for a 6.1/10 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, especially in the case of live telecasts.