NBC wins night overall with 'Dateline NBC' performance

Fast National ratings for March 28, 2008.

The second night of Sweet 16 action in the NCAA Tournament helped CBS to a demo win, but NBC earned a narrow overall win thanks to a two-hour "Dateline NBC."

Overall, NBC averaged a 5.8/10, nipping the 5.7/10 for CBS' all-basketball lineup. ABC was third with a 3.7/7, while FOX was fourth with a 3.3/6. The CW was fifth with a 2.4/4.

CBS won among adults 18-49, doing a 3.1 rating in the all-important demo. NBC's 2.6 rating was enough for second, followed by the 1.7 rating for ABC and FOX's 1.3 rating. The CW was right behind with a 1.2 rating.

The NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinals (Sweet 16 to fans) put CBS in first for the 8 p.m. hour with a 6.0/11. NBC was second with the 3.5/7 for "Amne$ia," which was just better than a "Bones" repeat on FOX and a "Grey's Anatomy" repeat on ABC. The CW's "WWE Friday Night SmackDown!" had a 2.4/4 for fifth.

CBS stayed in first in the 9 p.m. hour with another 6.0/10 for basketball. "Dateline NBC" brought its network up to a 5.7/10. On ABC, "20/20" had a 4.0/7, while the time period premiere of "Canterbury's Law" had a 3.3/6, better than FOX's usual numbers for Friday night originals (but not better than FOX's usual numbers for Friday night repeats of "House"). The CW's wrestling was fifth.

NBC grabbed first at 10 p.m. with the 8.2/15 for "Dateline." The last moments of CBS' basketball were second, followed by the 4.2/8 for "20/20" on ABC.

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