Fast National ratings for Thursday, April 24, 2008

Thursday's ratings race was highly competitive, but top finishers CBS and ABC were battling over a smaller audience than they were early in the season.

CBS took the overall crown with a 9.2 rating/15 share, beating ABC, 8.1/13. FOX took third with a 5.3/8. NBC's 4.3/7 was good for fourth, and The CW trailed with a 1.8/3. Across the board, though, those numbers are down from their pre-strike levels for original episodes.

In the adults 18-49 demographic, ABC led the way with a 4.8 rating. CBS finished second at 4.0. NBC came in third with a 2.9, topping FOX's 2.3. The CW drew a 1.2.

"Survivor: Micronesia - Fans vs. Favorites" (7.9/13) gave CBS the lead at 8 p.m. ABC's "Ugly Betty" returned with a 6.0/10, beating FOX's "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" for second. "My Name Is Earl," 4.0/7, and "Scrubs," 3.5/6, were fourth for NBC. "Smallville" scored a 2.1/4 for The CW.

At 9 p.m., "Grey's Anatomy" led in households for ABC with a 10.7/16, but "CSI," 10.5/16, brought more total viewers to CBS (16.74 million to 16.02 million for ABC). "Don't Forget the Lyrics," 5.4/8, kept FOX in third. NBC improved a little with "The Office," 4.6/7, and "30 Rock," 3.5/5. "Supernatural" closed the evening for The CW.

CBS' "Without a Trace," 9.2/15, drew the biggest overall audience at 10 p.m. ABC, however, had a sizable adults 18-49 lead with "Lost," 7.6/13. "ER" delivered a 5.1/8 for NBC.

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