Fast National ratings for Wednesday, May 7, 2008

"American Idol" pared its field to the final three Wednesday, and as usual, carried FOX to a ratings win for the night.

FOX averaged a 9.0 rating/14 share in primetime, beating out CBS' 7.1/12. NBC came in third with a 5.1/8. ABC's 4.4/7 was good for fourth, and The CW trailed with a 2.1/3.

FOX also led among adults 18-49 with a 5.0 rating. No one else managed to break the 3.0 mark, with CBS the best of the rest at 2.7. NBC, 2.2, came in third, followed by ABC, 2.1, and The CW, 1.5.

"Deal or No Deal," 5.0/8, won a soft 8 p.m. hour for NBC. A prime-time "Price Is Right" was right behind at 4.9/8 (the two shows finished in a virtual tie among total viewers). "Wife Swap," 4.6/8, finished third for ABC. FOX took fourth with "'Til Death" and "Back to You," while "America's Next Top Model" earned a 2.8/5 for The CW.

"American Idol" zoomed into the lead at 9 p.m. with a 13.8/21, up a tick from last week's results show. "Criminal Minds," 8.3/13, came in second for CBS. "Deal or No Deal" slipped to third in its second hour. "Supernanny" drew a 3.4/5 for ABC, while week two of "Farmer Wants a Wife" on The CW came in at 1.5/2.

CBS took control at 10 p.m. thanks to "CSI: NY," 8.2/14. "Law & Order" posted a 6.0/10 for NBC. The ABC News special "Audition: Barbara Walters' Journey" delivered a 5.2/9.

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