TV Ratings: Another 'American Idol' victory Tuesday

Zap2It.com | March 4, 2009

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Third group of semifinalists draws 24 million viewers

Fast National ratings for Tuesday, March 3, 2009

FOX rolled to another ratings win Tuesday as the last group of "Idol" semifinalists sang for America's votes.

For the night, FOX averaged a 13.8 rating/21 share and 24.2 million viewers. That was nearly double the number of viewers for second-place CBS, which scored a 7.9/12 and 12.3 million viewers. NBC finished third at 5.3/8, beating out ABC's 4.5/7. The CW drew a 1.2/2.

FOX's 8.9 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic once again beat the combined total for its competitors. NBC took second with a 3.2. CBS, 2.5, came in third, a little ahead of ABC's 2.3. The CW trailed at 0.7.

"American Idol" earned a 12.9/20 at 8 p.m. An "NCIS" rerun earned a healthy 8.7/13 for CBS. "The Biggest Loser: Couples," 5.1/8, was third for NBC, beating "Homeland Security USA" on ABC. The season premiere of "Reaper" pulled down a 1.5/2 for The CW.

"American Idol" jumped to 14.7/22 in its second hour. CBS held onto second with a repeat of "The Mentalist," 8.2/13. "The Biggest Loser" ticked up to 6.0/9 on NBC. ABC averaged 2.3/3 with a pair of "Scrubs" repeats, while The CW aired a "90210" repeat.

ABC moved up to first place at 10 p.m. with "The Bachelor: After the Final Rose, Part 2," which scored a 7.4/12. A "Without a Trace" repeat drew a 6.9/11 for CBS, while a "Law & Order: SVU" repeat on NBC came in at 4.7/8.

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