TV Ratings: 'American Idol' drops but FOX still wins

Zap2It.com | March 18, 2009

'American Idol' host Ryan Seacrest

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Tuesday's show slides significantly from last week

Fast National ratings for Tuesday, March 17, 2009

St. Patrick's Day wasn't an especially lucky one for "American Idol" -- which fell off significantly compared to last week's show.

FOX still easily won the night with a 12.1/19 share, but its 21.5 million viewers were off by close to 4 million people compared to last week. CBS finished second at 9.1/15. ABC, 6.2/10, came in third, followed by NBC at 5.7/9. The CW drew a meager 0.9/1.

FOX's 8.0 rating among adults 18-49 dominated the night but was down about a point from last week. NBC took second in the demographic with a 3.3, followed by CBS at 2.9. ABC, 2.2, was fourth, and The CW trailed at 0.6.

"American Idol" delivered an 11.6/19 at 8 p.m. "NCIS" was a solid second for CBS at 9.7/16. A "Dancing with the Stars" recap show put ABC in third, beating the 4.6/7 for "The Biggest Loser: Couples" on NBC. "Reaper" scored a 1.2/2 for The CW.

FOX improved to 12.7/19 with "Idol" at 9 p.m. "The Mentalist" earned a 9.8/15 for CBS. ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" results scored an 8.1/12, while "The Biggest Loser" climbed to 5.4/8. The CW aired a "90210" rerun.

"Without a Trace," 7.7/13, moved CBS into the lead at 10 p.m. "Law & Order: SVU" drew a 7.1/12 for NBC, topping the 5.1/9 for "Primetime: What Would You Do?" 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.