TV Ratings: 'American Idol' mows down competition

Zap2It.com | March 26, 2009

Simon Cowell of 'American Idol'

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Wednesday 'Survivor' suffers some of its lowest ratings ever

Fast National ratings for Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Two hours of "American Idol" were better than one for FOX Wednesday, while "Survivor" hit its lowest ratings in a long time.

FOX easily won the night with a 14.6 rating/23 share, drawing more than twice as many viewers as No. 2 CBS, 7.3/12 (FOX had 25.6 million viewers to 11.6 million for CBS). ABC took third with a 4.0/6. NBC managed only a 3.2/5 in finishing fourth, while The CW trailed with a 1.3/2.

FOX also dominated the adults 18-49 demographic with a 9.1 rating. CBS was the best of the rest at 2.9, followed by ABC at 2.7. NBC averaged 1.5 in the demo and The CW 0.9.

"American Idol" delivered a 13.9/22 for FOX at 8 p.m. A "Survivor: Tocantins" clip show -- moved to Wednesday because of CBS' NCAA tournament coverage Thursday -- drew only a 5.0/8, one of the show's lowest ratings ever. "Scrubs," 3.5/6, and "Better Off Ted," 3.1/5, came in third for ABC. "America's Next Top Model," 2.1/3, put The CW ahead of NBC and "The Chopping Block."

The second hour of "Idol" rose to 15.3/23 at 9. CBS' "Criminal Minds" (8.7/13) improved a bunch on its lead-in to keep CBS in second. "Lost" scored a 5.2/8 for ABC, and NBC moved up to fourth with "Life," 2.9/4. The CW aired a "90210" rerun.

At 10 p.m., "CSI: NY" drew an 8.1/14 to move CBS into the lead. "Law & Order," 4.9/8, was second for NBC, and "Life on Mars" earned a 3.5/6 for 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.