OSCARS BRING ABC FIRST VICTORY OF SEASON

It wasn’t among the worst ratings results for an Oscar show nor was it among the best, but the 37.9 million viewers — the final official tally — who tuned in helped lift ABC to No. 1 on the weekly Nielsen list among total adults, the first time it has reached that position this season. Nevertheless, the winner among the key audience of 18-49 year-olds was Fox, thanks to solid performances by the two American Idol shows, Glee, and House. CBS could participate in the boasting as well, as it landed most of the other shows in the top 20. And even struggling NBC could point to a few victories among the key demo during the week as Parenthood, The Biggest Loser, 30 Rock, The Office and Law & Order: SVU showed significant improvements. Overall among total adults, ABC finished the week with an average 6.4 rating and an 11 share. CBS was close behind with a 6.3/11. Fox followed with a 5.8/10, while NBC trailed with a 3.2/5.

The top ten shows of the week according to Nielsen Research:
1. Academy Awards, ABC, 21.2/33; 2. Oscar’s Red Carpet Live 3, ABC, 15.5/25; 3. American Idol (Wednesday), Fox, 12.5/20; 4. NCIS, CBS, 12.3/19; 5. American Idol (Thursday), Fox, 11.9/19; 6. NCIS: Los Angeles, CBS, 11.1/18; 7. Oscar’s Red Carpet Live 2, ABC, 9.8/17; 8. The Mentalist, CBS, 9.0/16; 9. Criminal Minds, CBS, 8.0/13; 10. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS, 7.6/12; 10. The Good Wife, CBS, 7.6/13.