CMA AWARDS DOMINATE WEDNESDAY RATINGS

The 45th annual Country Music Association Awards show drew 16.3 million viewers Wednesday night, improving its ratings over last year by 2 percent and giving ABC a rare win on a Wednesday night. The strong performance sucked viewers away from other shows — in particular, NBC’s Law & Order: SVU, ordinarily its highest-rated non-football show. With only 6.6 million viewers tuned it, it drew the lowest ratings in its history. CBS, the usual Wednesday-night winner, also saw its ratings fall — by as much as 14 percent in the case of its latest Survivor series. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation also recorded its lowest ratings ever for a new episode. On Thursday, CBS ranked No. 1 among total adults, but, thanks to The X Factor, Fox ranked highest among adults 18-49. The Simon Cowell-produced talent show raised Fox’s ratings a whopping 42 percent above what they were on the comparable night a year ago.