A SLAM DUNK RATINGS VICTORY FOR CBS

CBS’s coverage of Kentucky’s victory over Kansas in the NCAA basketball championship was watched by more than 20 million viewers, making it the highest-rated show of the week. and giving the network a slam-dunk victory both in total adults and viewers 18-49 for the week. Once again Fox’s American Idol and ABC’s Dancing with the Stars waged a tight battle, with Fox drawing 17.09 million for Idol and ABC, 16.87 million for Dancing with the Stars. Meanwhile, NBC’s ratings for its Thursday line-up fell to a record low for a night with all-new episodes, with only one show, Community, able to attract more than 3 million viewers. The Associated Press checked back to the same night ten years ago, when NBC’s Must-See-TV lineup averaged around 25 million, with 28.5 million tuning in for E.R. and 22.6 million for Friends. Ratings for the nightly newscasts were down for both NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, which drew 7.93 million viewers and ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, which attracted 6.83 million. But the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley held its own and, with 5.84 million viewers, moved to within less than a million viewers away from Sawyer’s telecast. For the week, CBS led overall with an average 6.4 household rating and an 11 share. ABC placed second with a 5.0/9. Fox placed third with a 4.0/7, while NBC trailed with a 3.2/5

The top ten shows of the week according to Nielsen Research:
1. NCAA Basketball Championship, CBS, 12.3/19; 2. Dancing with the Stars (Monday), ABC, 10.9/17; 3. American Idol (Wednesday), Fox, 10.2/17; 4. Dancing with the Stars (Tuesday), ABC, 10.1/15; 5. American Idol (Thursday), Fox, 8.8/15; 6. Person of Interest, CBS, 8.3/14; 7. The Big Bang Theory, CBS, 8.0/14; 8. The Mentalist, CBS, 7.8/13; 9. Castle, ABC, 7.7/12; 9. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS, 7.7/13.