UNUSUAL WEEK IN THE RATINGS

It was a week that saw lowly NBC rise up to take the top two positions among the 18-49 age group on the Nielsen ratings list, while CBS’s NCIS, which went on the air nearly ten years ago, topped the list among total viewers (18.62 million). It was also a week that saw American Idol drop to No. 7 for its performance edition on Wednesday and No. 9 for its results telecast on Thursday. The two editions of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars also made it onto the Nielsen top ten at No. 3 and No. 5. Ratings for the nightly newscasts remained relatively low, as they have been since the advent of Daylight Saving Time, with NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams remaining on top with 8.37 million viewers, followed by ABC Nightly News with Diane Sawyer, with 7.81 million. The CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley, which aired only 3 times last week because of overruns of March Madness telecasts, remained in third place with 6.37 million viewers. For the week overall, CBS led with an average 5.8 household rating and a 9 share. ABC came in second with a 4.6/8. NBC moved up to third with a 3.4/6, while Fox trailed with a 3.2/5.

The top ten shows of the week according to Nielsen Research:
1. NCIS, CBS, 11.5/18; 2. Dancing with the Stars (Monday), ABC, 9.2/14; 3. NCIS: Los Angeles, CBS, 9.1/14; 4. Dancing with the Stars (Tuesday), ABC, 8.9/14; 5. The Voice, NBC, 7.9/12; 6. The Voice (Tuesday), NBC, 7.7/12; 7. American Idol (Wednesday), Fox, 7.5/12; 8. 60 Minutes, CBS, 7.1/12; 9. American Idol (Thursday), Fox, 7.0/12; 10. Castle, ABC, 6.8/11; 10. NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship (Saturday), CBS, 6.8/13.