IDOL, DANCING TIE FOR FIRST PLACE

For the first time in memory, two shows have tied for first place in the weekly Nielsen ratings. Each show, Fox’s American Idol and ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, ended up with identical 12.7 ratings and 20 shares. But Wednesday’s Idol came out ahead in the actual viewer count with 22.5 million versus 20.1 million for Monday’s Dancing. Those figures represented ratings for the performance episodes of the two series. The results shows came in at No. 3 and No. 4 on the Nielsen list, with Idol edging out Dancing. The nightly news shows finished up pretty much the way they did the previous week. NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams held the lead with 8.3 million viewers. ABC World News with Diane Sawyer placed second with 7.7 million viewers, The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric trailed with 5.7 million viewers. Overall ratings were down for the week, with CBS leading with an average 5.0 rating and a 9 share. ABC and Fox were tied with a 4.8/8, while NBC trailed with a 3.1/5.

The top ten shows of the week according to Nielsen Research:
1. American Idol (Wednesday), Fox, 12.7/20; 1. (Tie) Dancing with the Stars (Monday), ABC, 12.7/20; 3. American Idol (Thursday), Fox, 11.5/20; 4. Dancing with the Stars (Tuesday), ABC, 10.4/16; 5. NCIS, CBS, 8.5/13; 6. Body of Proof, ABC, 7.4/12; 7. Hawaii Five-0, CBS, 7.1/11; 8. NCIS: Los Angeles, CBS, 7/11; 9. The Mentalist, CBS, 6.9/12; 10. 60 Minutes, CBS, 6.6/13.