Fast National ratings for Wednesday, March 16, 2011.
The second week of “American Idol” Finalist performances posted a notable decline from last week’s two-hour show — A predictable time-change drop? — but still easily dominated both of its hours and gave FOX a commanding Wednesday win.
Among adults 18-49, FOX posted a 7.4 rating for the night, tops in the key demographic. CBS was second with a 3.1 rating, still far ahead of ABC’s 1.5 rating and the 1.1 rating for NBC. The CW was fifth with a 0.6 rating.
Overall, FOX averaged an estimated 22.18 million viewers to go with a 12.7 rating/21 share. CBS was a distant second with a 6.9/11 and 11.54 million viewers. ABC’s 3.1/5 and 4.72 million viewers topped NBC’s 2.5/4 and 3.92 million viewers for third. The CW was fifth with a 1.0/2 and 1.52 million viewers.
8 p.m. – All of the hour’s originals were down from last week, adding credence to at least some measure of time period dip. FOX led the way with 20.68 million viewers and a 6.9 rating among adults 18-49 for the first hour of “American Idol.” CBS’ “Survivor: Redemption Island” averaged 10.56 million viewers and a 3.1 demo rating in second. ABC was third with the 4.73 million viewers for two repeats of “The Middle,” which beat the 3.25 million viewers for “Minute to Win It” on NBC. The CW’s “America’s Next Top Model” was down to 2.01 million viewers and a 0.8 demo rating in fifth.
9 p.m. – The second hour of “American Idol” went up to 23.69 million viewers and an 8.0 demo rating in its second hour for FOX. CBS’ new “Criminal Minds” was second with 13.695 million viewers and a 3.6 demo rating. ABC finished third with a “Modern Family” repeat (5.82 million viewers and a 2.2 demo) and a new “Mr. Sunshine” (4.59 million and a 1.8 demo). NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” repeat averaged 3.28 million viewers in fourth. A new “Shedding for the Wedding” averaged 1.03 million viewers and a 0.4 demo rating for The CW.
10 p.m. – Boosted by a new “Criminal Minds” as its lead-in, spinoff “Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior” averaged 10.355 million viewers and a 2.6 demo rating to win the 10 p.m. hour for CBS. NBC’s “SVU” repeat was second with 5.22 million viewers, beating the 4.23 million viewers and 1.4 demo rating for ABC’s new “Off the Map.”
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.