Ratings:

[Sydney]

By Zap2it.com

Nets Chip Away at 'Idol' Wednesday
(Thursday, March 03 07:54 AM)
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) Fast National ratings for Wednesday, March 2, 2005
FOX's decision to trim the "American Idol" results show to a half-hour Wednesday, the final night of February sweeps, enabled the other networks to close the gap in the ratings.

NBC actually won the night among households, averaging an 8.4 rating/13 share to beat FOX's 8.1/12 (FOX led in total viewers with 13.23 million to ABC's 12.25 million and NBC's 12.23 million). ABC was right behind at 7.8/12, and CBS was also competitive, coming in at 7.1/11. UPN averaged 3.0/5 and The WB 2.1/3.


FOX still finished first among adults 18-49, although its 5.8 rating was considerably lower than in recent weeks. ABC took second in the demographic with a 4.7, followed by NBC, 3.8; and CBS, 3.3; UPN, 2.0; and The WB, 1.3.
ABC's "Lost," 11.3/18, claimed its usual spot at the front of the pack at 8 p.m.

NBC got a solid 7.9/12 from a "Dateline" special featuring an interview with Scott Peterson's sister. CBS was third with "60 Minutes," 5.4/8, which beat two episodes of "That '70s Show" on FOX. "America's Next Top Model" returned to UPN with a 3.4/5, beating The WB's "Smallville."

The "Idol" results show, 14.2/21, and "The Simple Life 3," 8.1/12, combined to give FOX the lead at 9 p.m. NBC held onto second with "The West Wing," 7.3/11. "The King of Queens" and "Yes, Dear" averaged 6.9/10 for CBS, good enough to beat "Alias," 6.7/10, on ABC. The finale of "The Road to Stardom with Missy Elliott" kept UPN in fifth. The WB's "Jack & Bobby" trailed.

At 10 p.m., NBC's "Law & Order" posted a 9.9/16, beating "CSI: NY," 8.9/15, on CBS. "Wife Swap" came in at 5.2/9 for ABC.