TV Ratings: 'Grey's Anatomy' helps ABC shoot past CBS' hoops on Thursday

Katherine Heigl of 'Grey's Anatomy'

Credit: ABC

Fast National ratings for Thursday, March 19, 2009.

CBS' coverage of the first round of the NCAA tournament drew a big enough crowd for the network to tie for the demo crowd, but ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice" took advantage to win the night overall.

ABC and CBS split the key 18-49 demographic with a matching 3.5 rating. FOX was third in the all-important demo with a 3.1 rating, followed closely by the 3.0 rating for NBC. The CW's 1.3 rating trailed.

Overall, though, ABC averaged an estimated 10.65 million viewers and 7.3 rating/12 share. CBS was second with a 5.9/10, just beating the 5.4/9 for FOX. NBC' 4.8/8 was good for fourth, beating the 2.0/3 for The CW.

FOX got a rare 8 p.m. Thursday win with a 6.3/11 for "Bones." CBS' NCAA coverage was a close second with a 6.1/10. ABC's "Ugly Betty" was third, beating the totals for NBC's "My Name Is Earl" and a repeat of "The Office." The CW's "Smallville" was fifth with a 2.1/3.

ABC grabbed first at 9 p.m. with a 9.7/15 for "Grey's Anatomy." CBS' hoops stayed second and improved to a 6.4/10. NBC's "The Office" and "30 Rock" averaged a 4.6/7, as the network tied with FOX's "Hell's Kitchen" for the hour. The CW's "Smallville" held onto most of its lead-in.

"P rivate Practice" finished the 10 p.m. hour in first with a 7.0/12. NBC's "E.R." was second with a 6.2/10, while CBS' basketball was third.

All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change, particularly in the case of live events.

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