TV Ratings: CBS, NBC tussle for sluggish Friday

'Ghost Whisperer' and 'Medium' win hours, while 'Who Do You Think You Are?' has an OK debut

Saturday, Mar 6, 2010 11:48 AM

Daniel Fienberg

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TV Ratings: CBS, NBC tussle for sluggish Friday

Jennifer Love Hewitt directs Friday's 'Ghost Whisperer'

Credit: CBS

Fast National ratings for Friday, March 5, 2010.

CBS' Friday dramas all returned with new episodes following their Olympics hiatus, but all three shows delivered lackluster performances, keeping NBC in the race for the night.

Among adults 18-49, NBC and CBS both averaged a 1.7 rating, beating the 1.4 rating for ABC and FOX's 1.2 rating in the key demographic. The CW trailed with a 0.6 rating.

Overall, CBS averaged an estimated 7.79 million viewers to go with a 4.9 rating/9 share. NBC was a close second with a 4.7/9 and an estimated 7.06 million viewers on average. ABC's 3.9/7 was third, topping the 2.1/4 for FOX. The CW's 0.9/2 was fifth.

CBS started the night with a slim win for "Ghost Whisperer," which averaged only a 4.7/9 and a 1.7 demo rating. The series premiere of NBC's "Who Do You Think You Are?" was a close second with a 4.6/8 and a 1.6 demo rating. ABC's "Supernanny" had a 2.9/5 for third, beating a repeat of "House" on FOX. The CW's "Smallville" repeat did a 0.9/2.

"Medium" improved to a 4.9/9 and a 1.9 demo rating to give CBS a more comfortable 9 p.m. win. NBC's "Dateline" was second with a 4.4/8, with ABC's "20/20" close behind with a 4.2/7. FOX's "Kitchen Nightmares" was fourth with a 2.0/4, leaving The CW's "Smallville" repeat in fifth.

NBC moved into first at 10 p.m. with a 5.2/9 for "Dateline," which also did a 1.9 rating in the key demo. CBS' "Numb3rs" was a close second with a 5.0/9 and a 1.7 demo rating, actually winning the hour in total viewers. ABC's "20/20" was a tight 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.