TV Ratings: CBS' NCAA basketball shoots past Friday rivals with 'Dollhouse' dipping

CBS' NCAA Tournament studio team

Credit: CBS

Fast National ratings for Friday, March 27, 2009.

CBS' coverage of the NCAA basketball Sweet 16 had no trouble topping the Friday competition, particularly FOX's "Dollhouse," which failed to get a boost after last week's exhaustively hyped episode.

Among adults 18-49, CBS averaged a 3.6 rating. ABC was second in the key demographic with a 2.0 rating, followed by the 1.3 rating for FOX and the 1.2 rating for NBC. The CW's 0.7 rating trailed.

Overall, CBS averaged an estimated 10.31 million viewers to go with a 6.4 rating/11 share. ABC's 4.6/8 was good for second. NBC's 2.9/5 beating FOX's 2.5/4 for third. The CW's 1.2/2 was last. 

CBS swept the primetime hours starting at 8 p.m. with a 6.4/12 for the network's basketball telecast. ABC's "Wife Swap" was second with a 3.9/6. FOX's "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" was third with a 2.5/4, beating "Howie Do It" on NBC. The CW's "Everybody Hates Chris" and "The Game" averaged a 1.2/2.

In the 9 p.m. hour CBS' basketball was down slightly to a 6.2/11. ABC's "Supernanny" was second. There was a third place tie between NBC's "Friday Night Lights" and FOX's "Dollhouse," with the NBC series holding the advantage in total viewers and the FOX show narrowly taking third in the 18-49 demo. A repeat of "America's Next Top Model" held onto its lead-in for The CW.

CBS closed strong with a 6.5/11 for the NCAA Tournament. ABC's "20/20" had a 5.5/10 for second, while "Dateline NBC" improved to a 3.7/7 in 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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Daniel Fienberg
Executive Editor

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A long-time member of the TCA Board and a longer-time blogger of "American Idol," Dan Fienberg writes about TV, except for when he writes about movies or sometimes writes about the Red Sox. But never music. He would sound stupid talking about music.