TV Ratings: 'American Idol' wins, but CBS hangs tough on Tuesday

Ryan Seacrest of 'American Idol'

Credit: FOX

Fast National ratings for Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009.

FOX's "American Idol" won its hour on Tuesday, but thanks to strong performances from "The Mentalist" and "Without a Trace," CBS won a share of the night's ratings race.

In the 18-49 demographic, FOX scored an easy win with a 6.7 rating. NBC and CBS tied for second in the key demo with a 3.8 rating. ABC's 1.7 rating and the 0.9 rating for The CW trailed.

Overall, FOX averaged an estimated 17.486 million viewers to nip the 17.39 million averaged by CBS, but CBS averaged a 10.9 rating/17 share, edging the 10.0/15 for FOX. NBC was third with a 6.4/10, with ABC's 2.7/4 and The CW's 1.4/2 bringing up the rear.

In the 8 p.m. hour, FOX's "American Idol" averaged a 13.8/21 and 24.5 million viewers, but CBS' "NCIS" wasn't too far off with an 11.3/17. NBC was third with the first part of "Biggest Loser: Couples," while ABC's two Charlie Brown specials (2.7/4) and The CW's "90210" (1.7/3) followed.

CBS moved into first in the 9 p.m. hour with a 12.1/18 for "The Mentalist. NBC's "Biggest Loser: Couples" was second with a 6.8/10, beating FOX's "Fringe," which had a 6.2/9 overall, but plunged to a 5.4/8 for its second half-hour. ABC's two episodes of "Scrubs" averaged a 2.8/4 between them, topping "Privileged" on The CW.

"Without a Trace" won the 10 p.m. hour with a 9.2/15 for CBS. "Dateline NBC" did a 7.6/13 overall and actually won the hour in the key demographic. ABC's "True Beauty" was a distant 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.

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