TV Ratings: Soft return for 'V,' as 'Idol' controls Tuesday

'Dancing with the Stars' results show takes a bite out of 'Idol' at 8 p.m.

By Daniel Fienberg Wednesday, Mar 31, 2010 10:48 AM

Simon Cowell of 'American Idol'

Credit: FOX

Fast National ratings for Tuesday, March 30, 2010.

"Dancing with the Stars" took a big bite out of the first hour of "American Idol" on Tuesday, but not a big enough bite to keep FOX from dominating the night in all key measures.

Meanwhile, ABC's "V" returned with a 10 p.m. win in the demo, but still finished well under where it ended its fall run.

Among adults 18-49, FOX won the night with a 7.5 rating. ABC's 3.3 rating was a distant second in the key demographic. NBC's 2.7 rating followed closely, topping the 1.8 rating for CBS. The CW's 0.7 rating trailed.

Overall, FOX averaged an estimated 21.33 million viewers to go with a 12.1 rating/19 share. ABC's 6.6/11 was enough for second, nipping the 6.3/10 for a night of repeats on CBS. NBC was fourth with a 4.4/7. That left The CW in fifth with a 0.8/1.

FOX started the night in first with a 10.9/18 and a 7.0 demo rating for "American Idol," which was more than 3.5 million viewers under the Tuesday 8 p.m. hour from last week. Where did those viewers go? Some presumably went to the results for "Dancing with the Stars," which did a 9.2/15 (but only a 2.9 demo rating). CBS' repeat of "NCIS" had a 6.8/11 for third, far ahead of the fourth place total for NBC's "Biggest Loser." The CW's "90210" did a 1.0/2 for the hour.

"American Idol" improved dramatically to a 13.4/21 and a 8.0 demo rating in the 9 p.m. hour, though both figures were still below last week's numbers. CBS' repeat of "NCIS: Los Angeles" was second overall. ABC's "Lost" did a 6.2/10 (with a 4.0 rating in the demo for second) and took advantage of its strong lead-in to gain over a million viewers from last week. NBC's "Biggest Loser" had a 5.0/8 in its second hour for fourth. The CW's "Melrose Place" had a 0.7/1 for the hour, drawing only 1.06 million viewers.

CBS' repeat of "The Good Wife" won the 10 p.m. hour overall with a 5.5/10. ABC's "V" had a 4.5/8 overall and won the hour in the key demo with a 2.9 rating. Despite a solid lead-in, "V" was down by nearly two million viewers from its last November airing, though that lead-in helped "V" only drop 0.2 demo points from its fall finale. NBC's "Parenthood" was third with a 4.1/7 and second in the demo.

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

Daniel Fienberg
Executive Editor

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.