Oscar gives ABC weekly ratings win
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Charlize Theron accepts the best actress award on ABC's telecast of the Academy Awards.
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SPECIAL REPORT
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LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) -- A rejuvenated Oscar telecast and the finale of "The Bachelorette" took ABC to the top of the Nielsen rankings for the week ending February 29.
The network also got a boost from the return of Regis Philbin and his "Super Millionaire" specials on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. But it was Sunday's 3-1/2-hour Academy Awards telecast that drove ABC to its highest weekly numbers in more than a year -- since the week of the network's 2003 Super Bowl telecast. By Oscar's own standard, Sunday's telecast was the most-watched ceremony in four years.
Wednesday's two-hour "Bachelorette" finale did more than respectable business, though it didn't score as highly as previous "Bachelor" and "Bachelorette" closers.
For the week, ABC averaged 14.4 million viewers and a 5.1 rating/13 share in the adults 18-49 demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research. That marked ABC's first significant weekly win of the season in the key demo. (ABC posted two weekly wins in late December during the holiday-light viewing period for primetime.)
NBC and Fox were neck-and-neck for second place in 18-49 (NBC's 4.4/12 to Fox's 4.3/11). CBS was No. 2 in viewers (12.3 million) and fourth in adults 18-49 (3.6/10). NBC ran third in viewers (11.1 million) ahead of Fox (10.1 million), followed by UPN (4 million) and the WB Network (3.9 million).
Fox had a strong week with its Tuesday and Wednesday installments of "American Idol"; Tuesday's hourlong edition was noteworthy even by "Idol's" lofty standards, up 23 percent versus the comparable episode of "Idol" that aired this time last year. Monday also was a big night for the network as the finale of "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance" delivered the highest 18-49 demo ratings of any unscripted series so far this season other than "Idol" and CBS' post-Super Bowl premiere of "Survivor: All-Stars."
The NBC success story of the week was Thursday's edition of "The Apprentice," which grew from its "Will & Grace" lead-in to finish in a virtual 18-49 demo tie with the reigning king of primetime, CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." NBC's 10 p.m. mainstay "ER" also perked up compared to recent weeks thanks to its stronger lead-in.
CBS held its own Thursday with a particularly strong showing from 8 p.m.'s "Survivor: All-Stars."
At UPN, it was another record-setting ratings performance from Tuesday 9 p.m. reality show "America's Next Top Model." The WB's highlight of the week was the Monday drama combo of "7th Heaven" and "Everwood."
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Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
