Prime-Time Metered Market Tuesday Ratings: Idol Dominates; DOA Quarterlife on NBC (Mediaweek.com)

-Yesterdays Winners:
American Idol (Fox), Primetime: What Would You Do? (ABC)

-Honorable Mention:
NCIS R (CBS), Back To You (Fox)

-Yesterdays Losers (Excluding Repeats):
Just for Laughs (ABC), According to Jim (ABC), Carpoolers (ABC), Big Brother (CBS), Quarterlife (NBC), Jericho (CBS)

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-Ratings Breakdown:
Fox, of course, led the Tuesday troops care of American Idol, which averaged a typically hefty 16.3 rating/24 share in the overnights. While this is, no doubt, the season of teenage phenomenon David Archuleta, I personally think the �gosh, golly, gee whiz mentality� is going to wear thin. I also think Michael Johns was the weakest male performer last night, but chances are Jason Yeager is going home. Simon was way too harsh on him last night.

Leading out of American Idol was the return of sitcom Back To You, which rose to a series-high (and first-place) 7.8/12 in the overnights at 9:30 p.m. As good as that was, keep in mind that the retention out of the last half-hour of Idol (16.3/24 at 9 p.m.) was just 48 percent.

In series-premiere news, MySpace.com drama Quarterlife debuted on NBC with an almost invisible 2.5/ 4 (and last-place) at 10 p.m. Considering the rating at 10:30 p.m. dipped by 21 percent (2.8/ 4 to 2.2/ 4), the few viewers who tuned in apparently did not like what they saw. Retention for Quarterlife out of the last half-hour of lead-in The Biggest Loser (6.3/ 9 at 9:30 p.m.) was a mere 40 percent.

Overall, The Biggest Loser 5 averaged a 5.2/ 8 in the overnights from 8-10 p.m., building in each half-hour as follows:

The Biggest Loser 5
8:00 p.m. 4.4/ 7 (#3)
8:30 p.m. 4.7/ 7 (#3)
9:00 p.m. 5.2/ 8 (#2)
9:30 p.m. 6.3/ 9 (#2)

Over at CBS, a repeat of NCIS was on the map with a respectable second-place 7.4/11 in the overnights from 8-9 p.m. But Big Brother 9 (#3: 4.1/ 6) and Jericho (#2: 4.0/ 6) dropped the ratings ball from 9-11 p.m. As for Big Brother, please�and I am begging�evict whiny Amanda! That voice!!!

ABC remained out of the competitive loop from 8-10 p.m. with its line-up of Just for Laughs (two episodes � original and repeat: #4, avg. 3.3/ 5), According to Jim (#4: 3.3/ 5) and Carpoolers (#4: 2.6/ 4). But themed newsmagazine Primetime: What Would You Do Now? got some interest at 10 p.m., with a first-place 6.0/10 in the overnights. Comparably, that built from Carpoolers by a hefty 131 percent.

A repeat of the CWs Reaper (#5: 1.5/ 2) led into One Tree Hill at an above-average 2.3/ 3 at 9 p.m. Comparably, One Tree Hill grew in the second half-hour by a noticeable 14 percent (2.1/ 3 to 2.4/ 4).

Tuesday 2/26/08

Note: The following overnight results exclude the Miami market.

Household Rating/Share
Fox: 13.8/20, CBS: 5.2/ 8, NBC: 4.2/ 6, ABC: 4.1/ 6, CW: 1.9/ 3

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-Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2007)
Fox: -17, ABC and CW: -21 each, CBS: -39, NBC: -40

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

-- Marc Berman

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