CBS, led by “Survivor 2” and NCAA basketball, snagged last week’s ratings crown – but couldn’t be coronated until today because of a Nielsen computer glitch.
With “S2” the week’s top-rated show (27.7 million viewers), followed by the NCAA final game (23.8 million viewers for a Duke victory), CBS had an easy time coasting to a prime-time victory by averaging 12.6 million viewers.
ABC finished second with 11.43 million viewers, followed by NBC (9.4) and Fox (8.1 for 16 hours of prime time).
CBS also got help from “CSI,” the year’s top-rated new drama which grabbed a lusty 19.8 million viewers to finish the week in third place.
“NYPD Blue,” regaining some of its old momentum, finished the week as the seventh-ranked show (16.6 million viewers), while ABC midseason stablemate “My Wife and Kids” continued to grow, finishing 12th (14.2 million), just ahead of fellow ABC midseason offering, “What About Joan” (13.0).
Over in the syndicated arena, the “Wheel of Fortune”/”Jeopardy!” powerhouse tandem continued to dominate, finishing first and second, respectively. “Live with Regis & Kelly” finished ahead of “Jerry Springer” to finish second behind “Oprah,” while “Judge Judy” once again topped all court shows (followed by “Judge Joe Brown”). Nickelodeon’s kiddie slate once again ran roughshod over its cable competition, with “Rugrats,” “SpongeBob Squarepants,” “CatDog” and “Rocket Power” all finishing as the top-rated cable kiddie shows.