'Idol' Still Glitters

Fox dominated Wednesday night’s ratings with a 90-minute edition of “American Idol,” which drew 27.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen’s estimates. The network’s wide lead over its competitors eroded considerably at 9:30 p.m., as Fox’s “Back to You” earned a more modest 12.3 million viewers during the half-hour following the singing competition. NBC ranked a distant second over all, getting a boost at 10 p.m. from “Law & Order,” which led its time slot with 11.4 million viewers, outpacing both CBS’s “CSI: NY” repeat (8 million) and the return of ABC’s “Men in Trees” (5.7 million). CBS and ABC ranked third and fourth respectively. On Tuesday MSNBC’s broadcast of the Democratic presidential primary debate in Ohio delivered 7.8 million viewers, making it the third-highest-rated debate of this season and the most-watched program in MSNBC’s 11-year history.

source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/arts/television/29arts-IDOLSTILLGLI_BRF.html?_r=1&ref=television&oref=slogin