Idol Tops Its Rivals

As the top 12 female contestants competed on “American Idol” on Wednesday, Fox once again easily dominated the night’s ratings as 28.7 million viewers tuned in to a two-hour edition of the show, Nielsen estimated. Also on Wednesday, the 10th season of CW’s “America’s Next Top Model” made its debut at 8 p.m., drawing an underwhelming 3.8 million viewers. Although the modeling competition was the runner-up to “American Idol” with the night’s second-highest ratings among adults 18 to 34, it also became the third-lowest-rated premiere of the series ever among adults 18 to 49. CW finished fifth for the night but not far behind ABC and CBS, which broadcast repeats following “Big Brother” at 8 (5.2 million). ABC edged past CBS for third place in the 18-to-49 set, faring best at 9 p.m. with “Supernanny” (6 million). NBC ranked second, leading the 10 p.m. hour with “Law & Order” (10.8 million).

source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/22/arts/22arts-IDOLTOPSITSR_BRF.html?_r=1&ref=arts&oref=slogin