Survivor: The Australian Outback led CBS to weekly victories in both households and total viewers.
NBC was just able to squeak out a win in the key adults 18-49 demographic for the week of Feb. 5-11, topping a rejuvenated Fox by one-tenth of a rating point. The combination of Survivor and a strong Monday comedy showing led CBS to a 13.5 million viewer average and a 9.2 rating/15 share in households, according to Nielsen Media Research. Survivor: The Australian Outback finished the second week of the ongoing February sweep as the most watched program, averaging 29 million viewers and a 17.4/26 in households.
NBC's Survivor defense of Friends and Saturday Night Live continued to hold its own, enabling the network to keep its hold on the 18-49 category with a 5.4 rating for the week.
Fox, which won the week again in adults 18-34 and teens, placed a strong second in adults 18-49 to NBC, averaging a 5.3 rating. Fox's Temptation Island drew a 9.4/22 in adults 18-49 and 17 million viewers on Wednesday (Feb. 7).
ABC finished the week in second place in total viewers (13.2 million) and third in adults 18-49 (4.7 rating). Fox was fourth in total viewers (10.7 million) and even with Survivor, CBS finished fourth in adults 18-49 (4.2 rating).
The WB continued to show growth over last year, averaging a 1.7 rating in adults 18-49 and 3.9 million viewers. The WB is up 18% in women 18-34, 13% in adults 18-49 and 12% in adults 18-34 from last year at this time. UPN averaged a 1.5 rating in adults 18-49 and 3.6 million viewers for the week. - Joe Schlosser
