Weekly Broadcast Ratings and Year to Date

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THE WEEK.  For the recently completed week ending Sunday (February 18-24, 2013), ABC will claim a rare victory with a preliminary 3.42 adult 18-49 rating in prime time, its best weekly showing of the year by far (thanks, of course, to The Oscars).  And even better for ABC, this is better than last year’s Oscar week (3.14 rating for Feb 20-26, 2012).

FOX will place second with a preliminary 2.11 adult 18-49 rating, similar to last week’s 2.12.

CBS will be in third place with a 2.01 for the week, up from a 1.89 last week.

NBC remains in fourth (among the English-language broadcasters) with a 1.16 weekly rating, down from a 1.27 last week and a new low for a week this season (just under the 1.17 Jan 28-Mar 3).

Looking at the four major broadcast networks together, the total 8.70 rating for the week is down a more normal 6% from the same week last year (9.28).

SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR (the 8 weeks from Dec 31, 2012-Feb 24, 2013):

CBS is averaging a 3.35 rating in prime time (up 23% from the same period last year, with almost all of the gain due to the Super Bowl).

FOX is averaging a 2.39 adult 18-49 rating in prime time (down 27% from the same period last year, mostly due to declines in American Idol).

ABC is in third place with a 1.89 (down 4%).

NBC is in fourth with a 1.58 (down 44%, as last year featured the Super Bowl and this winter is marked by collapses on virtually every night of the week).