CBS, NBC Bound Past the Others

Prime time’s version of March Madness has been a two-network race, with CBS and NBC running neck-and-neck atop the ratings while ABC and Fox remain out of the running and down in viewing compared to last year, based on estimates issued Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research.

CBS’ coverage of the NCAA tournament got off to a reasonably good start, and “Survivor: Marquesas” experienced few ill effects from its temporary shift to Wednesdays to accommodate basketball. With “Survivor” preceding it, “Amazing Race 2” also fared moderately well but was no match for Fox’s “Celebrity Boxing,” which punched up the network’s highest Wednesday rating in nearly a year.

NBC’s new comedies “Watching Ellie” and “Leap of Faith,” meanwhile, continue to lose viewers, though the latter benefited from facing basketball--which skews heavily toward men--and retained 75% of the audience that watched “Friends,” the figure NBC is most closely monitoring.

Diane Sawyer’s Rosie O’Donnell interview lifted “PrimeTime Thursday” to a season high, ranking as the most-watched interview since Gary Condit spoke to Connie Chung. NBC’s “Law & Order” also continues to exhibit remarkable durability, recording the highest rating for a rerun in over a decade.

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National Nielsen Viewership

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