It wasn't among the worst ratings results for an Oscar show nor was it among the best, but the 37.9 million viewers -- the final official tally -- who tuned in helped lift ABC to No. 1 on the weekly Nielsen list among total adults, the first time it has reached that position this season. Nevertheless, the winner among the key audience of 18-49 year-olds was Fox, thanks to solid performances by the two American Idol shows, Glee , and House . CBS could participate in the boasting as well, as it landed most of the other shows in the top 20. And even struggling NBC could point to a few victories among the key demo during the week as Parenthood, The Biggest Loser, 30 Rock, The Office and Law & Order SVU showed significant improvements. Overall among total adults, ABC finished the week with an average 6.4 rating and an 11 share. CBS was close behind with a 6.3/11. Fox followed with a 5.8/10, while NBC trailed with a 3.2/5.

The top ten shows of the week according to Nielsen Research 1. Academy Awards, ABC, 21.2/33; 2. Oscar's Red Carpet Live 3, ABC, 15.5/25; 3. American Ido l (Wednesday), Fox, 12.5/20; 4. NCIS, CBS, 12.3/19; 5. American Idol (Thursday), Fox, 11.9/19; 6. NCIS Los Angeles , CBS, 11.1/18; 7. Oscar's Red Carpet Live 2, ABC, 9.8/17; 8. The Mentalist, CBS, 9.0/16; 9. Criminal Minds, CBS, 8.0/13; 10. Csi Crime Scene Investigation, CBS, 7.6/12; 10. The Good Wife, CBS, 7.6/13.

02/03/2011