NBC Links With Winner, but CBS’ Streak Continues

A three-episode roll-out of “Weakest Link” provided a ratings infusion for NBC but couldn’t break CBS’ three-week chain of consecutive victories in overall viewing, based on estimates issued Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research.

“Survivor” has held steady as the show heads toward its conclusion, trouncing an original episode of “Friends” on Thursday. In addition, CBS’ “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” outdistanced the NBC sitcoms--”Will & Grace” and “Just Shoot Me”--by nearly 10 million viewers from 9 to 10 p.m.

On the plus side for NBC, the network may have a new asset in “Weakest Link,” the quiz show hosted by Anne Robinson, which regularly airs Mondays but fared best last week in a Wednesday telecast after “Law & Order.”

Barbara Walters’ latest special, the adoption-themed “Born in My Heart,” proved a solid ratings attraction, drawing ABC’s biggest audience in more than a year to the Friday slot normally occupied by “20/20.” It was nevertheless an inauspicious week for ABC, which placed third in total viewing and fourth among adults ages 18 to 49, the demographic most closely tracked by media buyers.

Fox’s “The Lone Gunmen” slipped to its lowest rating yet on Friday, while the NBC’s XFL championship game drew the start-up league’s biggest audience in six weeks but was still the least-watched program on the four major networks.

Network Averages

Here is the number of viewers that each network averaged per hour of prime time, for last week and for the season.

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Last Season week to date CBS 11.75 million 12.54 NBC 10.95 11.52 ABC 10.29 12.77 FOX 8.69 9.71 UPN 3.71 3.74 WB 3.47 3.73

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