An estimated 7.3 million watched the NFL draft Thursday, its ratings up 23 percent from 2009, the Nielsen Co. said. ESPN's three days of draft coverage, two of them in prime time, drew the biggest audience the event has ever received.
NFL draft does end run around Thursday shows
The NFL draft has become such a popular TV event that the first round on ESPN seemed to steal viewers from some of the biggest networks' Thursday shows.
April 28, 2010 at 8:07PM
Meanwhile, CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" had the third-smallest audience in the show's history. NBC's "Community" and "Marriage Ref" had series lows, and "The Office" had its smallest audience since moving to Thursdays in 2006, Nielsen said.
The first night of "America: The Story of Us" on History on Sunday grabbed 5.7 million viewers, Nielsen said. That's second only to an episode of "Pawn Stars" for the most-watched show in the cable network's history.
Once a proven performer, the "Hallmark Hall of Fame" movie on CBS was a disappointment Sunday. "Love Is Not Enough" barely had 7 million viewers.
The premiere of ABC's "Romantically Challenged" comedy had a strong audience for its premiere, ranking No. 15 with 10.7 million viewers.
Despite sagging numbers for "American Idol," the emergence of "Glee" as a strong performer helped Fox win the week with an average prime-time viewership of 9.2 million.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
1 Dancing With the Stars, Mon. (ABC)
2 American Idol, Tue. (Fox)
3 American Idol, Wed. (Fox)
4 The Mentalist (CBS)
5 Dancing With the Stars, Tue. (ABC)
6 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS)
7 Glee (Fox)
8 Survivor: Heroes & Villains (CBS)
9 The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
10 CSI: Miami (CBS)
11 Two and a Half Men (CBS)
12 60 Minutes (CBS)
13 Desperate Housewives (ABC)
14 House (Fox)
15 Romantically Challenged (ABC)
16 The Amazing Race (CBS)
17 Castle (ABC)
18 NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)
19 NCIS (CBS)
20 Lost (ABC)
