World Series lifts Fox to first victory in fall TV season

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Ratings for the World Series may have struck out, but postseason baseball still lifted Fox to its first weekly win in the fall TV season.

Averaging 14.3 million total viewers overall, the matchups between the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers were the second least-watched ever behind only 2008, according to the Nielsen Co. (Monday’s Game 5, which saw the Giants clinch the series, averaged 15 million viewers but was not included in last week’s totals).

NBC fared better with its Sunday NFL game featuring Pittsburgh at New Orleans, which drew 18.1 million viewers and took the top spot in the crucial adults aged 18 to 49 demographic (7.3 rating/19 share).
ABC’s Monday edition of “Dancing With the Stars” was the week’s most-watched program (20.4 million).
Amid the sports-heavy schedules, only two scripted programs cracked the top 10: CBS’ “NCIS” (20.2 million) and its spin-off “NCIS: Los Angeles” (16 million).

Fox led the way with 11.9 million viewers, ending a five-week victory streak for CBS (11 million). ABC was third (9.2 million) with NBC trailing (6.6 million). Fox also won in 18-49 with a 3.7 rating, vs. 2.6 for ABC and CBS.

Sports dominated basic cable as well. Monday’s Giants-Cowboys matchup on ESPN was the year’s most-watched cable program, averaging 18 million viewers.

--Scott Collins