ABC - GRAMMYS SPIN DOWN

Faced with competition from ABC's Lost and Fox's American Idol, CBS' telecast of the Grammy Awards produced disappointing ratings for the second year in a row. According to Nielsen overnights, the awards telecast averaged an 11.9 rating and an 18 share in primetime, slightly better than the 11.0/17 it scored a year ago but well off the 15.3/24 of 2004 and the 14.7/23 of 2003. (Last year it did battle with ABC's Desperate Housewives on a Sunday night.) American Idol handily beat the Grammies in the 8:00 hour, registering a 16.1/24 to the Grammy's 9.9/15. But the awards show took a narrow lead in the 9:00 p.m. hour as it registered a 12.2/18 versus an 11.2/16 for ABC's Lost. Fox placed third with a 7.8/11 for Bones. CBS stayed in the lead at 10:00 p.m., pulling an 11.6/19 while NBC's Law & Order moved into second place with a 9.4/15.

09/02/2006