Ratings Chart Attack!

Sports led the night as the baseball’s National League Championship Series and football overrun boosted Fox to a first-place finish in the ratings last night.

Game three of the NLCS between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers drew a 2.8 rating in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen Media Research data.

The NLCS’ preliminary numbers were time zone adjusted, so no share data was available.
The game grew 12% from Thursday’s Game 1, which aired in prime time. Game 2 aired at 4 p.m. EST on Friday.

NFL overrun boosted Fox to a 4.0/10 nightly average. However, due to the nature of live events, ratings are tentative until final numbers are released tomorrow.

ABC and NBC tied for second with a 3.8/10 average. NBC aired an NFL matchup between the New England Patriots and the San Diego Chargers (4.5/11), which declined 18% from last week’s Steelers/Jaguars game.

ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” ran as the highest-rated program of the night with a 5.9/14, up a tenth of a percentage point from last week.

“America’s Funniest Home Videos” (1.9/6) declined steeply from its big season premiere last week, slipping 27%.

“Brothers & Sisters” (3.6/9) and “Extreme Makeover: Extreme Makeover” (3.7/9) both dipped slightly week-to-week.

A lack of NFL overrun took the wind out of CBS’ sails this week, contributing to declines with “60 Minutes” (2.0/6, down 50%) and “The Amazing Race” (2.8/7, down 18%). “Cold Case” (2.7/6) and “The Unit” (2.6/7) both slipped one-tenth of a ratings point from last week. CBS placed fourth in 18-49 with a 2.5/6 average, and third in total viewers with 9.9 million.

The CW’s Media Rights Capital-backed night held steady from its low start last Sunday. “In Harm’s Way” (0.3/1) and “Valentine” (0.4/1) stayed flat, while “Easy Money” (0.3/1) declined one-tenth of a rating point.