CBS Comes Out Strong with Reruns

NEW YORK: In the first week of the summer season, CBS was the most popular network, with seven of the most-watched shows in prime time, according to Nielsen Media Research, the majority of which were reruns.

For the week ended May 31, CBS averaged 8 million viewers (5.3 rating, 9 share), while FOX had 5.5 million and NBC 5.3 million (both 3.4, 6), ABC had 4.2 million (2.7, 5) and The CW had 1.2 million (0.8, 1). CBS’s strength lies in how well its procedural dramas do in reruns, with the network’s two strongest shows, NCIS and The Mentalist, topping the ratings with 12.46 million viewers and 12.36 million viewers, respectively. Other top-rated programs for CBS included CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (9.98 million), Without a Trace (9.71 million), NCIS (9.64 million) and Two and a Half Men (9.27 million). FOX also cracked the top 10 with So You Think You Can Dance (9.15 million).