"American Idol" dipped to an all-time low Thursday, as CBS and ABC tied for first in ratings and "Grey's Anatomy" took the night's best ratings in the key demographic, according to preliminary numbers.
"Idol" at 8 p.m. posted a 2.7 rating/9 share in the advertiser-preferred 18-49 demographic. That was down 4 percent from last Thursday — a seemingly small dip but enough to bring "Idol" to a series low. (That number will likely go up a bit when the ratings are adjusted.) "Idol" was, however, still the night's most-watched program with 11 million total viewers, helping give Fox first place in total viewers.
ABC, like CBS, averaged a 2.3/7 in the demo and took second place in total viewers with 7 million. Despite the first-place tie, the network experienced dips across the board, with the biggest being "Wife Swap" at 8, which dropped 18 percent from last week's season premiere for a 1.4/5 and took 4.3 million total viewers.
"Grey's Anatomy" the following hour dipped 7 percent from last week but still won the demo with a 2.8/8 and had 8.8 million total viewers. "Scandal" at 10 inched down to a 2.6/7 and drew 8 million total viewers.
CBS came in third in total viewers with 6.9 million. The network aired the NCAA Basketball Playoffs, and its numbers are approximate due to the nature of live sports.
Fox took third place in ratings and first in total viewers with a 2.0/6 and 7.5 million. After "Idol," the network aired the first part of the "Raising Hope" season finale at 9, which drew a 1.4/4 and took 4.6 million total viewers. The second half of the "Raising Hope" finale drew a 1.2/3 with 3.5 million total viewers.
Univision grabbed fourth place in ratings and total viewers with a 1.4/4 and 3.5 million.
The CW came in fifth place in ratings and sixth in total viewers with a 0.9/3 and 2 million total viewers. "The Vampire Diaries" at 8 posted a 1.2/4 and took 2.4 million total viewers, while "Beauty and the Beast" the following hour drew a 0.6/2 and had 1.6 million total viewers.
NBC took sixth place in ratings and fifth in total viewers with a 0.8/2 and 2.6 million. The network aired repeats throughout the night, with the exception of "1600 Penn" at 8:30, which dropped 22 percent from last week to a series low of 0.7/2 and drew 1.9 million total viewers; and a second episode of the freshman sitcom, which performed identically to the 8:30 episode.
