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Spanish network is hot spot in summer doldrums

By DAVID BAUDER, Associated Press
Published August 4, 2006

NEW YORK - CBS's The Unit, NBC's Medium and ABC's Making a Music Star all had something in common last week.

Each had fewer viewers than an episode of the telenovela La Fea Mas Bella on Univision last week, as the Spanish-language network flexes its muscles during a slow summer for the English-language broadcast networks.

Since Nielsen Media Research began measuring Univision's viewership last year, the network has consistently beaten the WB and UPN networks in the ratings. Last week, Univision averaged more viewers ages 18 to 34 in prime time than any other network except Fox.

Except for NBC's America's Got Talent and Fox's So You Think You Can Dance, everything in Nielsen's top 10 during a quiet week was a rerun.

CBS won the week, averaging 7.3-million viewers in prime time. NBC averaged 6.3-million, Fox had 5.5-million, ABC 5-million, UPN 1.9-million and the WB 1.8-million. The i network had 690,000.

Among the Spanish-language networks, Univision averaged 3-million viewers in prime time, Telemundo had 820,000 and TeleFutura 490,000.

NBC's Nightly News won the evening news ratings race, averaging 8-million viewers. ABC's World News had 7.5-million viewers and the CBS Evening News had 6.9-million.

1. Without a Trace, CBS, 10.5

2. CSI, CBS, 10.4

3. America's Got Talent, NBC, 10.3

4. CSI: Miami, CBS, 10.1

5. House, Fox, 10.0

6. You Can Dance-Wed., Fox, 9.1

7. Two & Half Men, CBS, 8.9

8. SVU, NBC, 8.7

9. CSI: NY, CBS, 8.6

10. Criminal Minds, CBS, 8.5

11. You Can Dance-Thur., Fox, 8.4

12. 60 Minutes, CBS, 8.2

13. Dateline, NBC, 8.0

14. Cold Case, CBS, 7.9

15. Without a Trace-Sun., CBS, 7.6

16. America's Got Talent-Thur., NBC, 7.5

17. Law & Order, NBC, 7.5

18. Hell's Kitchen, Fox, 7.4

19. Last Comic Standing, NBC, 7.4

20. Big Brother-Tue., CBS, 7.2

[Last modified August 3, 2006, 11:13:21]