TV ratings: Good start for 'Lost' as 'Idol' tops Tuesday

Fast National ratings for Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010

The final season of "Lost" opened to bigger ratings across the board than last year's season 5 premiere, helping ABC to a solid second-place finish in adults 18-49 Tuesday. The Alphabet still trailed FOX and CBS overall, though.

FOX led the night with 16.9 million viewers and a 9.3 rating/14 share in households. CBS was close second with 16.1 million viewers and had a slightly better household rating, 9.9/16. ABC (11.4 million, 6.4/10) came in third. NBC (7.9 million, 4.9/9) took fourth as its gambit of putting "The Biggest Loser" directly opposite "Lost" didn't really work. The CW (767,000, 0.5/1) was barely in the picture with a night of reruns.

FOX's 6.4 rating took the top spot among adults 18-49, beating ABC's 5.1. CBS, 3.5, finished third, followed by NBC at 3.0. The CW managed only a 0.3.

Tuesday hour by hour:

8 p.m.

FOX: "American Idol" (24.4 million viewers, 13.3/20 households)
CBS: "NCIS" (19.1 million, 11.4/17)
ABC: Clip show - "Lost: The Final Chapter" (9.9 million, 5.8/9)
NBC: "The Biggest Loser" rerun (5 million, 3.2/5)
The CW: "90210" rerun (873,000, 0.6/1)

18-49 leader: "American Idol" (8.9)

9 p.m.

CBS: "NCIS: Los Angeles" (16.4 million, 10.0/15)
ABC: "Lost" season premiere (12.4 million, 6.9/11)
NBC: "The Biggest Loser" (9.6 million, 5.8/9)
FOX: "Kitchen Nightmares" (9.3 million, 5.4/8)
The CW: "Melrose Place" rerun (661,000, 0.5/1)

18-49 leader: "Lost" (5.7)

10 p.m.

CBS: "The Good Wife" (12.7 million, 8.4/14)
ABC: "Lost" season premiere (11.75 million, 6.5/11)
NBC: "The Biggest Loser" (9.3 million, 5.7/9)

18-49 leader: "Lost" (5.5)

Ratings information includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change. Source: The Nielsen Company.

More ratings at Zap2it: Daily, weekly and cable

Photo credit: ABC