SOTU: Fox Benefits From Idol Lead-In

A tipster says: “I hear that here at FNC, the execs were over the moon that American Idol was the SOTU lead-in on Fox broadcast. They hope for record numbers.“

According to Drudge, that’s what they may get. American Idol delivered an 18.3 rating and a 26 share, while President Bush’s speech delivered a 23.5 rating and a 34 share on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox combined. How many of those viewers watched on Fox?…

> Update: 2:38pm: Now we know. According to Zap2It: “The big lead-in helped FOX stay in first place at 9 p.m., as its coverage of the State of the Union averaged 6.1/9. CBS was second at 5.2/8, with ABC edging NBC for third (viewers out West saw local programming).

FOX held its lead at 10 p.m., as analysis of the president’s speech drew a 4.6/7. CBS averaged 4.1/7 for the hour, followed by ABC, 3.8/6, and NBC, 3.7/6.”