The season finale of “Lost” turned in big ratings for ABC Wednesday, but it was not enough to overtake the season finale of “American Idol” on FOX.
FOX averaged a 17.1 rating/26 share in primetime to win the final night of the 2004-05 season. ABC finished a strong second at 10.0/16, and the rest of the networks were well behind. NBC took third at 6.5/10, with CBS fourth at 5.2/8. UPN, 1.3/2, and The WB, 1.0/2, were hardly watched by anybody.
The first half of the “Idol” finale posted a 15.0/25 at 8 p.m. “Lost,” 11.3/18, took second for ABC. A “Law & Order” rerun on NBC and “60 Minutes” on CBS tied for third at 4.5/7. UPN went with the movie “Swordfish” to take fifth, ahead of a “One Tree Hill” rerunt on The WB.
“Idol” built to a 19.2/28 at 9 p.m., increasing FOX’s lead over ABC and “Lost,” which finished with a 12.3/18. NBC maintained third with a “Law & Order: Trial by Jury” repeat, 5.5/8. CBS dropped to fourth with its movie “Amber Frey: Witness for the Prosecution,” 4.7/7. UPN and The WB remained in fifth and sixth respectively.
At 10 p.m., the season finale of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” put NBC into the lead with a 9.7/15. “Alias” ended its season with a 6.5/10 for ABC, while “Amber Frey” came in third with a 6.3/10 for CBS.
Credit: Zap2It
