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Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., May 3-5) -- bust-out numbers for Rangers/Derby

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom
The Texas Rangers’ three-game sweep of the Red Sox paid big dividends over the weekend for Fox Sports Southwest and TXA21 while NBC’s annual marathon coverage of the Kentucky Derby also scored with viewers.

The 20-horse field didn’t break out of the gates until 5:33 p.m. for the two-minute race won by Orb (who tied 1923 champ Zev as the shortest-named Derby winner ever). The 5:30 to 5:45 portion of NBC’s coverage (Nielsen measures in 15-minute increments) peaked at 309,789 D-FW viewers. But the entire 5 to 6 p.m. hour also had handsome returns, averaging 282,252 viewers.

Saturday night’s Rangers game on FSS drew 268,484 viewers overall, with a peak crowd of 364,863 between 9 and 9:15 p.m. Nothing else in prime-time came close.

Friday’s Rangers win on TXA21 averaged 234,063 viewers, hitting a high of 302,905 between 9 and 9:15 p.m. The 9 to 10 p.m. portion of the game nipped CBS’ potent competing Blue Bloods.

Sunday’s marathon 9-inning finale, with Yu Darvish whiffing 14 Boston batters in 7 innings, pulled in 206,526 viewers with a peak audience of 282,252 between 5:30 and 5:45 p.m. CBS’ 60 Minutes had the biggest prime-time Nielsens, averaging 240,947 viewers from 6 to 7 p.m.

CBS swept the prime-time hours in total viewers and also won among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds with the first half of The Amazing Race season finale. Sunday night’s other winners in this key demographic were Fox’s The Simpsons and The Cleveland Show from 6 to 7 p.m. and NBC’s All-Star Celebrity Apprentice in the 8 to 10 p.m. slot.

Here are Friday’s local news derby numbers for the seventh weekday of the May “sweeps.”

CBS11 nipped WFAA8 for the top spot in total viewers at 10 p.m. but WFAA8 won comfortably among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.

Fox4 again cruised to twin wins at 6 a.m. and added a 5 p.m. win with 25-to-54-year-olds.

CBS11 had the most total viewers at 6 p.m.; NBC5 claimed the other two golds, winning at 5 p.m. in total viewers and 6 p.m. among 25-to-54-year-olds.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net