• by Wayne Friedman , November 24, 2010

Over two months into the season, CBS remains in the No. 1 position with Fox the biggest loser. 

CBS is earning a Nielsen 3.3 adults 18-49 rating, up 2% from a year ago. Steady performances from its existing shows are part of the reason. "The Big Bang Theory" is helping post strong numbers, as well as aiding shows in its new Thursday night position. Decent numbers from "Mike & Molly," "$#*! My Dad Says" and "Hawaii Five-0" have added to its fortunes.

Fox is in second place with a 2.9 average rating among adults 18-49, down a massive 19%. The early season cancellation of "Lone Star" set back the network, forcing it to do a lot of shuffling. But shows like "House" and "Lie to Me" have racked grief their own losses, compared to a year ago. On the flip side, "Glee" is its big growing standout.

ABC is slumping as well -- off 9% -- and tied with Fox with a 2.9 rating. There has been general pullback across the board from "Grey's Anatomy," "Desperate Housewives" and others. Additional hurt: the lack of any rookie shows taking root. On the positive side: second-year show "Modern Family" has shown higher numbers, and veteran reality competition effort "Dancing with the Stars" has moved up.

Along with CBS, NBC is almost two and half percentage points higher -- and just one-tenth of a rating point behind Fox and ABC. Much of this comes from "Sunday Night Football," which keeps on racking up ratings records. But the return to regularly schedule programming at 10 p.m. after the Jay Leno experiment hasn't helped.

The CW is down almost 3% in 18-49 to a 1.2 rating -- but a 13% drop among its more key 18-34 viewers. Univision touts strong growth with a 16% gain to a 1.6 rating among 18-49 viewers.