• by Paul Gough , March 2, 2003

It’s final: CBS won the February sweeps in total households and persons but Fox came out on top for the first sweeps ever for adults 18-49.

CBS’s 9.1/14 in total households was a full ratings point ahead of second-place NBC, which had an 8.2/13. Fox came in third, with a 7.2/11 and ABC came in fourth with a 6.6/10. The WB delivered a 2.8/4, UPN a 2.3/4 and Pax followed with a 0.8/1. Comparisons between this February and February 2002 are skewed because NBC’s 14.9/24 dwarfed the competition because of its coverage of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Riding a wave of Joe Millionaire, American Idol and regularly scheduled programs, Fox scored a 5.7/14 among adults 18-49. Fox’s numbers were almost a ratings point ahead of second-place NBC (4.8/12), which had previously won the past 12 sweeps. CBS came in third (4.2/11), ABC fourth (4/10) and The WB (2/5) was in fifth place. The WB did well in other demographics surrounding its core 12-34 audience. UPN’s 18-49 results were down from last February, (1.5/4 vs. 2/5). Pax’s delivery stayed the same, 0.3/1.

Among Nielsen’s report of the top 15 programs of the sweeps period in total households and persons, NBC and CBS each had five shows, Fox had three and ABC had two. But ABC’s special 20/20 on Michael Jackson edged Joe Millionaire’s Feb. 17. The top 15 shows were:

1. 20/20 Special on Michael Jackson (ABC, Feb. 6), 16.8/24.
2. Joe Millionaire Special (Fox, Feb. 17), 16.6/23.
3. CSI (CBS), 16.5/24.
4. Joe Millionaire (Fox), 16/22.
5. Grammy Awards (CBS, Feb. 23), 14.7/23.
6. Friends (NBC), 14.5/22.
7. My Big Fat Greek Life Special (CBS, Feb. 24), 14.3/21.
8. ER (NBC), 14/22.
9. Friends Special (NBC, Feb. 6), 13.6/20.
10. Law and Order (NBC), 12.7/21.
11. Survivor: Amazon (CBS), 12.5/19.
12. The Bachelorette (ABC), 12.4/18.
13. Friends (NBC, Feb. 13), 12.4/19.
14. Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS), 12.2/17.
15. Joe Millionaire: Aftermath (Fox), 12.1/17.