• by July 27, 2000

According to Nielsen Media Research, in total household rankings, ABC captured a 6.8 rating and a 12 share in the 44nd week of the TV season ended Sunday.

The rating number represents the percentage of the nation's total of 99.4 million households tuned in to a certain network. Share represents the percentage of TV sets in use.

CBS was a close second in the total household ranking with a 6.3 rating/12 share. NBC came in third with a 5.8 rating/11 share and Fox was fourth with a 4.2 rating/8 share.

In the 18-49 demographic, which is highly desired by advertisers, ABC was the winner with a 3.6 rating (11 share), followed by NBC at 3.2 (10 share), CBS with 3.0 (10 share) and Fox with 2.8 (9 share).

The WB network reached a 1.6 rating/3 share in total household rankings, and its rating among adults 18-49 was a 1.0.

In total household rankings, UPN had a 2.1 rating/4 share last week. Its rating among adults 18-49 was 1.3.

PAX TV had a total household rating of 0.8 and a 2 share. Among adults 18-49, it had a 0.3 rating.

UPN is a network owned by Viacom Inc. The WB network is owned by Time Warner Inc., and PAX TV is run by Paxson Communications Corp.

The following is a breakdown by average viewership numbers of the prime time network rankings for week 44 (July 17-July 23):

Average prime-time viewers (in millions) 1. ABC 10.00 2. CBS 8.89 3. NBC 8.11 4. Fox 6.19 5. UPN 3.29

Average number of adults, age 18-49 (in millions) 1. ABC 4.45 2. NBC 4.04 3. CBS 3.73 4. Fox 3.44 5. UPN 1.64