March Madness commenced on CBS — and on much stronger footing than it did last year. The NCAA Basketball Tournament fetched a preliminary 2.0 rating among adults 18-49, ahead of time zone adjustments, nearly doubling last year's comparable score.
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ABC still lead the night. Though after a steady Grey's Anatomy (2.1 adults), Scandal, which featured a hyped guest appearance from Lena Dunham, dropped three-tenths of a point to a season low 2.4 rating in the key demo. American Crime (1.2 adults) fell yet again: two-tenths of a point.
Entering a one-night live format did not lift American Idol. The series matched last week's 1.8 rating among adults 18-49.
On NBC, Dateline (1.2 adults) jumped three-tenths of a point ahead of steady episodes of The Blacklist (1.8 adults) and The Slap (0.7 adults).
The Vampire Diaries (0.7 adults) and Reign (0.4 adults) were also steady on the CW.
