NEW YORK — Jim Rockford’s answering machine should be overflowing with kudos: A repeat pic featuring the ’70s gumshoe helped CBS score a rare Nielsen victory over NBC last Thursday.
Second run of “Rockford Files: If the Frame Fits” averaged 10.12 million viewers from 8-10 p.m., outdrawing three of the Peacock’s Thursday laffers: “Jesse,” “Frasier” and “3rd Rock From the Sun.” Only “Friends,” at 8 p.m., won its timeslot.
And at 10 p.m., “48 Hours” (9.69 million viewers) outscored “ER” (9.67 million) for the fifth time this summer, according to Nielsen.
For the night, CBS averaged 9.98 million viewers, followed by NBC (9.82 million), Fox (7.61 million) and ABC (6.78 million). The last time the Eye brought in more viewers than NBC on a Thursday was New Year’s Eve 1998.
CBS and NBC tied in homes with a 7.4/14, with Fox (5.5/10) and ABC (4.9/9) trailing.
Fox had a strong showing Thursday with “The 1999 Teen Choice Awards.” The two-hour event gave the net its largest share of teens 12-17 for a spec since November 1997, excluding sports broadcasts. Fox also won the night in total teens.
NBC maintained its usual dominance among adults 18-49, averaging a 4.7 rating in the key demo. ABC and Fox tied for second with a 3.1 rating, followed by CBS (2.4).
