Football fuels Fox

Ratings Flash - Rick Kissell

By RICK KISSELL

The Fiesta Bowl matchup between Boise State and Oklahoma lifted Fox to victory in primetime on New Year's Day, while ABC also got a primetime boost from college football with the final half-hour of the Rose Bowl.

Ratings for the live sporting events are subject to revision when Nielsen issues nationals Wednesday, but Fox's affils averaged a 4.9 rating/12 share in adults 18-49 and 13.8 million viewers overall from 9 to 11 p.m. -- nearly identical to the comparable Sugar Bowl matchup on ABC last year between Georgia and West Virginia. Numbers for Boise State's wild 43-42 overtime victory should rise in the nationals, although only the primetime portion will be counted in Fox's averages; game didn't end until nearly 1 a.m. in the East.

At ABC, the conclusion of USC's victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl should produce roughly a 7.5 rating in adults 18-49 and more than 20 million viewers overall. Net was in repeat mode the rest of the night with repeats of "Supernanny" at both 9 (2.6/6 in 18-49, 6.7 million viewers overall) and at 10 (2.8/7 in 18-49, 6.9 million viewers overall).

CBS was paced by repeats of "CSI: Miami" (3.8/10 in 18-49, 12.1 million viewers overall) and "Two and a Half Men" (3.7/9 in 18-49, 12.1 million viewers overall), while NBC was quiet with three episodes of "Heroes" that averaged a 1.9/5 in 18-49 and 5.1 million viewers overall.

Preliminary 18-49 averages for the night (subject to significant revision in nationals): Fox, 4.2/10; ABC, 3.4/8; CBS, 3.3/8; NBC, 1.9/5; Univision, 1.5/4; CW, 0.9/2.

In total viewers: Fox, 12.2 million; CBS, 10.1 million; ABC, 9.2 million; NBC, 5.1 million; Univision, 3.5 million; CW, 2.4 million.