TV Ratings: NBC Falls Behind Fox to Third Place for 2012-13 Season

11:30 AM PDT 3/12/2013 by Michael O'Connell

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With CBS still very far ahead, the peacock's performance dips below last year's champ -- which has seen midseason boosts from "The Following" and "American Idol."

Getty Images; NBC; FOX

CBS' Super Bowl, NBC's "Smash," Fox's "American Idol"

NBC's fall is barely visible in the rearview mirror, and its ratings boost is disappearing just as fast.

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Latest returns for the week ending March 10 show an official shift in the broadcast network rankings for the 2012-13 TV season. Fox has usurped NBC's second-place status, now averaging a 2.6 rating and 7 share with adults 18-49 over NBC's 2.5 rating and 7 share.

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The Peacock's troubled course over midseason will shift in two weeks when The Voice returns to the schedule, though it likely won't see the dominance it saw in the fall. Season-to-date, NBC is 7 percent shy of last year's demo average. That drop, however unfortunate, has not been as steep as ABC's (8 percent), The CW's (13 percent) or Fox's (21 percent).

CBS remains the lone broadcast network even with its showing last year, thanks in part to the Super Bowl. It's currently averaging a 3.1 rating with adults 18-49 and 9 share. This time last year, Fox was on top with a 3.3 rating in the demo.

STORY: Damage Assessment: NBC's First-to-Fourth Free Fall

The Voice is not the only late-midseason savior coming to the broadcast networks. With mediocre and downright bad launches across the dial, the return of Dancing With the Stars should offer some boost to ABC. And on Fox, the continued performance of American Idol, though down from last season, is still far outpacing The X Factor's showing in the fall.

Here are current rankings for the key demo and total viewers:

Adults 18-49 (rating/share)
1. CBS: 3.1/9
2. Fox: 2.6/7
3. NBC: 2.5/7
4. ABC: 2.3/6
5. The CW: 0.7/2

Total viewers
1. CBS: 12.41 million
2. ABC: 7.85 million
3. NBC: 7.36 million
4. Fox: 7.13 million
5. The CW: 1.85 million