Channel-surfing on Thursdays could become more interesting as Fox dangled the possibility of moving "American Idol" to an already competitive night.
Fox isn't ready to commit, and may not until Christmas, the Times said. But by moving "Idol," Fox could conceivably control some of the most lucrative ad time in prime time and cramp the other networks' efforts to dominate that night with top shows.
The tight four-network race and absence of a clear-cut leader explains why executives are battling so furiously for Thursday, with some of the most expensive advertising time to be had, the Times said.
The battle for Thursday begins this week, when ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" squares off against CBS' seventh-season drama, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." NBC counters with "Deal or No Deal," which leads into its workhorse hospital drama, "ER," entering season No. 13.
Fox also considered moving "American Idol" to a Wednesday/Thursday broadcast schedule last season. However in the end, the network decided to not risk upsetting the ratings of its biggest hit and instead aired "Idol's" fifth season on the same Tuesday/Wednesday schedule that the reality show has used since its inception.
