Despite placing second to CBS' surprisingly strong 37th Annual Country Music Association Awards telecast, ABC's November 5 episode of The Bachelor was the top rated series in its hour, beating NBC's The West Wing by 6% in total viewers (13.3 million vs. 12.5 million) and by a wider margin of 58% among Adults 18-49 (6.0/15 vs. 3.8/9) according to Nielsen's Fast Affiliate Ratings.
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Dropping considerably from its week-earlier premiere in the hour, Fox's The O.C. finished a distant fourth in the hour among total viewers (7.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.5/9). For the fourth week in a row, The Bachelor was the No. 1 series on Wednesday night among Adults 18-49, topping NBC's Law & Order (6.0/15 vs. 5.6/15).
In winning its time period, The Bachelor beat CBS' CMA's by a sizeable 38% among Adults 18-34 (6.2/17 vs. 4.5/12), and qualified as the No. 1 television show Wednesday night in Adults 18-34, topping CBS' CMA's. This year's CMA's rating was the highest overnight rating for the CMA's since 1996.