Fox Overtakes CBS As Most Watched Network

After winning both Tuesday and Wednesday night handedly with American Idol, Fox captured the title of the most popular network of the year for the first time since its launch in 1987.

Fox snatched the title from CBS, and was the only network to have more viewers this year when compared to last. This can be directly attributed to the network's broadcast of the Super Bowl, the highest rated program each year.

But a huge help in Fox's crowd was the David and David showdown of American Idol over Tuesday and Wednesday night, which was seen by 31.7 million people, according to Nielsen Media Research estimates.

Fox averaged 11.1 million viewers in prime time during the season through Tuesday, which was up 7 percent from last year. The numbers will also increase when the American Idol finale is added in.

CBS was second with 10.5 million viewers, and had a 16 percent drop in viewers, the largest out of the major networks. Many experts believe the drop came because of the writers' strike, and the reruns the network was forced to show.

ABC came in third with 10 million viewers (down 7 percent) and NBC was last with 8.9 million (down 9 percent). The CW was down a staggering 19 percent, with 2.6 million viewers, and will also lose one of its most popular programs next season, professional wrestling.