Fox

Even what many are predicting will be a low-rated World Series performed well enough for an easy victory for Fox last night. The first game of the World Series on Fox averaged a 3.9 adults 18-49 rating and 10 share during primetime, 18% ahead of ABC and CBS, which tied for second on the night with a 3.3/9 apiece.

Given the amount of ratings success Fox has enjoyed with entertainment programs this fall (it’s the only broadcaster to have improved in the adult demo), and considering this year’s World Series Rangers vs. Cardinals match-up, it does raise the question: Is disruptive fall baseball coverage still worth it for Fox?

Due to the expansion of The X Factor, the Zooey Deschanel comedy will return in its usual time slot next month. The season finale of Terra Nova has been scheduled for Dec. 19 at 8 p.m.

A contract dispute with the show’s voice cast had threatened to end the series, but Fox announced it will air through seasons 24 and 25.

With a 90-minute edition of The X Factor last night, Fox edged out CBS and ABC on what’s becoming one of the tightest nights on broadcast. Fox averaged a 3.5 adults 18-49 rating and 10 share in primetime, with CBS in second with a 3.3/9 and ABC a close third at 3.2/9. Factor drew a 3.9 rating from 8 to 9:30 p.m., holding 95% of last week’s audience for a two-hour edition of the show.

Three weeks into the new season, Fox is officially the network to beat on Tuesdays. The network won its third straight Tuesday last night, with new comedy New Girl once again finishing as the night’s top program. Girl averaged a 4.3 adults 18-49 rating at 9 p.m., down just a tick from last week’s 4.4.

Kevin Reilly says that one of the strategies on the top of his “to do” list is adding more  live-action comedies to Fox and build its brand association in that genre. He’s also intent on building out the entire year for the network, where he serves as entertainment president.

Despite lower ratings for The X Factor, Fox won its second straight Wednesday. Factor pulled an average 3.9 adults 18-49 rating from 8 to 10 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, down 11% from last week’s 4.4 in its debut. This is the first time Fox has ever won the first two Wednesdays of the season.

The half-hour Zooey Deschanel comedy is the first series of the new season to get an additional order.

With an adrenalyn rush from X Factor and The New Girl, Fox scored its first No. 1 during premiere week for the first time its history in the key 18-49 demo. It averaged a 3.4 rating/9 share in that category, according to Nielsen, up 31% over last year and its highest-rated premiere week in 11 years. Fox was the only network to see gains over last year. CBS, which finished No. 2 with a 3.1/8, was down 6% from last year, when it won premiere week.

New fall series featuring women are paying off well for the broadcast networks, led by CBS’s 2 Broke Girls and Fox’s New Girl.

The watchdog group says the network’s airing at 9 p.m. ET of The X Factor contestant Geo Godley dropping his pants and exposing himself represented “a conscious decision by the producers … to intentionally air this content in front of millions of families during hours when they knew full well that children would be watching.”

The fall season kicks off tonight, and when the fourth quarter comes to an end come December, there will be a new No. 1 network. Fox, which finished second behind CBS last fall, will rise to first this fall on the strength of its new shows, according to a poll of media buyers and planners.

After relations between the network and its affiliates grew increasingly contentious, thanks largely to programming fee demands from Fox, the network and the stations are trying to get the relationship back on track, beginning with a meeting this week in Los Angeles.

Emily Deschanel’s pregnancy already forced the show to scale back its number of episodes to 13, six this fall (beginning Nov. 3) and seven in the spring, with its spinoff, The Finder, bridging the gap in the winter. Well, now comes word that Fox has ordered four additional episodes, possibly to air over the summer or be carried to Season 8 (assuming there is a Season 8).

Ready for a channel devoted to nothing but The Simpsons? Don’t laugh, it’s one idea News Corp. COO Chase Carey threw out when speaking Tuesday at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media Communications & Entertainment Conference in Beverly Hills.

By the time the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks has passed, American television networks will have presented more than 75 hours of new programming — documentaries, memorials, dramas, live broadcasts — connected to the event. But not every major outlet is flying the Sept. 11 flag that night. Three in particular — Fox, HBO and NBC — are conspicuous by the absence of programs directly tied to the anniversary during those hours.

Earl Arbuckle, the 27-station group’s senior vice president of engineering, died Monday of a heart attack.

New York Says Thank You marks the 10th anniversary of 9/11 with stories of New Yorkers giving back. The feature film will air on Sept. 10 and 11.

On Friday, Apple dropped the TV rental service from its popular online store. The company unveiled the 99-cent service last October for a six-month trial, using only ABC and Fox programming. The trial period lasted a bit longer than expected.

This summer, TV ratings results seem like a repeat of a year ago — but with one change for NBC. Fox is leading among key 18-49 primetime viewers with an average Nielsen 2.29 million number — but it’s down 12% from a year ago. Close on its heels, ABC is next at 2.27 million, down 9% versus a year ago.