Viewer numbers down the hatch

0 Comments | USA TODAY, October, 2006 | by Gary Levin

Correction ran 10/18/2006: A report on ratings for VH1's Flavor of Love Oct. 11 incorrectly referred to the Oct. 8 episode as the season finale. The finale aired Oct. 15. *Lost luster. The third-season opener of Lost averaged 18.8 million viewers Wednesday, down nearly 5 million from last fall's hatch-revealing premiere.

However, Lost had its biggest audience since Jan. 25, reflecting a steady dropoff throughout last season. *Nine lives. Lost's new companion, serial drama The Nine, had a decent start with 11.9 million viewers but held a lower percentage of Lost's audience than last fall's Invasion did. *Lights dim. Against weak competition, the premiere of NBC's heavily touted Friday Night Lights disappointed Tuesday with 7.2 million viewers, the lowest turnout for any drama...