The Hollywood Reporter | Live Feed

UPDATED: For the first time in the network's history, Fox is projected to win the November sweeps.

Thanks to a heavily viewed World Series and the network's most stable fall lineup in years, Fox is averaging a 3.5 adult demo rating as of Wednesday afternoon.

Fox is up 17% from its November sweeps period last year in the advertiser-coveted adult demographic and is the only major broadcast network to post a gain. With viewing levels down 6% from last year, ABC is in second place with 3.2 (-9%). CBS is third with 3.0 (-12%). NBC is fourth with 2.6 (-16%) and the CW has a 1.2 (+9%). ABC would come out on top if sports programming were excluded. Fox previously tied NBC to win November sweeps in 2001, but has never won the outright.

Among total viewers, through Tuesday afternoon CBS is out in front with 11.5 million, followed by ABC (10.3 million), Fox (10.2 million), NBC (7.6 million) and the CW (2.6 million).

Among total viewers, CBS is out in front with 11.5 million, followed by ABC (10.3 million), Fox (10.2 million), NBC (7.6 million) and the CW (2.6 million).

Aside from baseball, Fox's other sweeps strengths include Sunday nights, where the network's animated lineup has been bolstered by the top-rated new scripted fall series ("Cleveland"), and Mondays, the performance of "House" on Mondays and the new pairing of "So You Think You Can Dance" and "Glee" on Wednesdays.

Fox's strength this fall is partly due to its consistency — a word that's probably never been used to describe the network's fourth quarter before.

Most nights Fox doesn't win. On Thursdays and Tuesdays, the network is usually in third or fourth place. Fox no longer has ratings craters, however, which is very key. One lousy hour can effectively kneecap a network's biggest hit once it gets averaged into the mix. With the exception of Fridays, a challenging night for most networks, Fox is pulling a competitive numbers across the board.

Looking ahead, Fox just announced its midseason schedule, which includes benching "Glee" until April. When the musical comedy returns, it will have a lead-in from "American Idol," which, in addition to the return of "24" and the debut of new shows "Our Little Genius" and "Human Target," should help ensure that Fox will continue to have a strong season.