SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty ImagesMonday TV's Big Draw: President Obama's first prime-time press conference was watched, on average, by a combined 49.5 million on eight networks from 8 to 9 p.m ET, Nielsen said.
Presidential Scorecard: Obama easily bested an early George W. Bush address on stem-cell research (31.6 million on six networks in 2001), per Nielsen stats. But he couldn't touch an early Bill Clinton speech on the economy (64.3 million on four networks in 1993).
Economic Unstimulus: The Obama speech threw time slots out of whack, so right now most shows, including Two and a Half Men (night-best 14.9 million, per estimates), are looking down from last week. Maybe the final numbers will save Heroes (7.9 million), 24 (10.5 million) and a Sean Combs-boasting CSI: Miami (13.7 million—down more than 2 million). Or maybe they won't.
Recession-Proof: The Bachelor (11.6 million) hit a season high, updated numbers showed.
Etc.: Per the estimates, NBC scored more viewers for Obama (9.8 million) than it did for either Heroes or Medium (7.9 million).
(Originally published Feb. 10, 2009, at 9:42 a.m. PT.)