Whether you enjoyed CBS' first attempt at an MMA broadcast or not you can't argue with the numbers. The Elite XC fight that aired Saturday night on the network beat out the Stanley Cup Finals in most major markets and just about every other program on in the same time slot. Not all the numbers are in but Variety and the L.A. Times are reporting a windfall for the "Eye"...

Variety- According to preliminary Nielsen estimates that will be finalized Tuesday, CBS led the two-hour block from 9 to 11 p.m. in adults 18-49 (1.9 rating/6 share) -- a 36% improvement over what the network averaged with its crime programming on the night during the recently concluded 2007-08 season.

But it was in younger and male demos that the fights hit a bull's-eye: Among adults 18-34, the event's 1.9 rating more than doubled the Eye's season average (0.9), while in men 18-34, it more than tripled the net's average (2.6 vs. 0.7).

Times- The first mixed martial arts event shown in prime time on a major network was a big hit for KCBS-TV Channel 2.

The Saturday night tape-delayed Elite Extreme Combat event from Newark, N.J., came in with a local overnight rating of 4.7 and a 9 share. The rating peaked at 7.2 the final 15 minutes.

By comparison, a Stanley Cup final hockey game shown earlier in the evening on KNBC-TV Channel 4 averaged just a 1.3 local rating and a 3 share.