On Saturday, April 6, “A Special Edition of 20/20 with Katie Couric: General Hospital – The Real Soap Dish” beat out the first original airing of NBC’s “Smash” in head to head combat with the Katie Couric hosted special ranking second in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, behind only the “NCAA Basketball Tournament,” according to TVbytheNumbers.

From 9:00 to 10:00 PM, the “GH” special attracted an average total viewing audience of 2.86 million and a 0.6/2 rating in Adults 18-49. Per TV Media Insights, the half-hour breakdown was as follows:

• 9:00 – 9:30 PM: Viewers: 2.91 million, A18-49: 0.7/ 2
• 9:30 – 10:00 PM: Viewers: 2.80 million, A18-49: 0.6/ 2

“The Real Soap Dish” held a nearly 1 million total viewer advantage (2.86 million vs 1.88 million) over the relocated “Smash,” which will air the remainder of its second (and likely final) season originals in the timeslot after NBC decided to ship the low rated series to the night back in March. “Smash” averaged a 0.5/1 in Adults 18-49.

For the night, “The Real Soap Dish” was the third most watched program in Total Viewers and tied for fourth in Adults 18-49. “NCAA Basketball” ranked first in both categories with 15.92 million viewers and a 5.1/17 in the key demographic. A second airing of “20/20” at 10:00 PM, featuring wedding trends, averaged 2.99 million viewers and a 0.6/2 in Adults 18-49. Both editions of “20/20,” which also tied an 8:00 PM repeat airing of FOX’s “Cops” and a 10:00 PM repeat airing of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” in Adults 18-49, were only beaten by the aforementioned “NCAA Basketball,” an hour-long repeat airing of NBC’s “The Voice” at 8:00 PM and an 8:30 PM repeat airing of “Cops” in the demo.

Note: Numbers are based on Live+SD. Final Live+SD numbers will be released on Monday, April 8. Live+7 numbers will be released approximately on Monday, April 22.