NBC Sweeps to Weekly-Ratings Victory

'Jurassic Park'' helped transform NBC's peacock into a flower for the first full week of the May ratings sweep.

NBC, gambling a reported $50 million for first rights to the all-time top-grossing movie, saw ''Jurassic Park'' finish as TV's top-rated show. Its regular series, ''ER,'' ''Friends,'' and ''Seinfeld,'' finished 2-3-4.

For the week of May 1-7, NBC dominated with a 12.7 rating and 21 percent audience share.

A single ratings point equals 954,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation's 95.4 million TV homes estimated by Nielsen Media Research. Share is the percentage of sets tuned to a network during a specific time slot.

ABC, winner of the '94-95 season, was well back with an 11.5 rating, 19 share. CBS was third with a 10.4 rating, 17 share.

The Fox network, airing only 15 of the 22 prime-time hours, earned a 6.3 rating, 10 share -- well below its season-to-date average of a 7.5 rating, 10 share.

The ratings sweep began April 27. It is one of three annual, monthlong periods when intense audience surveys ''sweep the nation'' in February, May, and November to help local stations set their advertising rates.

Among the nightly newscasts, ABC's ''World News Tonight'' led with a 9 rating and a 19 share; ''NBC Nightly News'' was second, with a 7.4 rating, 16 share, just ahead of ''CBS Evening News,'' with a 7.1 rating, 15 share.

The Top 10 shows, their networks and ratings last week:

''NBC Sunday Night Movie: Jurassic Park,'' 23.3;

''ER,'' NBC, 22.4;

''Friends,'' NBC, 20.7;

''Seinfeld,'' NBC, 20.0;

''Home Improvement,'' ABC, 18.2;

''CBS Special Movie: Buffalo Girls,'' 16.9;

''Ellen -- Special,'' ABC, 15.9;

''Home Improvement -Special,'' ABC, 15.6;

''Grace Under Fire,'' ABC, 15.5;

''Coach,'' ABC, 14.8.