nielsen ratings
(fast national numbers for saturday, august 13, 2011)

Here are the highlights of the 10 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night:

FOX (3.63 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.2, #1) slipped past the competition on Saturday with its all-repeat lineup of "Cops" (4.18 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.3, #1), "Family Guy" (3.28 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T3) and "The Cleveland Show" (2.89 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T5).

NBC (3.82 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.1, #2) then claimed a close second with its mix of "Who Do You Think You Are?" (3.46 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.9, #8), "Wrestlemania: The World Premiere" (3.64 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T3) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (4.35 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.2, #2).

Next up was ABC (3.69 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.0, #3) with a rebroadcast of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (3.69 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T5).

And finally, repeats of "NCIS: Los Angeles" (4.29 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T9), "48 Hours Mystery" (4.70 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T9) and another "48 Hours Mystery" (5.51 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T5) on CBS (4.83 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.9, #4) rounded out the evening.

In late-night metered market ratings (via NBC's press release):

An encore telecast of "Saturday Night Live" (3.3/8 in metered-market households), hosted by Jesse Eisenberg with musical guest Nicki Minaj, dominated its time period. Versus the same night last year, "SNL" is up 18 percent (3.3 vs. 2.8).

In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 1.7 rating, 8 share in adults 18-49, making it the #1 telecast of the night ahead of all primetime programs on ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox. Versus the same night last year, "SNL" is up 13 percent in the Local People Meters (1.7 vs. 1.5).

Here are the highlights of the nine ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (8/14/10):

FOX (4.55 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.4, #1) remained on top on Saturday with its mainstays "Cops" (4.19 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.3, #3) and "America's Most Wanted" (4.91 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.5, #T1).

CBS (5.52 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.2, #2) then claimed second place with its all-repeat mix of "Cold Case" (4.43 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.9, #7), "48 Hours Mystery" (5.40 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.1, #4) and another "48 Hours Mystery" (6.72 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.5, #T1).

Next up was NBC (3.51 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.0, #3) with its coverage of the "VISA Gymnastics Championships " (3.59 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T5) followed by a repeat of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (3.35 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T5).

And finally, encores of "Bachelor Pad" (2.47 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T8) and "Rookie Blue" (2.58 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T8) on ABC (2.51 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #4) rounded out the night.

Source: Nielsen Media Research