nielsen ratings
(fast national numbers for saturday, october 29, 2011)

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

"Saturday Night College Football" (6.72 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.1, #1) kept ABC (6.72 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.1, #1) in front on Saturday night.

FOX (4.33 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.4, #2) then claimed the silver with the return of "America's Most Wanted" (4.37 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.4, #T2) followed by a second hour of "America's Most Wanted" (4.30 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.4, #T2).

Next up was CBS (3.65 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.9, #3) with a full hour of "How I Met Your Mother" (2.05 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.6, #7) repeats, a repeat of "Criminal Minds" (3.38 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.7, #6) and a new "48 Hours Mystery" (5.53 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.3, #4).

And finally, last-minute encores of "Chuck" (1.93 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.3, #9) and "Grimm" (2.23 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #8) led into a repeat of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (3.83 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.8, #5) on NBC (2.67 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4).

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

An encore telecast of "Saturday Night Live" (3.5/8 in metered-market households, Boston and Hartford currently excluded), hosted by Ben Stiller with musical guest Foster the People, dominated the time period.

In the 25 markets with Local People Meters (Boston currently excluded), "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 1.8 rating, 8 share in adults 18-49. The "SNL" encore was the #1 non-sports telecast of the night in the Local People Meters ahead of all primetime entertainment telecasts on ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox

Here are the highlights of the 10 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (10/30/10):

FOX (9.23 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.3, #1) narrowly took home top honors on Saturday with its coverage of the "World Series, Game 3" (9.23 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.3, #1).

ABC (6.54 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 2.2, #2) then took home a close second place with its "Saturday Night College Football" (6.54 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 2.2, #2) coverage.

Next up was CBS (5.69 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.1, #3) with a repeat of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (4.95 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.0, #6) followed by a new "48 Hours Mystery" (5.36 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.9, #7) and a second "48 Hours Mystery" (6.77 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.3, #3).

And finally, encores of "Scared Shrekless" (3.83 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.1, #5), "Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space" (4.21 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.2, #4), "The Office" (2.25 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T8), "Community" (1.86 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.7, #10) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (3.09 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T8) on NBC (3.06 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.9, #4) rounded out the evening.

And in late-night, a new "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 4.6 household rating, 11 share in the metered markets.

Source: Nielsen Media Research