nielsen ratings
(fast national numbers for saturday, march 3, 2012)

Here are the highlights of the 11 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night:

ABC (4.38 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.2, #1) claimed top honors on Saturday with a repeat of "Winter Wipeout" (3.35 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.0, #3) followed by the debut of "20/20: My Extreme Affliction" (4.89 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.3, #1).

CBS (5.16 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.9, #2) then had to settle for second place with encores of "CSI: NY" (4.68 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T5), "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (5.28 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.9, #4) and a new "48 Hours Mystery" (5.51 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.1, #2).

Next up was FOX (2.21 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #3) with the two-hour launch of "Q'Viva! The Chosen" (2.21 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T5).

And finally, NBC (2.60 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4) closed out the night with its mix of "Smash" (1.78 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T8), a new "The Firm" (2.21 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T8) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (3.82 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T5).

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

"Saturday Night Live" (5.5/14 in metered-market households) with host Lindsay Lohan with musical guest Jack White, dominated its time period with the highest rating of the night in metered-market households, ahead of all Saturday primetime telecasts on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. "SNL" generated its second highest rating in metered-market households this season, behind only the 8.2/19 for a late-starting telecast on January 7, the night of NBC Sports' primetime coverage of the Lions-Saints NFL Wild Card playoff game. Versus the same night last year, "SNL" is up 2 percent in metered-market households (5.5/14 vs. 5.4/13).

In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 3.3 rating, 15 share in adults 18-49 to rank #1 among the night's telecasts ahead of all Saturday primetime programs on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. "SNL" scored its second highest rating in the Local People Meters this season, behind only the 4.6/18 of January 7, the night of the NFL Wild Card playoff game.

[NOTE: Today's numbers are courtesy of TVMediaInsights.com due to delays from our usual sources.]

Here are the highlights of the eight ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (3/4/11):

FOX (5.50 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.8, #1) led the demo race on Saturday with its usual mix of "Cops" (5.36 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.8, #2) and "America's Most Wanted" (5.64 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.9, #1).

CBS (4.54 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.2, #2) then took home the silver with its "NCAA Men's College Basketball" (4.57 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.4, #3) coverage followed by a new "48 Hours Mystery" (4.48 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T5).

Next up was NBC (5.67 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.0, #3) with encores of "Harry's Law" (5.08 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.8, #8), "Law & Order: Los Angeles" (5.70 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T5) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (6.22 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.3, #4).

And finally, the feature "King Kong" (3.31 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.9, #7) on ABC (3.31 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.9, #4) closed out the evening.

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

"Saturday Night Live" (5.4/13 in metered-market households), hosted by Miley Cyrus with musical guest The Strokes, dominated its time period. "SNL" was the #1 telecast of the night in metered-market households ahead of all primetime programs on ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox. Versus the same night last year, "SNL" is up 8 percent in metered-market households (5.4 vs. 5.0).

In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 3.3 rating, 14 share in adults 18-49, making it the #1 program of the night, more than doubling each primetime telecast on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.

In the 25 Local People Meter markets, "Saturday Night Live's" 3.3 matched the show's second-highest 18-49 rating of the season (also earned on February 5 with host Dana Carvey and musical guest Linkin Park), behind only the January 8 telecast, which benefited from a high-rated primetime NFL game on NBC that night.

Source: Nielsen Media Research