nielsen ratings
(fast national numbers for saturday, march 31, 2012)

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

CBS (14.94 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 5.0, #1) rode the ratings wave of the "NCAA Men's Basketball Championship" (14.94 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 5.0, #1) as the Final Four dominated the night.

The silver then went to ABC (3.09 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T2) with its mix of "Shark Tank" (2.79 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T4) and another two-hour "20/20: My Extreme Affliction" (3.24 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.9, #3).

Next up was FOX (3.03 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T2) with the return of "Cops" (3.40 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.1, #2) followed by a repeat of "Bones" (2.66 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T4).

And finally, the miniscule debut of "Escape Routes" (1.12 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.2, #8) lead into a new "The Firm" (2.08 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.3, #7) and a repeat of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (3.41 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.7, #6) on NBC (2.21 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #4).

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) with host Katy Perry and musical guest Robyn, dominated its time period. "SNL" was the night's #1 non-sports telecast in metered-market households, ahead of all primetime entertainment programs on ABC, NBC and Fox.

In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 1.9 rating, 8 share in adults 18-49. It's the top Local People Meter result for an "SNL" encore since February 23 (with host Charlie Day and musical guest Maroon 5, 2.3/10). "SNL" was the night's #1 entertainment telecast in the Local People Meters, ahead of all primetime non-sports programs on ABC, NBC and Fox.

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

Here are the highlights of the seven ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (4/2/11):

CBS (14.96 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 4.7, #1) dominated the night thanks to its penultimate night of "NCAA Men's Basketball Championship" (14.96 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 4.7, #1) coverage.

FOX (4.38 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.3, #2) then claimed a distant second place with its mainstays "Cops" (4.08 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.3, #3) and "America's Most Wanted" (4.69 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.4, #2).

Next up was ABC (3.91 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.2, #3) with a rebroadcast of "Transformers" (3.91 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.2, #4).

And finally, repeats of "Harry's Law" (3.74 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #7), "Law & Order: Los Angeles" (4.53 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #6) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (5.17 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.1, #5) on NBC (4.48 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.7, #4) rounded out the evening.

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

"Saturday Night Live" (5/0/12 in metered-market households), hosted by Elton John with musical guests Elton John and Leon Russell, dominated its time period. "SNL" was the #1 non-sports telecast of the night in metered-market households ahead of all primetime entertainment programs on ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox.

In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 2.6 rating, 11 share in adults 18-49, making it the #1 non-sports telecast of the night, outscoring all primetime entertainment programs on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.

Source: Nielsen Media Research