nielsen ratings
(fast national numbers for tuesday, august 7, 2012)

Here are the highlights of the 12 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night:

NBC (29.58 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 9.3, #1) continued to ride the ratings wave brought on by its "2012 Summer Olympics" (29.58 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 9.3, #1) coverage last night.

CBS (5.46 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T2) then claimed the silver with its mix of "NCIS" (6.72 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.0, #2), "NCIS: Los Angeles" (5.34 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T3) and "Person of Interest" (4.33 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.8, #7).

Next up was FOX (2.38 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T2) with rebroadcasts of "MasterChef" (2.31 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T3) and a second "MasterChef" (2.44 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T3).

Meanwhile, ABC (2.54 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.7, #4) offered up repeats of "The Middle" (2.62 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T8), "Last Man Standing" (2.15 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.6, #10) and "Wipeout" (2.42 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T3) as well as a new "NY Med" (2.81 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T8).

And finally, a repeat of "Hart of Dixie" (0.66 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.2, #11) and a new "The L.A. Complex" (0.41 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.1, #12) on The CW (0.53 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.2, #5) closed out the night. In the netlet's target demo (women 18-34), "Dixie" delivered a 0.3 rating while "Complex" posted a 0.2 rating.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+16.67% - NY Med
-50.00% - The L.A. Complex

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):

-22.22% - NY Med (vs. Combat Hospital)
-66.67% - The L.A. Complex (vs. Shedding for the Wedding (Repeat))

[NOTE: Late-night metered market ratings will return after the Olympics.]

Here are the highlights of the 12 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (8/9/11):

FOX (6.21 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 2.6, #1) was the demo champ on Tuesday thanks to new episodes of "Hell's Kitchen" (6.34 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 2.7, #2) and "Masterchef" (6.07 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 2.5, #3).

NBC (8.92 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.3, #2) then had to settle for second place with fresh installments of "It's Worth What?" (4.44 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T8) and "America's Got Talent" (11.16 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.9, #1).

Next up was ABC (4.72 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.5, #3) with its mix of "Wipeout" (6.11 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.9, #4), "Take the Money and Run" (4.68 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 1.8, #5) and "Combat Hospital" (3.38 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.9, #10).

Meanwhile, CBS (8.18 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.4, #4) offered up its all-repeat lineup of "NCIS" (10.24 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.6, #6), "NCIS: Los Angeles" (8.07 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.4, #7) and "The Mentalist" (6.22 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T8).

And finally, The CW (0.67 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.3, #5) did the same with encores of "90210" (0.76 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T11) and "Shedding for the Wedding" (0.57 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T11).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49): Masterchef (4.2%), Hell's Kitchen (3.8%), America's Got Talent (0.0%), Take the Money and Run (-5.3%), It's Worth What? (-8.3%), Combat Hospital (-10.0%).

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

In Nielsen's 56 metered markets, household results were: "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," 3.1/8; CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman," 1.9/5 with an encore; and ABC's combo of "Nightline," 2.6/6; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 1.1/3.

In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, adult 18-49 results were: "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," 1.1/5; "Late Show," 0.5/2 with an encore; "Nightline," 0.9/4; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 0.4/2.

At 12:35 a.m., "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" (1.5/5 in metered-market households) beat CBS's "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" (1.0/3 with an encore). In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Late Night" (0.6/4 in 18-49) topped "Late Late Show" (0.3/2 with an encore).

At 1:35 a.m., "Last Call with Carson Daly" averaged a 0.8/3 in metered-market households with an encore and a 0.3/3 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

Source: Nielsen Media Research