nielsen ratings
(fast national numbers for tuesday, march 12, 2013)

Here are the highlights of the 15 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night:

FOX (5.439 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 2.2, #1) lead the demo charge on Tuesday with the return of "Hell's Kitchen" (5.140 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 2.0, #2) followed by a second hour of "Hell's Kitchen" (5.739 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 2.3, #1).

CBS (11.151 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.8, #2) however was still the most-watched network despite repeats of "NCIS" (13.004 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.9, #T3) and "NCIS: Los Angeles" (11.922 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.9, #T3) plus a new "Golden Boy" (8.528 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.6, #T5).

Next up was ABC (4.916 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.3, #3) with a new "Celebrity Wife Swap" (5.000 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.6, #T5), the season finale of "The Taste" (3.364 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.1, #8) and a new "Body of Proof" (6.384 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.2, #7).

Meanwhile, NBC (3.030 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.9, #4) offered up repeats of "Betty White's Off Their Rockers" (3.877 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T10), another "Betty White's Off Their Rockers" (3.747 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 1.0, #9), "Go On" (2.591 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.8, #12) and "The New Normal" (2.184 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.7, #13) alongside a new "Smash" (2.891 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T10).

And finally, repeats of "Hart of Dixie" (0.839 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T14) and "Beauty and the Beast" (0.716 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T14) on The CW (0.777 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 "Beast" posted a 0.4 rating.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+28.57% - Smash
+6.67% - Celebrity Wife Swap
0.00% - Golden Boy
0.00% - Body of Proof
-8.33% - The Taste

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+29.03% - Hell's Kitchen - 8:00 (vs. Raising Hope/I Hate My Teenage Daughter)
+23.08% - Golden Boy (vs. Unforgettable (Repeat))
+18.52% - Celebrity Wife Swap (vs. Last Man Standing (Repeat)/Cougar Town)
+9.52% - Hell's Kitchen - 9:00 (vs. New Girl/Breaking In)
-14.29% - Body of Proof
-15.38% - The Taste (vs. The River)
-43.75% - Smash (vs. Fashion Star)

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," 2.5/6; CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman," 2.4/6; and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 2.0/5 with an encore.

* In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, adult 18-49 Wednesday results were: "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," 0.7/3; "Late Show," 0.5/2; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 0.7/3 with an encore.

* From 12:35-1:05 a.m. ET Wednesday night, ABC's "Nightline" averaged a 1.2/4 in metered-market households and a 0.4/2 in 18-49 in the Local People Meters.

* From 12:35-1:35 a.m. ET, "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" (1.3/4 in metered-market households) beat CBS's "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" (1.2/4). In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Late Night" (0.5/3 in 18-49) topped "Late Late Show" (0.3/2).

* 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.

Here are the highlights of the 15 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (3/13/12):

CBS (10.42 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.8, #T1) was the most-watched network on Tuesday despite its all-repeat lineup of "NCIS" (12.71 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.1, #2), "NCIS: Los Angeles" (11.29 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.9, #4) and "Unforgettable" (7.27 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.3, #T10).

FOX (4.23 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.8, #T1) and NBC (5.45 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.8, #T1) however shared the adults 18-49 crown alongside the Eye as the former offered up new episodes of "Raising Hope" (4.29 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.8, #5), "I Hate My Teenage Daughter" (3.52 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 1.3, #T10), "New Girl" (5.66 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 2.7, #1) and "Breaking In" (3.47 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 1.5, #7).

The Peacock then served up a 90-minute "The Biggest Loser 13" (6.35 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 2.0, #3) - tied for its season low - followed by the debut of "Fashion Star" (4.55 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 1.6, #6).

Next up was ABC (5.44 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.4, #4) with a repeat of "Last Man Standing" (5.42 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.3, #T10) followed by new episodes of "Cougar Town" (4.41 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 1.4, #T8) - a series low, "The River" (4.13 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 1.3, #T10) - likewise a series low - and "Body of Proof" (7.28 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.4, #T8).

And finally, new episodes of "90210" (1.22 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.6, #14) and "Ringer" (1.10 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.4, #15) on The CW (1.16 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.5, #5) closed out the evening. In the netlet's target demo (women 18-34), "90210" delivered a 0.9 rating while "Ringer" posted a 0.5 rating.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+7.69% - Body of Proof (vs. 2/28/12)
+5.26% - The Biggest Loser 13
-6.67% - Cougar Town
-10.00% - New Girl
-11.76% - Breaking In
-13.33% - The River
-14.29% - 90210
-14.29% - Raising Hope
-18.75% - I Hate My Teenage Daughter
-20.00% - Ringer

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+100.00% - 90210 (vs. One Tree Hill (Repeat))
+100.00% - Ringer (vs. Hellcats (Repeat))
+55.56% - Cougar Town (vs. No Ordinary Family (Repeat))
+8.00% - New Girl (vs. Raising Hope)
+7.69% - Body of Proof (vs. Detroit 187)
-6.25% - Breaking In (vs. Traffic Light)
-18.78% - Fashion Star (vs. The Biggest Loser/America's Next Great Restaurant (Repeat))
-25.93% - The Biggest Loser 13
-27.78% - The River (vs. V)
-55.00% - Raising Hope (vs. Glee)
-67.50% - I Hate My Teenage Daughter (vs. Glee)

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," 2.6/7; CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman," 2.2/6; and ABC's combo of "Nightline," 3.1/7; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 1.5/4.

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

At 12:35 a.m., "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" (1.3/4 in metered-market households with an encore) beat CBS's first-run "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" (1.1/4). In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Late Night" (0.5/3 in 18-49 with an encore) topped "Late Late Show" (0.3/2).

At 1:35 a.m., "Last Call with Carson Daly" averaged a 0.8/3 with an encore in metered-market households and a 0.3/2 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters

Source: Nielsen Media Research