nielsen ratings
(fast national numbers for sunday, august 18, 2013)

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

FOX (5.811 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.9, #1) lead the demo pack on Sunday with its coverage of "NFL Preseason: Colts at Giants" (5.811 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.9, #2).

CBS (6.255 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.2, #2) then claimed the silver with its mix of "60 Minutes" (7.323 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T6), "Big Brother 15" (6.516 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 2.0, #1), "Unforgettable" (6.360 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.1, #5) and "The Mentalist" (4.822 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T8).

Next up was ABC (4.029 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.0, #3) and its lineup of "America's Funniest Home Videos" (4.590 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T6), a new "Secret Millionaire" (4.728 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.2, #4), the season finale of "Whodunnit?" (3.670 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 1.4, #3) and a repeat "Castle" (3.131 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T8).

And finally, a rebroadcast of "America's Got Talent" (2.528 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.5, #10) followed by a new "Crossing Lines" (2.069 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T11) and the season finale of "Crossing Lines" (2.035 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T11) on NBC (2.290 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4) closed out the evening.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+27.27% - Whodunnit?
+20.00% - Secret Millionaire
-9.09% - Big Brother 15
-15.38% - Unforgettable
-20.00% - Crossing Lines

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+100.00% - Secret Millionaire (vs. Once Upon a Time (Repeat))
+83.33% - Unforgettable (vs. The Good Wife (Repeat))
+35.71% - NFL Preseason: Colts at Giants (vs. Various (Repeats))
+27.27% - Whodunnit? (vs. Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition)
-13.04% - Big Brother 15
-86.67% - Crossing Lines - 9:00 (vs. NFL Preseason: Indianapolis at Pittsburgh)
-86.67% - Crossing Lines - 10:00 (vs. NFL Preseason: Indianapolis at Pittsburgh)

Here are the highlights of the 15 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (8/19/12):

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Due to the nature of live sports, Fast Nationals for NBC are approximate.]

NBC (8.13 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.6, #1) snagged the top spot on Sunday with its mix of "Dateline NBC" (5.75 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.5, #T5) and "NFL Preseason: Indianapolis at Pittsburgh" (8.93 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.0, #1).

FOX (3.00 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.4, #2) then claimed the silver with its all-repeat lineup of "American Dad" (1.76 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T12), "The Cleveland Show" (2.11 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.9, #11), "The Simpsons" (3.11 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 1.4, #7), another "The Simpsons" (3.37 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 1.5, #T5), "Family Guy" (3.69 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 1.8, #4) and another "Family Guy" (3.98 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.9, #3).

Next up was CBS (5.60 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.2, #3) with its mix of "60 Minutes" (7.72 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T8), "Big Brother 14" (6.50 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 2.3, #2), "The Good Wife" (3.58 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T14) and "The Mentalist" (4.59 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T12).

And finally, encores of "America's Funniest Home Videos" (4.81 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T8) and "Once Upon a Time" (2.78 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T14) followed by the season finale of "Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition" (3.52 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T8) on ABC (3.66 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.0, #4) rounded out the night.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+50.00% - Dateline NBC (vs. 7/22/12)
+35.29% - Big Brother 14
+22.22% - Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition
-21.43% - 60 Minutes

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - Dateline NBC (vs. Dateline NBC (Repeat))
-21.43% - Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition (vs. 20/20: The Sixth Sense (Repeat))
-21.43% - 60 Minutes (vs. 60 Minutes (Repeat))
-30.30% - Big Brother 14

Source: Nielsen Media Research