Fast National ratings for Wednesday, August 22, 2012.
One strong hour of “America’s Got Talent,” plus a week-to-week drop from FOX’s “So You Think You Can Dance” helped NBC win Wednesday night overall and among young viewers.
Meanwhile, “Oh Sit!” continued to be the bright light of The CW’s summer, slipping only a tiny bit in its second week.
For the night, NBC averaged a 1.7 rating among adults 18-49, topping FOX and CBS’ 1.5 ratings in the key demographic. ABC averaged a 1.0 key demo rating for Wednesday night, while The CW did a 0.4 key demo rating.
Overall, NBC averaged an estimated 6.29 million viewers and a 4.0 rating/7 share for Wednesday primetime, edging out the 5.74 million viewers and 3.7/6 for CBS. FOX was third with a 2.8/5 and 4.51 million viewers, with ABC’s 2.6/4 and 3.73 million viewers following. The CW averaged 934,000 viewers and a 0.4 key demo rating.
8 p.m. – CBS started primetime in first with 5.76 million viewers and a 2.0 rating among adults 18-49 for “Big Brother,” down a sliver from last week. NBC was second with 5.58 million viewers and a 1.5 key demo rating for an encore of “America’s Got Talent.” FOX’s “So You Think You Can Dance” slipped to 4.605 million viewers and a 1.5 key demo rating, still beating the 3.71 million viewers and 1.0 key demo rating for ABC’s repeats of “The Middle” and “Suburgatory.” On The CW, “Oh Sit!” averaged 1.62 million viewers and a 0.4 key demo rating in its second Wednesday airing.
9 p.m. – NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” was up a hair from last week and easily won the 9 p.m. hour with 8.74 million viewers and a 2.3 rating among adults 18-49. CBS was second overall with nearly 5.8 million viewers for a repeat of “Criminal Minds,” coming in third with a 1.3 key demo rating. FOX’s “So You Think You Can Dance” averaged only 4.42 million viewers and a 1.5 key demo rating. ABC’s repeats of “Modern Family” and “Suburgatory” averaged 3.07 million viewers and a 1.1 key demo rating in fourth, while The CW’s encore of “The Next” averaged 706,000 viewers and a 0.3 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – CBS’ repeat of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” won the 10 p.m. hour overall with 5.65 million viewers and finished second with a 1.1 rating among adults 18-49. NBC’s repeat of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” was second overall with 4.56 million viewers and won the hour with a 1.3 key demo rating. ABC’s “NY Med” finale averaged 4.41 million viewers and a 1.0 key demo rating.
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.