TV Ratings: ‘NCIS’ milestone helps CBS win Tuesday, as ABC’s ‘River’ launch dwindles

Fast National ratings for Tuesday, February 7, 2012.

The 200th episode of “NCIS” delivered a big audience to CBS and helped the network dominate Tuesday night overall and pull out a slim win among young viewers, as “Raising Hope” prevented FOX from claiming the key demo.

Meanwhile, ABC’s premiere of “The River” got off to a solid start, but the two-hour launch dropped viewers with each half-hour, though it still managed to win the 10 p.m. hour among young viewers.

Among adults 18-49, CBS won the night with a 3.1 rating, edging out FOX’s 3.0 rating in the key demographic. ABC averaged a 2.4 rating for third, beating the 2.0 rating for NBC. The CW averaged a 0.6 rating for the night.

Overall, CBS won the night comfortably, averaging 16.21 million viewers and a 10.1 rating/16 share. ABC was a distant second with a 4.7/7 and 7.63 million viewers, beating the 4.1/6 and 6.76 million viewers for FOX. NBC was fourth with a 3.7/6 and 5.78 million viewers. The CW averaged a 0.8/1 and 1.255  million viewers.

[Univision averaged 3.78 million viewers and a 1.5 rating among adults 18-49 for Tuesday night.]

8 p.m. – “NCIS” ruled the 8 p.m. hour with 20.82 million viewers and a 4.1 rating among adults 18-49, on the high side in viewers. ABC was second overall with 7.86 million viewers for two episodes of “Last Man Standing,” finishing third with a 2.4 key demo rating. After a one-week Michael Jackson bump, FOX’s “Glee” came back to Earth with 7.72 million viewers and a 3.2 key demo rating. NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” averaged 5.97 million viewers and a 2.1 key demo rating for fourth. On The CW, “90210” averaged 1.36 million viewers and a 0.7 key demo rating.

9 p.m. – CBS stayed in first for the 9 p.m. hour with 16.12 million viewers for “NCIS: Los Angeles,” which also won the hour among adults 18-49 with a 3.1 rating. ABC’s “The River” premiere averaged nearly 8.2 million viewers in its first hour and finished third with a 2.5 key demo rating. NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” was third overall for the hour with 6.74 million viewers and  fourth with a 2.4 key demo rating, both up from last week. FOX’s “New Girl” (6.92 million and a 3.5 key demo rating) and “Raising Hope” (4.67 million and a 2.2 key demo rating) were fourth overall and second in the key demo. On The CW, “Ringer” averaged only 1.15 million viewers and a 0.5 key demo rating, down from last week’s 2012 return.

10 p.m. – “Unforgettable” won the 10 p.m. hour overall for CBS with 11.7 million viewers, but finished second with a 2.2 key demo rating. ABC’s “The River” dropped to 6.82 million viewers and a 2.3 key demo rating (including 6.45 million and a 2.2 key demo in its last half-hour). The second week will obviously be important for the supernatural drama. NBC’s “Parenthood” had a low week with 4.64 million viewers and a 1.6 key demo rating.