nielsen ratings
(fast national numbers for saturday, june 23, 2012)

Here are the highlights of the 10 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night:

FOX (3.80 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.9, #1) edged out the competition on Saturday with its coverage of the "Saturday Baseball Game of the Week" (3.80 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.9, #3).

NBC (3.09 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.8, #2) then fell just behind with its mix of "U.S. Olympic Team Trials: Track & Field Finals" (3.95 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T1) coverage, a repeat of "Betty White's Off Their Rockers" (2.40 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T5) and a new "The Firm" (2.14 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T7).

Next up was CBS (3.36 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T3) with its combination of "Rules of Engagement" (1.75 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T7), "How to Be a Gentleman" (1.56 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.3, #10), "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (3.49 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T5) and "48 Hours Mystery" (5.40 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T1).

And finally, repeats of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (2.27 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T7) and "Castle" (3.10 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.7, #4) on ABC (2.54 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T3) closed out the evening.

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

An encore telecast of "Saturday Night Live," with host Jonah Hill and musical guest The Shins (2.8/7 in metered-market households), dominated its time period. In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 1.3 rating, 6 share in adults 18-49, making it the night's #1 non-sports program in the Local People Meters, ahead of all primetime telecasts on ABC, CBS and NBC.

[NOTE: Today's numbers are courtesy of TVMediaInsights.com due to delays from our usual sources.]

Here are the highlights of the nine ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (6/25/11):

A full night of "Cops" (3.56 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.1, #1) repeats put FOX (3.56 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.1, #1) in front on Saturday.

NBC (3.28 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.7, #2) then claimed the silver with its all-repeat mix of "Minute to Win It" (2.90 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.6, #5), "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (3.25 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #4) and "Law & Order: Los Angeles" (3.70 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #3).

Next up was CBS (3.67 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.6, #3) with back-to-back episodes of "Chaos" (3.24 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T6) and a repeat of "48 Hours Mystery" (4.54 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.9, #2).

And finally, encores of "101 Ways to Leave a Game Show" (1.82 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.4, #9), "Expedition Impossible" (1.95 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T6) and "Rookie Blue" (2.36 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T6) on ABC (2.04 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4) rounded out the evening.

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

An encore telecast of "Saturday Night Live" (3.4/9 in metered-market households), hosted by Elton John with musical guests Elton John and Leon Russell, dominated its time period and delivered the #1 rating of the night ahead of all primetime programs on ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox. In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 1.6 rating, 7 share in adults 18-49, making it the #1 telecast of the night ahead of all primetime programs on ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox.

Source: Nielsen Media Research