nielsen ratings
(fast national numbers for thursday, june 9, 2011)

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

ABC (12.91 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 5.1, #1) was the network to beat on Thursday thanks to its surging coverage of the "NBA Finals, Game 5" (15.43 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 6.3, #1). Kicking off the night were pre-game specials "Jimmy Kimmel: Game Night" (7.06 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 2.4, #T3) and "NBA Countdown" (8.66 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 3.3, #2).

FOX (6.94 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 2.4, #2) then had to settle for second place with a two-hour "So You Think You Can Dance" (6.94 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 2.4, #T3).

Next up was CBS (7.24 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.4, #3) with its all-repeat lineup of "The Big Bang Theory" (7.31 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.8, #5), "Rules of Engagement" (6.01 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 1.6, #6), "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (7.39 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.3, #T7) and "The Mentalist" (7.67 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.3, #T7).

Meanwhile, NBC (2.17 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.8, #4) likewise served up encores of "Community" (2.08 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T12), "30 Rock" (2.02 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T12), "The Office" (2.30 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T9), "Parks & Recreation" (1.97 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T9) plus a new "Love Bites" (2.31 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T9).

And finally, repeats of "The Vampire Diaries" (1.01 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T14) and "Nikita" (0.94 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T14) on The CW (0.97 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.3, #5) rounded out the evening.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49): Love Bites (-10.00%), So You Think You Can Dance (-14.30%).

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," 2.7/6; and CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman," 2.5/6. ABC's "Nightline" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live" were delayed by an NBA overrun.

In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, adult 18-49 results were: "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," 0.8/3; and "Late Show," 0.7/3.

At 12:35 a.m., "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" (1.3/4 in metered-market households) trailed CBS's "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" (1.4/4). In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Late Night" (0.5/3 in 18-49) topped "Late Late Show" (0.4/3).

At 1:35 a.m., Last Call with Carson Daly" averaged a 0.7/3 in metered-market households with an encore and a 0.3/2 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

Here are the highlights of the 16 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (6/10/10):

ABC (10.64 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 4.2, #1) claimed the top spot on Thursday thanks to its coverage of "NBA Finals, Game 4" (11.71 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 4.8, #1). Leading off the night were its usual pre-game mix of "Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night" (8.89 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 3.1, #2) and "NBA Countdown" (8.10 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 3.0, #3).

Second place then went to FOX (5.54 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 2.1, #2) with a repeat of "Glee" (4.44 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 1.6, #T6) and a new "So You Think You Can Dance" (6.63 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 2.5, #4).

Next up was CBS (8.28 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.6, #3) with repeats of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (7.40 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.4, #8), a second "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (8.51 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.6, #T6) and "The Mentalist" (8.92 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.7, #5).

Meanwhile, NBC (2.58 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.1, #4) offered up its combination of "Community" (2.65 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.9, #13), "100 Questions" (2.29 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.8, #14), "The Office" (2.80 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 1.3, #T9), "30 Rock" (2.75 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.2, #11), another "The Office" (2.71 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 1.3, #T9) and "Parks & Recreation" (2.27 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 1.0, #12).

And finally, repeats of "The Vampire Diaries" (1.42 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.5, #15) and "Moonlight" (1.19 million viewers, #16; adults 18-49: 0.4, #16) on The CW (1.30 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.5, #5) rounded out the evening.

Source: Nielsen Media Research