nielsen ratings
(fast national numbers for thursday, august 25, 2011)

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

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Due to local NFL preseason preemptions, Fast Nationals for ABC are inflated.]

CBS (7.20 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.2, #1) continued its reign on Thursday with its mix of "The Big Bang Theory" (7.94 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 2.1, #2), "Rules of Engagement" (6.14 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.8, #4), "Big Brother 13" (8.48 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.2, #1) and "The Mentalist" (6.10 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.3, #T6).

ABC (5.70 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.5, #2) then claimed the silver with a new "Wipeout" (6.75 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.9, #3) followed by the season finale of "Expedition Impossible" (5.20 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.5, #5) and a new "Rookie Blue" (5.14 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.3, #T6).

Next up was FOX (4.25 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.1, #3) with encores of "Bones" (3.96 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T10) and another "Bones" (4.53 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 1.2, #8).

Meanwhile, NBC (2.91 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.9, #4) offered up its all-repeat lineup of "Community" (2.86 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T12), "Parks & Recreation" (2.47 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T12), "The Office" (3.02 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 1.1, #9), "30 Rock" (2.68 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T10) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (3.22 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T12).

And finally, repeats of "The Vampire Diaries" (1.27 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.5, #15) and "Plain Jane" (0.79 million viewers, #16; adults 18-49: 0.3, #16) on The CW (1.03 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.4, #5) rounded out the night.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49): Expedition Impossible (15.4%), Rookie Blue (8.3%), Big Brother 13 (6.7%), Wipeout (0.0%).

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

TBA

Here are the highlights of the 15 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (8/26/10):

CBS (7.27 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.9, #1) was the network to beat on Thursday thanks to a new "Big Brother 12" (8.18 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.8, #1) and repeats of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (6.63 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.5, #T4) and "The Mentalist" (7.01 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.5, #T4).

The silver then went to ABC (5.61 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.6, #2) with a repeat of "Wipeout" (6.29 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.9, #2) followed by new episodes of "Rookie Blue" (6.18 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.7, #3) and "Nightlineprime: Secrets of Your Mind - Why We Do What We Do" (4.36 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.2, #7).

Next up was FOX (3.52 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.1, #3) with repeats of "Bones" (4.37 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.3, #6) and "Fringe" (2.67 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T10).

Meanwhile, NBC (2.93 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.9, #4) offered up second runs of "Community" (2.82 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T12), "30 Rock" (2.40 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T12), "The Office" (2.80 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T8), another "Community" (2.29 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T10) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (3.64 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T8).

And finally, repeats of "The Vampire Diaries" (1.57 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.6, #14) and "Moonlight" (1.36 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.5, #15) on The CW (1.46 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.5, #5) rounded out the night.

Source: Nielsen Media Research