nielsen ratings
(fast national numbers for saturday, september 17, 2011)

Here are the highlights of the 11 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night:

ABC (8.56 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.0, #1) got a boost from "Saturday Night College Football" (8.56 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.0, #1) on Saturday.

FOX (2.51 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.9, #2) then took home a distant second place with week two of the new season of "Cops" (3.40 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T2) alongside repeats of "American Dad" (1.59 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.8, #4) and "The Cleveland Show" (1.68 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T5).

Next up was CBS (3.55 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #3) with a full hour of "Rules of Engagement" (2.49 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T5) alongside a repeat of "Criminal Minds" (3.56 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T5) and a special new "48 Hours Mystery" (4.61 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.1, #T2).

And finally, repeats of "Who Do You Think You Are?" (2.10 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #10), "Up All Night" (2.32 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.6, #9), "Free Agents" (1.76 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.4, #11) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (3.30 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T5) on NBC (2.48 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #4) closed out the evening.

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

An encore telecast of "Saturday Night Live" (3.3/8 in metered-market households), hosted by Justin Timberlake with musical guest Lady Gaga, dominated its time period. "SNL" was up 3 percent versus its year-ago rating in metered-market households 3.3 vs. 3.2).

In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 1.7 rating, 8 share in adults 18-49, making it the #1 non-sports telecast of the night ahead of all primetime entertainment programs on CBS, NBC or Fox. "SNL" equaled its highest 18-49 rating in the Local People Meters of the past seven weeks.

Here are the highlights of the eight ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (9/18/10):

Mainstay "Saturday Night College Football" (7.17 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.3, #1) had no trouble putting ABC (7.17 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.3, #1) on top on Saturday.

Settling for second place was FOX (1.85 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.4, #2) with full hours of "Cops" (4.01 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.3, #3) and "America's Most Wanted" (4.64 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.6, #2).

Next up was CBS (4.50 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.0, #3) with repeats of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (3.68 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.7, #6), "48 Hours Mystery" (4.28 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.0, #5) and another "48 Hours Mystery" (5.53 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.2, #4).

And finally, encores of "The Apprentice" (1.92 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T7) and "Parenthood" (1.71 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T7) on NBC (4.32 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4) rounded out the evening.

Source: Nielsen Media Research