nielsen ratings
(fast national numbers for wednesday, november 16, 2011)

Here are the highlights of the 16 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night:

FOX (11.18 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 3.8, #1) was the network to beat on Wednesday with a new "The X Factor" (10.89 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 3.6, #4) followed by a second hour of "The X Factor" (11.47 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 4.1, #2).

ABC (8.86 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 3.3, #2) then took home the silver with its mix of "The Middle" (9.14 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 2.9, #7), "Suburgatory" (8.13 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 2.8, #8), "Modern Family" (12.88 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 5.5, #1), "Happy Endings" (7.11 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 3.2, #6) and "Revenge" (7.95 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 2.6, #T9).

Next up was CBS (11.52 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.2, #3) with fresh installments of "Survivor: South Pacific" (11.52 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 3.3, #5), "Criminal Minds" (12.54 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 3.7, #3) and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (10.51 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 2.6, #T9).

Meanwhile, NBC (6.25 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.5, #4) offered up a new "Up All Night" (4.82 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 1.9, #T11), a repeat of "Up All Night" (3.86 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 1.4, #13) and new episodes of "Harry's Law" (7.15 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 1.1, #14) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (7.26 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.9, #T11).

And finally, a repeat of "America's Next Top Model" (1.19 million viewers, #16; adults 18-49: 0.4, #16) led into a new "America's Next Top Model" (1.86 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.8, #15) on The CW (1.52 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.6, #5). In the netlet's target demo (women 18-34), "Top Model" posted a 0.7 rating at 8:00/7:00c and a 1.2 rating at 9:00/8:00c.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+8.82% - Criminal Minds
+6.45% - Survivor: South Pacific
+5.56% - Up All Night
+4.00% - CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
+2.50% - The X Factor - 9:00
0.00% - The X Factor - 8:00
0.00% - The Middle (vs. 11/2/11)
0.00% - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
0.00% - America's Next Top Model
-1.79% - Modern Family (vs. 11/2/11)
-8.57% - Happy Endings (vs. 11/2/11)
-9.68% - Suburgatory (vs. 11/2/11)
-13.33% - Revenge (vs. 11/2/11)
-15.38% - Harry's Law

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+100.00% - The X Factor - 8:00 (vs. Human Target)
+73.33% - Revenge (vs. 25 Years of Sexy: People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive!)
+57.69% - The X Factor - 9:00 (vs. Hell's Kitchen)
+36.84% - CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (vs. The Defenders)
+21.74% - Suburgatory (vs. Better With You)
+18.75% - Up All Night (vs. Dateline NBC)
+17.02% - Modern Family
+6.67% - Happy Endings (vs. Cougar Town)
+3.57% - The Middle
0.00% - Criminal Minds
0.00% - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (vs. Law & Order: Los Angeles)
-5.71% - Survivor: South Pacific
-11.11% - America's Next Top Model (vs. Hellcats)
-47.62% - Harry's Law (vs. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)

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," 3.3/9; CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman," 2.8/7; and ABC's combo of "Nightline," 3.3/8; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 1.6/5.

In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, adult 18-49 results were: "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," 0.9/4; "Late Show," 0.9/4; "Nightline," 1.2/5; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 0.6/4.

At 12:35 a.m., "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" (1.7/6 in metered-market households) beat CBS's "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" (1.3/5). In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Late Night" (0.6/4 in 18-49) topped "Late Late Show" (0.5/3).

At 1:35 a.m., "Last Call with Carson Daly" averaged a 1.1/5 in metered-market households with an encore and a 0.4/3 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

Here are the highlights of the 15 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (11/17/10):

CBS (11.89 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.0, #1) moved back into the top spot on Wednesday thanks to new episodes of "Survivor: Nicaragua" (12.01 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 3.5, #3), "Criminal Minds" (14.29 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.7, #2) and "The Defenders" (9.37 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.9, #T9).

Absent the CMAs, ABC (7.28 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 2.6, #2) dipped to second place with its mix of "The Middle" (9.19 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 2.8, #5), "Better With You" (7.03 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 2.3, #7), "Modern Family" (12.00 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 4.7, #1), "Cougar Town" (7.13 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 3.0, #4) and the special "25 Years of Sexy: People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive!" (4.16 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 1.5, #13).

Next up was FOX (6.24 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 2.2, #3) with the return of "Human Target" (6.62 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 1.8, #11) followed by a new "Hell's Kitchen" (5.87 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 2.6, #6).

Meanwhile, NBC (7.39 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.9, #4) offered up a "Dateline NBC" (6.70 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.6, #12) special alongside new episodes of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (7.63 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 2.1, #8) and "Law & Order: Los Angeles" (7.83 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.9, #T9).

And finally, new episodes of "America's Next Top Model" (2.50 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 1.1, #14) and "Hellcats" (2.06 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.9, #15) on The CW (2.28 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.0, #5) rounded out the evening.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49): Criminal Minds (23.30%), Law & Order: Los Angeles (11.80%), Survivor: Nicaragua (9.40%), The Defenders (5.60%), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (5.00%), Cougar Town (0.00%), Hellcats (0.00%), Modern Family (-2.10%), The Middle (-3.40%), Better With You (-8.00%), America's Next Top Model (-8.30%), Hell's Kitchen (-10.30%).

In late-night metered market ratings, NBC's "Leno" (3.3/8) took top honors over ABC's "Nightline" (2.9/7) and CBS's "Letterman" (2.7/7). Rounding out the night then were "Kimmel" (1.5/5) on ABC "Ferguson" (1.4/5) on CBS and "Fallon" (1.6/6) and "Daly" (0.9/4) on NBC.

Source: Nielsen Media Research