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

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

FOX (3.68 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.1, #1) was the network to beat on Saturday with its second of four planned "America's Most Wanted" (3.68 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.1, #1) specials.

CBS (3.45 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.9, #2) then snagged the silver with its all-repeat lineup of "Frosty the Snowman" (2.96 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T3), "Frosty Returns" (2.91 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T3), "The Story of Santa Claus" (2.85 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T6) and "48 Hours Mystery" (4.55 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.0, #2).

Next up was NBC (2.55 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #3) with a repeat of "Grimm" (2.09 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.5, #10) followed by its annual "WWE Tribute to the Troops" (2.08 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T8) special and a repeat of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (3.48 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T3).

And finally, encores of "Wipeout" (2.67 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T6) and "CMA Country Christmas" (3.46 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T8) on ABC (3.19 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #4) closed out the night.

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

"Saturday Night Live," with host Jimmy Fallon and musical guest Michael Bublé (5.3/13 in metered-market households) dominated its time period last night, scoring the show's highest metered-market household rating since the "SNL" season finale on May 21, 2011 (with host Justin Timberlake and musical guest Lady Gaga). It was the #1 telecast of the night in the 56 local markets metered by Nielsen Media Research, ahead of all primetime telecasts on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.

In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 3.0 rating, 13 share in adults 18-49, making it the #1 telecast of the night in the Local People Meters, topping all primetime programming on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. "SNL" tripled the next-highest-rated Saturday night telecast on any of those networks in LPM adult 18-49 ratings (3.0 vs. 1.0 for Fox's "America's Most Wanted" special).

Versus the same night last years, the December 17 edition of "Saturday Night Live" was up 8 percent in metered-market households (with a 5.3 rating vs. a 4.9) and up 3 percent in the Local People Meters (3.0 vs. 2.9).

The December 17 telecast of "Saturday Night Live" was a Christmas-themed edition that featured guest appearances by former "SNL" regulars Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Tracy Morgan, Rachel Dratch, Horatio Sanz and Chris Kattan, plus a cameo by Jude Law.

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

Here are the highlights of the 10 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (12/18/10):

New episodes of "Cops" (4.89 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.5, #T1) and "America's Most Wanted" (4.68 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.5, #T1) put FOX (4.78 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.5, #1) in front on a low-key Saturday.

ABC (3.54 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.0, #2) then claimed the silver with rebroadcasts of "I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown" (3.04 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T8) and "Madagascar" (3.79 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.1, #4).

Next up was CBS (5.59 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.9, #3) and its mix of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (4.98 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.8, #7), "CSI: Miami" (6.11 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T5) and "48 Hours Mystery" (5.68 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.2, #3).

And finally, NBC (2.82 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #4) closed out the evening with its combination of "The Office" (2.07 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.6, #10), "WWE Tribute to the Troops" (2.34 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T8) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (4.03 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T5).

And in late-night, a new "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 4.9 household rating, 12 share in the metered markets.

Source: Nielsen Media Research