nielsen ratings
(fast national numbers for saturday, february 18, 2012)

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

FOX (6.67 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.9, #1) was the network to beat with its coverage of "NASCAR '12 Budweiser Shootout" (6.67 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.9, #1)

ABC (3.26 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.0, #2) then took home a distant second place with its mix of "Winter Wipeout" (3.01 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.9, #4) and the feature "Wild Hogs" (3.38 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.0, #3).

Next up was CBS (4.79 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #3) with encores of "Person of Interest" (4.26 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #7) and "NCIS: Los Angeles" (4.73 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T5) followed by a new "48 Hours Mystery" (5.37 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.1, #2).

And finally, a repeat of "Smash" (2.15 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.4, #9) lead into the time period premiere of "The Firm" (2.73 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #8) - a series low - and a repeat of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (3.29 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T5) on NBC (2.72 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4).

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

"Saturday Night Live" (4.9/12 in metered-market households) with host Maya Rudolph and musical guest Sleigh Bells, dominated its time period with the #1 rating of the night in metered-market households, ahead of all Saturday primetime telecasts on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.

In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 2.9 rating, 13 share in adults 18-49 to rank #1 among the night's telecasts ahead of all Saturday primetime programs on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.

[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 (2/19/11):

FOX (4.94 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.7, #1) cruised to the top spot on Saturday with its usual combination of "Cops" (5.07 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.7, #T1) and "America's Most Wanted" (4.81 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.7, #T1).

ABC (3.72 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.1, #2) then snagged the silver with repeats of "Wipeout" (3.46 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T6) and the feature "Over the Hedge" (3.85 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 1.2, #T3).

Next up was CBS (5.38 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.0, #3) with encores of "CSI: NY" (4.43 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.8, #8) and "Criminal Minds" (5.58 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.1, #5) followed by a new "48 Hours Mystery" (6.13 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.2, #T3).

And finally, repeats of "Harry's Law" (4.25 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T9), "Law & Order: Los Angeles" (3.88 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T9) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (5.43 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T6) on NBC (4.52 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.7, #4) rounded out the night.

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

An encore telecast of "Saturday Night Live" (3.7/9 in metered-market households) hosted by Paul Rudd with musical guest Paul McCartney, dominated its time period.

In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 2.0 rating, 9 share in adults 18-49, making it the #1 non-sports telecast of the night, ahead of all primetime entertainment programs on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.

Source: Nielsen Media Research