nielsen ratings
(fast national numbers for saturday, may 12, 2012)

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

FOX (5.72 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.5, #1) was the network to beat on Saturday with its primetime coverage of "NASCAR: Spring Cup Racing from Darlington, SC" (5.72 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.5, #1).

The silver then went to CBS (4.94 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #2) with repeats of "CSI Miami" (3.06 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.5, #6) and "NCIS" (5.56 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T3) plus a new "48 Hours Mystery" (6.21 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.2, #2).

Next up was ABC (2.12 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #3) with rebroadcast of "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (2.12 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.6, #5).

And finally, repeats of "Harry's Law" (2.72 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.3, #8) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (3.55 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T3) bookended a new "The Firm" (2.19 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #7) on NBC (2.82 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4) to closed out the night.

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

"Saturday Night Live," with host Will Ferrell and musical guest Usher (5.1/13 in metered-market households), dominated its time period with the #1 rating of the night in metered-market households, ahead of all primetime telecasts on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. "SNL" finished within 2 percent of the 5.2/13 for the prior week's telecast (with host Eli Manning and musical guest Rihanna), making this the second highest rated "SNL" in metered-market households since March 3 (with host Lindsay Lohan and musical guest Jack White). Versus the same night last year, "SNL" is up 4 percent in Metered-Market Households (5.1 vs. 4.9)

In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 3.1 rating, 13 share in adults 18-49, matching the prior week's rating, the show's highest since March 3. "SNL" was the night's #1 program in the Local People Meters, ahead of all primetime telecasts on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. Versus the same night last year, "SNL" is up 7 percent in the Local People Meters (3.1 vs. 2.9).

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

Here are the highlights of the eight ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (5/14/11):

ABC (3.98 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.4, #1) was the network to beat on Saturday with its timely rebroadcast of "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (3.98 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.4, #T1).

FOX (3.80 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.1, #2) then took home the silver with its "MLB Primetime" (3.80 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.1, #4) primetime coverage.

Next up was CBS (5.40 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.0, #3) with encores of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (4.56 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #7) and "The Mentalist" (5.04 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T5) followed by a new "48 Hours Mystery" (6.60 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.4, #T1).

And finally, the penultimate week of "Chase" (2.77 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.6, #8) led into repeats of "Law & Order: Los Angeles" (3.67 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T5) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (5.01 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.2, #3) on NBC (3.82 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.9, #4).

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

"Saturday Night Live" (4.9/12 in metered-market households), hosted by Ed Helms with musical guest Paul Simon, dominated its time period. "SNL" was the #1 telecast of the night in metered-market households ahead of all primetime programming on ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox.

In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 2.9 rating, 12 share in adults 18-49, making it the #1 telecast of the night ahead of all primetime programs on ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox. This is the highest "SNL" rating in the Local People Meters since March 12.

Source: Nielsen Media Research