nielsen ratings
(fast national numbers for saturday, september 1, 2012)

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

ABC (7.75 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.0, #1) kicked off September on top with its coverage of "College Football: Michigan vs. Alabama" (7.75 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.0, #1).

CBS (3.56 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2) then claimed a distant second place with its all-repeat lineup of "CSI: NY" (3.20 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T6), "48 Hours Mystery" (3.46 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T4) and another "48 Hours Mystery" (4.00 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #3).

Next up was NBC (2.97 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T2) and its own repeat mix of "America's Got Talent" (2.04 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T6), "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (3.03 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T4) and another "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (3.85 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.0, #2).

And finally, FOX (1.33 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4) closed out the night with its coverage of "College Football: Hawai'i at USC" (1.33 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T6).

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

· An encore telecast of "Saturday Night Live," with host Eli Manning and musical guest Rihanna (2.9/8 in metered-market households), dominated its time period. In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 1.2 rating, 6 share in adults 18-49.

[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 (9/3/11):

The return of "Saturday Night College Football" (7.21 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.8, #1) had no trouble putting ABC (7.21 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.8, #1) on top on Saturday.

A distant second place then went to CBS (4.63 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #2) with repeats of "Hawaii Five-0" (4.23 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T3), "CSI: Miami" (4.90 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T3) and "48 Hours Mystery" (4.90 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.9, #2).

Next up was FOX (1.90 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #3) with encores of "Cops" (2.48 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T3), "American Dad" (1.32 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T7) and "The Cleveland Show" (1.31 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.5, #9).

And finally, NBC (2.42 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #4) was out of the hunt despite the premiere of "Game Time: Tackling the Past" (2.35 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T7) and a repeat of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (2.56 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T3).

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

Not available at press time.

Source: Nielsen Media Research