nielsen ratings
(fast national numbers for saturday, march 2, 2013)

Here are the highlights of the 11 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night:

FOX (2.777 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #1) topped a tight demo race on Saturday with its mix of "Cops" (3.466 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T2), "Cops" (3.670 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.1, #1) and "The Following" (1.987 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T6).

The silver then went to CBS (4.499 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.7, #2) with repeats of "Hawaii Five-0" (3.599 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T10), "Golden Boy" (4.090 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T6) and "48 Hours" (5.808 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T2).

Next up was ABC (2.664 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T3) with a rebroadcast of "Once Upon a Time" (1.815 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T10) and a special two-hour "20/20" (3.088 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T4).

And finally, NBC (1.952 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T3) closed out the evening with its lineup of "American Ninja Warrior" (1.911 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T6), "Chicago Fire" (1.899 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T6) and a primetime "Saturday Night Live" (2.048 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T4).

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

* "Saturday Night Live," with host Kevin Hart and musical guest Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, averaged a 4.8/12 in metered-market households. "SNL" scored the #1 rating of the night among ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in metered-market households, topping all primetime telecasts on those networks.

* In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, last night's "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 2.8 rating, 13 share in adults 18-49. "SNL" delivered the top rating of the night among ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in the Local People Meters, more than doubling all primetime programming on those networks.

* In the Local People Meters, "Saturday Night Live" scored its highest 18-49 rating since January 26 (2.8 with a telecast hosted by Adam Levine with musical guest Kendrick Lamar) and matched the show's highest Local People Meter rating since November 3 (with host Louis C.K. and musical guest fun, 3.0).

Here are the highlights of the 11 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (3/3/12):

ABC (4.38 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.2, #1) claimed top honors on Saturday with a repeat of "Winter Wipeout" (3.35 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.0, #3) followed by the debut of "20/20: My Extreme Affliction" (4.89 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.3, #1).

CBS (5.16 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.9, #2) then had to settle for second place with encores of "CSI: NY" (4.68 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T5), "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (5.28 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.9, #4) and a new "48 Hours Mystery" (5.51 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.1, #2).

Next up was FOX (2.21 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #3) with the two-hour launch of "Q'Viva! The Chosen" (2.21 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T5).

And finally, NBC (2.60 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4) closed out the night with its mix of "Smash" (1.78 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T8), a new "The Firm" (2.21 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T8) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (3.82 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T5).

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

"Saturday Night Live" (5.5/14 in metered-market households) with host Lindsay Lohan with musical guest Jack White, dominated its time period with the highest rating of the night in metered-market households, ahead of all Saturday primetime telecasts on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. "SNL" generated its second highest rating in metered-market households this season, behind only the 8.2/19 for a late-starting telecast on January 7, the night of NBC Sports' primetime coverage of the Lions-Saints NFL Wild Card playoff game. Versus the same night last year, "SNL" is up 2 percent in metered-market households (5.5/14 vs. 5.4/13).

In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 3.3 rating, 15 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. "SNL" scored its second highest rating in the Local People Meters this season, behind only the 4.6/18 of January 7, the night of the NFL Wild Card playoff game.

Source: Nielsen Media Research