nielsen ratings
(fast national numbers for saturday, march 30, 2013)

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

CBS (8.601 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.5, #1) was the network to beat on Saturday with its primetime coverage of the "NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Wichita state vs. Ohio State" (10.862 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.3, #1) followed by a join-in-progress repeat of "Elementary" (9.468 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 3.0, #2) and a new "48 Hours" (4.776 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.1, #4).

ABC (5.899 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.2, #2) then snagged the silver with its annual rebroadcast of "The Ten Commandments" (5.899 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.2, #3).

Next up was NBC (3.639 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.8, #3) with a two-hour "Dateline NBC" (3.894 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T6) and a primetime repeat of "Saturday Night Live" (3.129 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.9, #5).

And finally, FOX (1.946 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4) closed out the evening with its mix of a new "Cops" (2.606 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T6) and repeats of "Cops" (2.608 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T6) and "The Following" (1.284 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.3, #9).

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

* An encore telecast of "Saturday Night Live," with host and musical guest Justin Bieber, averaged a 2.9/7 in metered-market households, and a 1.4/6 in the 25 markets with Local People Meters.

Here are the highlights of the eight ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (3/31/12):

CBS (14.94 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 5.0, #1) rode the ratings wave of the "NCAA Men's Basketball Championship" (14.94 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 5.0, #1) as the Final Four dominated the night.

The silver then went to ABC (3.09 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T2) with its mix of "Shark Tank" (2.79 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T4) and another two-hour "20/20: My Extreme Affliction" (3.24 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.9, #3).

Next up was FOX (3.03 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T2) with the return of "Cops" (3.40 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.1, #2) followed by a repeat of "Bones" (2.66 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T4).

And finally, the miniscule debut of "Escape Routes" (1.12 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.2, #8) lead into a new "The Firm" (2.08 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.3, #7) and a repeat of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (3.41 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.7, #6) on NBC (2.21 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.4, #4).

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

An encore telecast of "Saturday Night Live" (3.3/8 in metered-market households) with host Katy Perry and musical guest Robyn, dominated its time period. "SNL" was the night's #1 non-sports telecast in metered-market households, ahead of all primetime entertainment programs on ABC, NBC and Fox.

In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 1.9 rating, 8 share in adults 18-49. It's the top Local People Meter result for an "SNL" encore since February 23 (with host Charlie Day and musical guest Maroon 5, 2.3/10). "SNL" was the night's #1 entertainment telecast in the Local People Meters, ahead of all primetime non-sports programs on ABC, NBC and Fox.

Source: Nielsen Media Research