Primetime Preliminary Fast National Nielsen Data
(includes all DVR playback through 3:00 am)

Here are the highlights of the 16 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (7/27/16):

NBC (6.239 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.2, #1) claimed top honors on Wednesday with its mix of "America's Got Talent" (9.171 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.7, #1), "The Night Shift" (5.987 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.1, #3) and "NBC News Special" (3.561 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T6).

FOX (2.839 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T2) then was the number two draw with originals from "MasterChef" (3.342 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.0, #4) and "Wayward Pines" (2.335 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T6).

Sharing the silver was CBS (3.376 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T2) and its lineup of "Big Brother 18" (5.591 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.6, #2), "American Gothic" (2.483 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T11) and "CBS News Special" (2.056 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T15).

Meanwhile, ABC (2.818 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.7, #4) offered up repeats of "The Goldbergs" (3.188 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T6), another "The Goldbergs" (2.642 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T11), "Modern Family" (3.081 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.9, #5), "Black-ish" (2.621 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T6) and "ABC News Special" (2.689 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T6).

And finally, new episodes of "Penn & Teller: Fool Us" (1.419 million viewers, #16; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T15), "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (1.662 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T13) and a repeat "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (1.661 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T13) closed out the evening on The CW (1.540 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.4, #5).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+66.67% - Whose Line Is It Anyway?
+33.33% - Penn & Teller: Fool Us
0.00% - Wayward Pines
0.00% - American Gothic
-5.88% - Big Brother 18
-15.38% - The Night Shift (vs. 7/13/16)
-16.67% - MasterChef
-22.73% - America's Got Talent

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+150.00% - Whose Line Is It Anyway? (vs. Supernatural (Repeat))
+100.00% - Penn & Teller: Fool Us (vs. Arrow (Repeat))
+6.25% - America's Got Talent
-11.11% - Big Brother 18
-14.29% - American Gothic (vs. Extant)
-22.22% - Wayward Pines (vs. Home Free)
-28.57% - MasterChef
-31.25% - The Night Shift (vs. America's Got Talent)

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

TBA

Here are the highlights of the 14 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (7/29/15):

NBC (7.094 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.6, #1) was the network to beat on Wednesday with a special two-hour "America's Got Talent" (7.738 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.6, #2) and a new "Last Comic Standing" (5.805 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.4, #T3).

FOX (3.842 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.2, #2) then claimed the silver with new episodes of "MasterChef" (4.603 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.4, #T3) and "Home Free" (3.081 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T5).

Next up was CBS (4.963 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.1, #3) and is trio of "Big Brother 17" (5.672 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.8, #1), "Extant" (4.254 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T10) and "Criminal Minds" (4.963 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T7).

Meanwhile, ABC (3.248 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.8, #4) served up repeats of "The Middle" (3.797 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T10), "The Goldbergs" (3.165 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.7, #T10), "Modern Family" (3.461 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T5) and "Black-ish" (2.954 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T7) plus an original "Celebrity Wife Swap" (3.056 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T7).

And finally, repeats of "Arrow" (0.805 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T13) and "Supernatural" (0.667 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T13) on The CW (0.736 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.2, #5) closed out the evening. In the netlet's target demo (women 18-34), the former delivered a 0.1 rating while the latter posted a 0.1 rating.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
0.00% - Big Brother 17
0.00% - MasterChef
0.00% - Home Free
0.00% - Celebrity Wife Swap (vs. 7/8/15)
0.00% - Extant
-6.67% - Last Comic Standing

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+27.27% - MasterChef (vs. So You Think You Can Dance)
+27.27% - Last Comic Standing (vs. Taxi Brooklyn)
+14.29% - Celebrity Wife Swap (vs. Motive)
-18.18% - Big Brother 17
-18.18% - Home Free (vs. So You Think You Can Dance)
-36.36% - Extant (vs. Criminal Minds (Repeat))

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

· In Nielsen's 56 metered markets, household results were: "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," 2.9/8; "CBS Summer Showcase," 1.6/4 with an encore; and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 1.9/5.

· In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, adult 18-49 results were: "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," 1.0/5; "CBS Summer Showcase," 0.3/2 with an encore; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 0.6/3.

· From 12:35-1:05 a.m. ET, ABC's "Nightline" averaged a 1.2/4 in metered-market households and a 0.4/2 in 18-49 in the Local People Meters.

· From 12:35-1:35 a.m. ET, "Late Night with Seth Meyers" (1.2/4 in metered-market households) beat CBS's "Late Late Show with James Corden" (0.9/3). In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Late Night" (0.5/3 in 18-49) topped "Late Late Show" (0.2/2).

· At 1:35 a.m., "Last Call with Carson Daly" averaged a 0.7/3 with an encore in metered-market households and a 0.2/2 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

Source: Nielsen Media Research