Here are the Nielsen ratings for the top 20 prime-time shows nationally and network newscasts.
TOP NETWORKS
For the week, CBS led, with an average 6.1 million viewers; NBC was second, with 5.7 million; ABC was third, with 5 million viewers; Fox came in fourth, with 4.6 million; ION had 1.2 million; and the CW had 1.1 million.
NETWORK EVENING NEWS
NBC’s “Nightly News” topped the evening newscasts with 7.4 million viewers. ABC’s “World News” was second with 6.5 million, and “CBS Evening News” had 5 million
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by the Nielsen Co. for Aug. 16-22. Listings include the week’s ranking and viewership:
1. NFL Pre-Season: Minnesota vs. San Francisco, NBC, 10.82 million.
2. “America’s Got Talent (Wednesday), NBC, 10.3 million.
3. “America’s Got Talent (Tuesday), NBC, 10.19 million.
4. “Wipeout (Tuesday), ABC, 8.98 million.
5. “NCIS, CBS, 8.79 million.
6. “Two and a Half Men, CBS, 8.48 million.
7. “60 Minutes, CBS, 8.38 million.
8. “NFL Pre-Season Pre-Game Show, NBC, 8.26 million.
9. “The Big Bang Theory, CBS, 8.03 million.
10. “Big Brother 12 (Sunday), CBS, 7.73 million.
11. “NCIS: Los Angeles, CBS, 7.62 million.
12. “Big Brother 12 (Wednesday), CBS, 7.61 million.
13. “Big Brother 12 (Thursday), CBS, 7.55 million.
14. “America’s Funniest Home Videos, ABC, 7.04 million.
15. “The Mentalist, CBS, 6.87 million.
16. “Criminal Minds, CBS, 6.52 million.
17. “Wipeout (Thursday), ABC, 6.44 million.
18. “Rookie Blue, ABC, 6.38 million.
19. “Flashpoint, CBS, 6.36 million.
20. Auto Racing: NASCAR Series at Bristol, ABC, 5.84 million.
