ABC - EVEN WITH TOP THREE SHOWS, NBC CAN'T BEAT CBS

EVEN WITH TOP THREE SHOWS, NBC CAN'T BEAT CBS

NBC took the top three spots in the Nielsen ratings last week, with two episodes of America's Got Talent , followed by pre-season football. But it was all CBS after that among the top ten as the network remained the most-watched network for the 12th time in the 14 weeks of the summer season. (If cable broadcasts were included in the rankings, Disney Channel's The Wizards of Waverly Place would have ranked second with 11.4 million viewers, a tad below the Tuesday edition of America's Got Talent , which recorded 11.5 million viewers and a tad above the Wednesday edition of the talent show, which drew 11.2 million.) For the week, CBS averaged a 4.3 rating and an 8 share (4.91 million viewers); NBC followed with a 4.1/7 (4.72 million); Fox placed third with a 2.9/5 (3.35 million); while ABC trailed with a 2.5/4 (28.60 million). Among the nightly newscasts, NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams continued to lead with 7.86 million viewers; ABC World News With Charles Gibson ranked second with 7.08 million; The CBS Evening News With Katie Couric remained far behind with 5.38 million viewers.

The top ten shows of the week according to Nielsen Research 1. America's Got Talent (Tuesday), NBC, 6.9/11; 2. America's Got Talent (Wednesday 9 00 p.m.), NBC, 6.9/11; 3. NFL Pre-Season Football, NBC, 6.5/11; 4. 60 Minutes, CBS, 6.4/12; 4. (Tie) NCIS, CBS, 6.4/11; 6. Two and a Half Men, CBS, 6.2/10; 7. The Big Bang Theory, CBS, 5.5/9; 7. (Tie) CSI Crime Scene Investigation , CBS, 5.5/9; 7. (Tie) The Mentalist (Thursday), CBS, 5.5/10; 10. The Mentalist (Tuesday), CBS, 5.1/9.

02/09/2009